Studying the Mechanisms of High Rates of Tool Wear in the Machining of Aramid Honeycomb Composites

Aramid honeycomb composite structures have revolutionized the aerospace industry by providing high strength, light weight, energy absorbing structures for many applications. To finder wider utilization, the costs of producing honeycomb structures must be reduced and one important area of focus is to reduce tool wear and increase tool life. This study began with the hypothesis that the high rate of tool wear was due to excessive tool rubbing because of the lower stiffness of this material when compared to solid materials. Tool wear measurements were taken over the life of a tool and high speed video was utilized to study the machining process. The results of the tool wear test showed a standard tool wear timeline. The video analyses showed the tool experiencing rubbing far beyond expectations due to the collapse of honeycomb cells induced by twisting far in advance of the arrival of the tool.