Iranian Journal of Manufacturing Engineering

Iranian Journal of Manufacturing Engineering

Effect of drilling parameters on fiber delamination, surface quality, and drilling force in curved luminum/Glass/Polypropylene composite

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Ramin Beyranvand 1
Mehdi Ansari 1
Hamed Deilami Azodi 1, 2
Mohammad Milad Jafari 1
1 Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Arak University of Technology, Arak, Iran
2 Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/ijme.2025.543487.2126
Abstract
Fiber Metal Laminates (FMLs), which combine the superior properties of metallic and polymeric composite materials, have emerged as innovative materials widely utilized in aerospace and automotive industries. Despite their advantages, the drilling process of these structures, particularly in curved components, is associated with challenges such as delamination, deteriorated surface quality, and increased machining forces. The present study aims to investigate the influence of three critical drilling parameters-spindle speed, feed rate, and drill diameter-on fiber delamination, hole quality, and drilling force in curved aluminum/polypropylene sheets reinforced with glass fibers. For sample fabrication, layers of 3105 aluminum and glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene were shaped using a hot press technique and an Ohio-shaped mold. Experiments were conducted based on a full factorial design, with spindle speeds of 1000, 2000, and 2500 rpm, feed rates of 8, 16, and 25 mm/min, and drill diameters of 3, 5, and 7 mm. Results indicated that the maximum fiber delamination (0.243 mm) occurred under conditions using a 3 mm drill bit, 1000 rpm spindle speed, and 8 mm/min feed rate, whereas the minimum delamination (0.090 mm) was observed with a 7 mm drill bit under the same conditions. Surface quality analysis revealed that lower spindle speeds and feed rates produced more regular holes with sharper edges. Furthermore, an increase in spindle speed resulted in a reduction of drilling force, while an elevated feed rate exhibited an opposing effect. The drill diameter demonstrated a dual impact on force, initially increasing it and subsequently decreasing it due to reduced unit pressure. Collectively, the findings underscore the significance of optimizing drilling parameters to enhance quality and minimize damage in curved FMLs.
Keywords
Drilling, Fiber-Metal-Polymer Composite, Fiber Delamination, Surface Quality
[1]   Rabiee AH, Sherkatghanad E, Zeinolabedin Beygi A, Moslemi Naeini H, Lang L. Experimental investigation and modeling of fiber metal laminates hydroforming process by GWO optimized neuro-fuzzy network. Journal of Computational & Applied Research in Mechanical Engineering (JCARME). 2023 Feb 1;12(2):193-209. doi: 10.22061/jcarme.2022.8268.2101
[2] Vogelesang LB, Vlot A. Development of fibre metal laminates for advanced aerospace structures. Journal of materials processing technology. 2000 Jun 1;103(1):1-5. doi: 10.1016/S0924-0136(00)00411-8
[3] Alderliesten RC. Fatigue & damage tolerance of hybrid materials & structures–some myths, facts & fairytales. InICAF 2009, Bridging the Gap between Theory and Operational Practice: Proceedings of the 25th Symposium of the International Committee on Aeronautical Fatigue, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 27–29 May 2009 2009 (pp. 1245-1260). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. doi: 10.1007/978-90-481-2746-7_70
[4]   Asundi A, Choi AY. Fiber metal laminates: an advanced material for future aircraft. Journal of Materials processing technology. 1997 Jan 1;63(1-3):384-94. doi: 10.1016/S0924-0136(96)02652-0
[5]   Yalçın B, Bolat Ç, Ergene B, Karakılınç U, Yavaş Ç, Öz Y, Ercetin A, Maraş S, Der O. Effect of drilling parameters and tool diameter on delamination and thrust force in the drilling of high-performance glass/epoxy composites for aerospace structures with a new design drill. Polymers. 2024 Oct 27;16(21):3011. doi: 10.3390/polym16213011
[6]   Bonhin EP, David-Müzel S, de Sampaio Alves MC, Botelho EC, Ribeiro MV. A review of mechanical drilling on fiber metal laminates. Journal of Composite Materials. 2021 Mar;55(6):843-69. doi: 10.1177/0021998320957743
[7]   Rasti A, Zeinolabedin-Beygi A, Hassanpour H, Omiddodman AR. Study of surface roughness, texture, and microhardness in hard drilling of AISI D2: The critical role of cutting oil in minimum quantity lubrication. Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology. 2025 Sep;39(9):5397-403. doi: 10.1007/s12206-025-0841-x
[8]   Salamat-Talab M, Tahmasbi V, Safari M, Zeinolabedin Beygi A. Mathematical modeling, sobol sensitivity analysis and optimization of main parameters in drilling of E-glass/epoxy laminated composites. Iranian Journal of Manufacturing Engineering, 2022;8(11):43-53. [In Persian]
