Drilling performance of ultrafine cemented carbide drill in machining aramid fiber reinforce polymer composites

The drilling test was carried out with ultrafine cemented carbide drills to machine aramid fiber reinforce polymer composites (AFRP), and the drilling performance of the ultrafine cemented carbides drills was compared with that of conventional cemented carbides drills at the same conditions. The test results show that drilling force increases with the feed speed and decreases with the spindle speed, the drilling force of the ultrafine cemented carbides drill decreases by 40.6% compared with conventional cemented carbide drills. Drilling temperature decreases with the feed speed and increases with the spindle speed, and the drilling temperature is reduced by 47-85℃. The burr and thermal damage produced by the ultrafine cemented carbide drills are less than that of produced by the conventional cemented carbide drills, the chisel edge and the major cutting edge of the conventional cemented carbide drills exhibits tipping, and the flank faces appear severe abrasive wear after a long drilling. The wear rate of the ultrafine cemented carbide drill is relatively lower due to high hardness and resistance of the drill material, which is suitable for high efficiency and low damage in machining AFRP composites.