This excellent volume will serve as an indispensable reference and source book for process design, tool and production engineers in composite manufacturing. It provides the reader with a comprehensive treatment of the theory of machining as it applies to fiber reinforced polymer composites. It covers the latest technical advances in the area of machining and tooling, and discusses the applications of fiber reinforced polymer composites in the aircraft and automotive industries.

This book covers current advances and practices in machining fibre-reinforced polymer composites under various conventional and nonconventional processes. It presents recent research and practices for effective and efficient machining of difficult-to-cut material, providing the technological ‘know-how’ on delamination-free of drilling, milling, trimming, and other cutting processes on fibre-reinforced polymer composites. It also guides the reader on the selection of optimum machining parameters, tool materials, as well as tool geometry. This book is of interest to academicians, students, researchers, practitioners, and industrialists working in aerospace, automotive, marine, and construction industries.

Presenting modern advances in the machining of ceramics and composites, this work offers broadly based, fundamental information for selecting the appropriate machining processes and parameters, developing successful manufacturing strategies, and designing novel machining systems. It focuses on scientific and engineering developments affecting the present and future of machining processes.

Machining processes play an important role in the manufacture of a wide variety of components. While the processes required for metal components are well-established, they cannot always be applied to composite materials, which instead require new and innovative techniques. Machining technology for composite materials provides an extensive overview and analysis of both traditional and non-traditional methods of machining for different composite materials.The traditional methods of turning, drilling and grinding are discussed in part one, which also contains chapters analysing cutting forces, tool wear and surface quality. Part two covers non-traditional methods for machining composite materials, including electrical discharge and laser machining, among others. Finally, part three contains chapters that deal with special topics in machining processes for composite materials, such as cryogenic machining and processes for wood-based composites.With its renowned editor and distinguished team of international contributors, Machining technology for composite materials is an essential reference particularly for process designers and tool and production engineers in the field of composite manufacturing, but also for all those involved in the fabrication and assembly of composite structures, including the aerospace, marine, civil and leisure industry sectors. - Provides an extensive overview of machining methods for composite materials - Chapters analyse cutting forces, tool wear and surface quality - Cryogenic machining and processes for wood based composites are discussed

The potential application areas for polymer composites are vast. While techniques and methodologies for composites design are relatively well established, the knowledge and understanding of post-design issues lag far behind. This leads to designs and eventually composites with disappointing properties and unnecessarily high cost, thus impeding a wider industrial acceptance of polymer composites. Manufacturing of Polymer Composites completely covers pre- and post-design issues. While the book enables students to become fully comfortable with composites as a possible materials choice, it also provides sufficient knowledge about manufacturing-related issues to permit them to avoid common pitfalls and unmanufacturable designs. The book is a fully comprehensive text covering all commercially significant materials and manufacturing techniques while at the same time discussing areas of research and development that are nearing commercial reality.

Natural fibre composite is an emerging material that has great potential to be used in engineering application. Oil palm, sugar palm, bagasse, coir, banana stem, hemp, jute, sisal, kenaf, roselle, rice husk, betul nut husk and cocoa pod are among the natural fibres reported to be used as reinforcing materials in polymer composites. Natural fibre composites were used in many industries such as automotive, building, furniture, marine and aerospace industries. The advantages of natural fibre composites include low cost, renewable, abundance, light weight, less abrasive and they are suitable to be used in semi or non-structural engineering components. Research on various aspects of natural fibre composites such as characterization, determination of properties and design have been extensively carried out. However, publications that reported on research of manufacture of natural fibre composites are very limited. Specifically, although manufacturing methods of components from natural fibre composites are similar to those of components from conventional fibre composites such as glass, carbon and Kevlar fibres, modification of equipment used for conventional fibre composites may be required. This book fills the gap of knowledge in the field of natural fibre composites for the research community. Among the methods reported that are being used to produce components from natural fibre composites include hand lay-up, compression moulding, filament winding, injection moulding, resin transfer moulding, pultrusion and vacuum bag moulding. This book is also intended to address some research on secondary processing such as machining and laser welding of natural fibre composites. It is hoped that publication of this book will provide the readers new knowledge and understanding on the manufacture of natural fibre composites.

Composite materials are engineered materials, made from two or more constituents with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate on a macroscopic level within the finished structure. Due to their special mechanical and physical properties they have the potential to replace conventional materials.

Presents polymer-based fibre reinforced composite materials and addresses the characteristics of these widely used materials like low density and coefficient of thermal expansion, specific strength with better fatigue resistance and modulus. The topics discussed are laser-based material machining, high-speed robotic end milling and LFRP modeling, including definitions, features, machine elements (system set-up) as well as experimental and theoretical investigations. These investigations include effects of input variables (tool rotation speed, feed rate and ultrasonic power) on cutting force, torque, cutting temperature, edge quality, surface roughness, burning of machined surface, tool wear, material removal rate, power consumption and feasible regions. Further a detailed literature review on drilling polymer composites with a focus on delamination is included. Aspects such as delamination mechanisms, fabrication methods, the type of drilling process adopted by various researchers, cutting parameters employed during drilling, mathematical delamination modelling, effect of thrust force, spindle speed, thermal loads, tool wear, surface roughness, tool geometry and tool materials on delamination and hole quality are summarized. In addition an approach of digital image processing in delamination assessment completes the approach. - Discusses Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics modern technologies for automated, highly productive and cost efficient processing. - Great value for final undergraduate engineering courses or as a topic on manufacturing with FRPs at the postgraduate level as well as a useful reference for academics, researchers, manufacturing, mechanical and materials engineers, professionals in machining of FRPs and related industries.

This book covers a wide range of conventional and non-conventional machining processes of various composite materials, including polymer and metallic-based composites, nanostructured composites and green/natural composites. It presents state-of-the-art academic work and industrial developments in material fabrication, machining, modelling and applications, together with current practices and requirements for producing high-quality composite components. There are also dedicated chapters on physical properties and fabrication techniques of different composite material groups. The book also has chapters on health and safety considerations when machining composite materials and recycling composite materials. The contributors present machining composite materials in terms of operating conditions; cutting tools; appropriate machines; and typical damage patterns following machining operations. This book serves as a useful reference for manufacturing engineers, production supervisors, tooling engineers, planning and application engineers, and machine tool designers. It can also benefit final-year undergraduate and postgraduate students, as it provides comprehensive information on the machining of composite materials to produce high-quality final components. The book chapters were authored by experienced academics and researchers from four continents and nine countries including Canada, China, Egypt, India, Malaysia, Portugal, Singapore, United Kingdom and the USA.

Given such properties as low density and high strength, polymer matrix composites have become a widely used material in the aerospace and other industries. Polymer matrix composites and technology provides a helpful overview of these materials, their processing and performance.After an introductory chapter, part one reviews the main reinforcement and matrix materials used as well as the nature of the interface between them. Part two discusses forming and molding technologies for polymer matrix composites. The final part of the book covers key aspects of performance, including tensile, compression, shear and bending properties as well as impact, fatigue and creep behaviour.Polymer matrix composites and technology provides both students and those in industry with a valuable introduction to and overview of this important class of materials. - Provides a helpful overview of these materials, their processing and performance incorporating naming and classification of composite materials - Reviews the main reinforcement and matrix materials used as well as the nature of the interface between them including damage mechanisms - Discusses forming and molding technologies for polymer matrix composites outlining various techniques and technologies