Abstract

The quality control of bonded aerospace parts manufactured with carbon fiber it is based on the realization of tests according to standards being one of the most outstanding the test of slotted single lap shear strength of composite joints. In order to perform this mechanical test it is necessary to slot a semi-panel to reach the bonded line without damaging the second semi-panel. The process conditions to get the slot have a strong influence on the quality of results. The standard method is not exhaustive defining the most critical parameter such as the control of slot. Therefore, there is the need to perform and develop an investigation in order to study the influence of the slot on the tests results. This study is mainly focus on optimizing the slotting process of bonded joints in composite materials. For this purpose, both the behavior of the tool during machining and the influence of the cutting parameters have been studied, by analyzing the slot geometry, the repeatability in strength measurements, the quality of results and the failure modes. Always focusing on the quality and the optimization of the process. Finally, after optimizing the machining parameters the test results have been compared with the real values obtained from the single lap shear specimens without slots.