Fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composites [1] are widely used in the aerospace [2], automotive [3], construction [4], and biomedical [5] industries owing to their light weight, high modulus, and good specific strength. The application scope of fiber-reinforced polymers has expanded from large components such as aircraft wings and ship hulls to smaller, more delicate products such as unmanned aerial vehicles and mobile devices, which have more complex shapes and require greater dimensional accuracy. To satisfy this demand, post-processing methods for shaping fiber-reinforced polymers have attracted attention [6]. However, it is difficult to improve the dimensional accuracy of fiber-reinforced polymers by post-processing owing to the non-uniform nature of the fiber reinforcement. In addition, because of the abrasive nature of the reinforcing fibers, the usable lifetime of the tools is short. Accordingly, the productivity is relatively low, leading to high manufacturing costs. This, alongside the high price of raw materials, hinders the application of composite materials in products that require high dimensional accuracy. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the productivity of manufacturing and post-processing processes for fiber-reinforced polymers.
Several machining processes have been applied in the post-processing of fiber-reinforced polymers, including drilling, milling, turning, and computer numerical control (CNC) processes such as CNC milling, abrasive waterjet cutting, and laser ablation. Drilling is often used to produce holes for fastenings. However, the vertical movement of the drill can cause fiber interruption, stress concentration, delamination, resin erosion, and fiber pull-out [7–10]. For CNC milling of polymer composites, the effects of cutting force and rotational speed on the surface finish have been widely studied [11–13]. The quality of the cut surface is determined by factors such as tool movement speed, nose radius, and wear [14–16]. These processes already have relatively long machining times because the desired shape is achieved by movement of the cutting tool; however, the constraints on tool speed limit how much the processing time can be shortened to improve productivity.
Mechanical trimming using a punch and die has been proposed as an alternative method of shaping fiber-reinforced polymers. Trimming using a mechanical punching tool is the fastest post-processing method, because the desired shape is achieved in a single piercing motion. This has benefits in terms of cost and productivity. Several researchers have explored ways to improve the quality of the sheared edge of fiber-reinforced composites trimmed by mechanical punching. Yokoi et al. [17] applied vibration to the punch to maximize the shear heat generated in the piercing step and achieved smooth sheared edges on various fiber-reinforced composite materials. Nojima [18] analyzed the effect of punch shape on the punching load acting on aramid-fiber-reinforced polymers, and found that the deformation load was concentrated on the slug when using a hollow punch. This effectively improved the quality of the sheared edge and produced a smooth cross-section. Klocke et al. [19] experimentally investigated the relationship between punch diameter and dimensional and form accuracy during the circular piercing of carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers. They reported that the punch diameter had a significant influence on the dimensional and shape precision, and that the process parameters affecting the cutting resistance of carbon-fiber-reinforced laminates were similar to those when shaping metals. Lambiase and Durante [20] performed tensile tests on thin glass-fiber-reinforced laminates with a central hole to compare how punched and drilled holes affected the mechanical properties. They found that the mechanical properties were similar under a relatively small punch-die clearance of 0.1 mm, but as the clearance increased, the mechanical properties of the punched specimens decreased sharply. These studies indicate that the quality of the sheared edge can be improved by optimizing the punch shape and applying vibration. However, special equipment and tools are required to achieve stability and durability for mass production, which results in increased costs.
Researchers have identified several damage mechanisms that occur owing to mechanical loading during the mechanical punching of cross-ply laminated fiber-reinforced composites, including fiber–matrix interfacial debonding, matrix cracking, delamination between plies, and fiber breakage [21, 22]. These phenomena have been analyzed based on the surface roughness and delamination factor. However, quantitative analyses of the defects and process parameters are required to analyze the damage mechanisms that occur during mechanical trimming and obtain smooth cross-sections. In addition, there is a lack of quantitative data on interfacial damage mechanisms such as debonding, delamination, and matrix cracking.
This study quantitively investigates the defects on the sheared edge of woven glass epoxy laminates subjected to mechanical punching, and explores the correlations between these defects and key process parameters (including punch-die clearance, the most critical variable) in relation to the interfacial damage mechanism. Mechanical punching was conducted on a machine press so that the defect mechanisms could be evaluated under the same conditions as those used in mass production. The results will help to tailor the process parameters of mechanical punching for fiber-reinforced polymers to obtain smooth cross-sections, as well as providing qualitative data on the interfacial damage mechanisms that occur during mechanical punching.