Experimental and numerical study of low frequency pulsed Nd:YAG laser heating of slip cast fused silica ceramics for laser assisted turning process considering laser beam overlapping

Abstract

Machining of ceramics often involves many challenges due to their high hardness, brittleness, and low-thermal conductivity. Laser Assisted Machining (LAM) is a promising technology for improving the machinability of hard-to-cut materials. In this work, the effect of laser heating in the LAM process on Slip Cast Fused Silica (SCFS) ceramics is investigated by conducting a numerical thermal analysis of laser effects on material behavior. A transient three-dimensional heat transfer analysis for Laser Assisted Turning (LAT) of SCFS is performed using finite-element method. Temperature distributions in SCFS cylindrical specimens are obtained. Moreover, the influence of laser parameters, such as power, translational speed, and feed rate, on the temperature field is studied. To increase the absorptivity of the ceramic surface, a coating is applied, and the absorptivity of the coated surface is determined by carrying out a series of experiments. Experiments are performed to validate the numerical transient heat transfer finite-element model. In addition, the effects of spot overlapping of pulsed laser on temperature distribution and absorptivity of SCFS workpiece are studied. It is for the first time that effect of laser beam overlapping on low frequency pulsed laser heating in LAT is formulated and completely investigated.