Cutting Mechanism and Experimental Study of Ultrasonic Cutting CFRP Prepreg

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics (CFRP), with their high specific strength and modulus, are widely used in aerospace. High‐quality cutting of CFRP prepreg is the key to manufacturing CFRP components. Ultrasonic cutting, which reduces cutting forces and extends tool life, is a promising method for CFRP prepreg machining. However, the ultrasonic cutting mechanism of CFRP prepreg remains unclear; additionally, the cutting process requires further study. Moreover, the existing CFRP cutting models are difficult to apply to the modeling of CFRP prepreg. This study combines finite element modeling with experiments to investigate the ultrasonic cutting mechanism of T300 CFRP prepreg. Cohesive elements were used to simulate the viscous behavior of the uncured epoxy matrix. The effects of tool angles, ultrasonic amplitudes, and other parameters on cutting forces and surface topography were analyzed. The results show that as the ultrasonic amplitude increased from 10 to 20 μm, the principal cutting force decreased by 56.3%. As the forward inclination angle increased from 0° to 15°, the principal cutting force decreased by 26.4%. In contrast, when the cutting tool rotation angle increased from 3° to 9°, the principal cutting force increased by 43.5%, whereas the surface profile height difference decreased. An increase in the side inclination angle from 0° to 30° resulted in a 55.8% increase in the principal cutting force and a decrease in surface profile height difference. Consequently, this research provides crucial references for the theoretical optimization and practical application of ultrasonic machining of CFRP prepreg.