Temperature analysis during drilling process of FRP laminates

The drilling process of polymeric composite materials is necessary when adhesives are not permitted for the generation of structural couplings. Studying this process is very important because it causes several problems such as localized thermal shock in the resin. Temperature increase is due to the presence of extremely hard and abrasive fibres and the low thermal conductivity of the resin, that limits heat dissipation. These phenomena can cause negative results, such as the reduction of material fatigue resistance and the resulting decay of the long-term performance. The present work deal with the temperature analysis during dry drilling process of FRP thick laminates, as a function of process parameters, to limit the thermal shock during drilling. The temperature measurement was carried out by means of thermocouples placed both in the material, near the surface of the hole, and on the tool. Finally, a FEM model was developed to predict the temperature distribution in the workpiece.