Wear Behaviour Studies of TaC-Coated Tools in CFRP/Al/CFRP Stacks in the Milling Process Using Vibrational Analysis

Recently, the aeronautical industry has developed materials that have a good relationship between lightness and high performance. Composite materials are those that fully meet this requirement. Among the composite materials, laminated materials made of metallic fibres stand out, but the milling process of these multi-materials is not an easy task due to the individual nature of each material. Poor choice of parameters and milling tools can cause damage to the part, and these must be discarded, generating high costs for the company. To have a well-adjusted milling process for these multi-materials, it is necessary to monitor vibration signals during the machining process to understand the influence of parameters and tools during the milling process. Therefore, this work aims to evaluate the performance of two different tools (2 and 3 flutes) coated with tetrahedral amorphous hard carbon (ta-C) during the milling of CFRP/Al/CFRP stacks in a dry environment. Vibration analysis was considered in relation to tool wear. Tool wear and chip morphology in the milling process were analyzed by optical microscopy. The tool wear results measured showed an increase in wear on the surface with the increase in cutting speed. The chip showed different morphologies as the cutting speed was increased.