Investigation the effective parameters on damages induced in composite sandwich structures through drilling

There are many common defects produced during the drilling of composite sandwich panels such as delamination, uncut fiber and matrix cracking factors. In this work, we employed the Epoxy / Kevlar with Balsa wood and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) foam core in sandwich panel under different drilling factors i.e., cutting speed, feed rate and tool diameter and examined in three levels. The major aim of this study is to find the best conditions for producing the machining holes in sandwich panels with considering the delamination and uncut fiber factor. For better analysis, we used the digital imaging techniques as a reliable way to measure and determine the level of damages. The results showed that the machine spindle speed, feed rate and tool diameters have so effects on delamination and uncut fiber factors. The obtained results are given to assess the applicability of the mentioned sandwich panels in industrial specialty in aerospace and military purposes.