[9] Gazor MS, Ansari M, Hedayati SK, Ansari M. Bone fixation implants with in-situ controllable stiffness: Modifying the R-curve behavior by 3D printing. Journal of Composite Materials. 2022 Jun;56(15):2337-50. doi: 10.1177/00219983221092843
[10] Miles MP. Formability testing of sheet metals. In: ASM handbook, volume 8: mechanical testing and evaluation. ASM International; 2000. p. 201-10. doi: 10.31399/asm.hb.v08.a0003419
[11] Doğan MA, Yazman Ş, Gemi L, Yildiz M, Yapici A. A review on drilling of FML stacks with conventional and unconventional processing methods under different conditions. Composite Structures. 2022 Oct 1;297:115913. doi: 10.1016/j.compstruct.2022.115913
[12] Rasti A, Omiddodman AR, Ustad M. Analysis of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing in Sustainable Hard Drilling using Vegetable Oil-Based MQL. Journal of Engineering Research. 2025 Jun 2. doi: 10.1016/j.jer.2025.05.012
[13] Ho-Cheng H, Dharan C. Delamination during drilling in composite laminates. 1990. doi: 10.1115/1.2899580
[14] Tsao CC, Hocheng H. The effect of chisel length and associated pilot hole on delamination when drilling composite materials. International journal of machine tools and manufacture. 2003 Sep 1;43(11):1087-92. doi: 10.1016/S0890-6955(03)00127-5
[15] Moradzadeh V, Danesh M, Arabgol F. Investigating the effect of fiber angle on the quality of the surface and delamination in the turning of epoxy composite reinforced with glass fiber. Iranian Journal of Manufacturing Engineering. 2023 Apr 21; 10(2):14-21. doi: 10.22034/IJME.2023.418064.1848 [In Persian]
[16] Hocheng H, Tsao CC. The path towards delamination-free drilling of composite materials. Journal of materials processing technology. 2005 Aug 30;167(2-3):251-64. doi: 10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2005.06.039
[17] Xu J, Mkaddem A, El Mansori M. Recent advances in drilling hybrid FRP/Ti composite: A state-of-the-art review. Composite Structures. 2016 Jan 1;135:316-38. doi: 10.1016/j.compstruct.2015.09.028
[18] Karnik SR, Gaitonde VN, Rubio JC, Correia AE, Abrão AM, Davim JP. Delamination analysis in high speed drilling of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) using artificial neural network model. Materials & Design. 2008 Oct 1;29(9):1768-76. doi: 10.1016/j.matdes.2008.03.014
[19] Piquet R, Ferret B, Lachaud F, Swider P. Experimental analysis of drilling damage in thin carbon/epoxy plate using special drills. Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing. 2000 Oct 1;31(10):1107-15. doi: 10.1016/S1359-835X(00)00069-5
[20] Xu J, Huang X, Chen M, Paulo Davim J. Drilling characteristics of carbon/epoxy and carbon/polyimide composites. Materials and Manufacturing Processes. 2020 Nov 17;35(15):1732-40. doi: 10.1080/10426914.2020.1784935
[21] Baharlooey D. The effect of drill geometrical properties on delamination and diameter error of holes in a thin sheet of Kevlar/epoxy composite. Iranian Journal of Manufacturing Engineering. 2018 Oct 23;5(2):9-17. [In Persian]
[22] Ghesmati-Kucheki H, Zakeri M, AYAT EMR. Investigating the effect of different variables to reduce delamination due to drilling in composite laminates. 2021. [In Persian]
[23] Fereyduni F, Ansari M, Baraheni M. The role of drilling parameters in controlling delamination and hole quality of novel long-fiber PLA-glass composites manufactured by FDM. Iranian Journal of Manufacturing Engineering. 2025 Mar 21;12(1):51-64. doi: 10.22034/ijme.2025.488847.2027 [In Persian]
[24] Geier N, Pereszlai C, Poór DI, Balázs BZ. Drilling of curved carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite plates. Procedia CIRP. 2021 Jan 1;99:404-8. doi: 10.1016/j.procir.2021.03.057
[25] Morkavuk S, Köklü U, Aslantaş K. An experimental investigation on the influence of different surface curvatures in drilling machinability of carbon fiber reinforced plastic. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science. 2022 Nov;236(22):10953-68. doi: 10.1177/09544062221110466
[26] Li S, Zou S, Dai L, Zhou Y, Qiu X, Li C, Li P, Ko TJ. Damage mechanism of carbon fiber reinforced plastic pipe based on reverse and forward curvature drilling. Composite Structures. 2022 Jul 15;292:115700. doi: 10.1016/j.compstruct.2022.15700
[27] Arola D, McCain ML. Surface texture and the stress concentration factor for FRP components with holes. Journal of Composite materials. 2003 Aug;37(16):1439-60. doi: 10.1177/0021998303034462
[28] Jafari MM. Study on formability of GLARE laminate [master’s thesis]. Arak: Arak University of Technology; Faculty of Mechanical Engineering; 2021.
Iranian Journal of Manufacturing Engineering
Volume 12, Issue 7 - Serial Number 93
September 2025
Pages 81-95