Abstract
Due to the peculiar nature of composite materials, sound analysis of the material response to milling lacks progress yet. Knowledge acquired from metal cutting can be used only with care. The current paper presents a fundamental study on milling of continuous carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy. Special attention is paid to the fiber orientation affecting both cut quality and cutting force. Serious burs can form in the tool-work configuration, with which fibers do not fail successfully, such as by buckling. The components of cutting force reflect the efforts of breaking strong fibers by various actions. Thermal response of the polymer-based material contributes to the obtained surface finish for different cutting conditions. Based on these discussions, some characteristics of milling of composite materials are summarized. © 1993, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.