AN INVESTIGATION OF CARBON/CARBON COMPOSITE MACHINING

Carbon/carbon(C/C) composite is an important advanced friction and structure material used to make aircraft brake disk. This research aimed at optimizing the tool material and cutting parameters for C/C composite cutting. Some machining experiments were performed at the lathe machine. The wear surface morphologies of the machine tools were observed with optic microscopy. Machining chips formed in various cutting parameters were observed with SEM. Heat produced during C/C composite cutting made the tool edge softer. The dominant tool wear mechanism of this cutting process was abrasive wear and adhesive wear. Tools made from tungsten carbide (YG8) worked effectively, while high speed steel was worse, TiC based cemented carbide YT15 and YT30 were not good at cutting C/C composite.