Development of coating removal From carbon fiber reinforced plastic skin surfaces by abrasive jet machining

Removing localized damage coatings on new-generation fighters’ carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) skin surfaces has become a research hotspot. A practical method for removing the CFRP skin coating without damaging the substrate was proposed in this study. Modeling was used to examine the particle velocity and contact force of a single abrasive and the erosion depth, width, and material removal rate of the coating. The eroded surface morphology, roughness and erosion depth of different processes were obtained by the Taguchi method. The results show that plastic abrasive jet machining (PAJM) can remove coatings layer by layer without damaging the substrate. A jet pressure of 0.35 MPa is recommended as a critical jet pressure to avoid damaging the fibers. This procedure offers more advantages than traditional removal methods (chemical stripping or manual sanding). A theoretical reference for coating removal on CFRP skin surfaces is provided in this paper.