Analysis on sliding cutting of CFRP laminates and research on process

Irregular fiber fracture during the cutting of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites is a primary cause of various machining-induced damages. To improve this issue, a novel sliding cutting strategy is proposed, in which the tool tip moves not only in the cutting direction but also slides tangentially along the cutting edge. This study focuses on the influence of process parameters on fiber cutting effectiveness. A specialized tool capable of performing sliding cutting was designed, and an experimental platform was established, with cutting speed, sliding speed, cutting depth, and tool inclination angle selected as the key process variables. The cutting quality of unidirectional CFRP laminates under sliding cutting was compared with that of conventional orthogonal cutting. Results demonstrate that cutting force increases with higher primary cutting speed and cutting depth, but decreases as sliding speed increases. Enhancing sliding speed improves surface quality and reduces subsurface damage, while cutting depth and inclination angle have minimal impact on surface roughness, indicating that the stabilizing effect of sliding speed predominantly governs the fiber fracture mechanism. Therefore, under a primary cutting speed of 3.6 mm/s, an optimized sliding speed, a cutting depth of 0.2 mm, and an appropriate inclination angle, sliding cutting effect is optimal, enabling precise fiber fracture and effectively suppressing defects such as delamination and interfacial debonding.