Investigating the material removal mechanism and cutting performance in ultrasonic vibration-assisted milling of carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic

Abstract Carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) has emerged as a sustainable alternative to carbon plastic (CFRP) due its improved reparability and recyclability. CFRTP, particularly polyetheretherketone (CF/PEEK), is high-performance material known for excellent mechanical, thermal, corrosion resistance properties, making it well-suited extreme environments in civil aviation equipment. However, machining processes such milling often result defects the material’s high toughness anisotropic nature. This study aims investigate removal mechanism ultrasonic-assisted (UAM) of CF/PEEK compare effects cutting angle ( θ ) on performance. To simulate fracture mechanisms under different , finite element analysis (FEA) employed. The results reveal modes, including bending, bending-shear, compression, compression-shear, at various . Additionally, UAM demonstrates lower forces temperatures compared conventional (CM). Notably, greatly improves surface quality by reducing burr height facilitating chip evacuation, while also enhancing integrity minimizing cavity pull-out phenomena. These findings contribute development low-damage methods that aim achieve higher accuracy CFRTP.