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Laser Beam Machining

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Nontraditional Machining Processes

Abstract

The cost of cutting hard-to-machine materials by conventional mechanical machining processes is high due to the low material removal rate and short tool life, and some materials are not possible to be cut by the conventional machining process at all. Laser beam machining is the machining processes involving a laser beam as a heat source. It is a thermal process used to remove materials without mechanical engagement with workpiece material where the workpiece is heated to melting or boiling point and removed by melt ejection, vaporization, or ablation mechanisms. In contrast with a conventional machine tool, the laser radiation does not experience wear, and material removal is not dependent on its hardness but on the optical properties of the laser and the optical and thermophysical properties of the material. This chapter summarizes the up-to-date progress of laser beam machining. It presents the basics and characteristics of industrial lasers and the state-of-the-art developments in laser beam machining.

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Abbreviations

\( A_{{r,{\text{Fe}}}} \) :

The relative atomic mass of iron (55.8 g/mole)

B :

Constant

b :

Depth of focus

\( C_{p} \) :

Heat capacity of solid metal

\( c_{v} \) :

Volumetric specific heat of the melt

\( c_{w} \) :

Specific heat of workpiece

\( D_{\text{eff}} \) :

Diffusion coefficient of oxygen in liquid iron

\( d \) :

Thickness of workpiece

\( E_{\text{crit}}^{f} \) :

Critical energy density for the cutting fiber

\( E_{\text{crit}}^{m} \) :

Critical energy density for the cutting matrix

\( F \) :

Constant (\( 0 < F \le 1 \))

\( f_{L} \) :

Focal length of focus optics

\( g \) :

Gravitational acceleration

\( H \) :

Height of nozzle from the workpiece,

\( \Updelta H \) :

Reaction heat

\( I \) :

Laser beam intensity

\( I_{0} \) :

The maximum beam intensity at r = 0 (W/cm2)

\( K_{m} \) :

Thermal conductivity of the melt

\( K_{0} \) :

Bassel function of the second kind and zero order

\( k \) :

Thermal diffusivity of workpiece material

\( L_{M} \) :

Latent heat of fusion

\( l \) :

Distance from the stagnation point

\( m_{\text{melted}} \) :

Rate of mass gain in melt layer

\( m_{\text{ejected}} \) :

Rate of mass loss in melt layer

\( P \) :

Incident laser power

\( P_{a} \) :

Absorbed laser energy

\( P_{r} \) :

Power provided by the exothermal reaction in reactive laser cutting

\( P_{\text{loss}} \) :

Energy loss including these to heat the solid controlled volume to the melting temperature, latent heat of melting, and heat the liquid controlled volume to cut temperature

\( P_{v} \) :

Energy spent for vaporization, which is negligible for melting and blow process

\( P_{0} \) :

Stagnation pressure

\( P_{g} \) :

Average cutting gas pressure in the cut kerf

\( {\raise0.7ex\hbox{${\partial P}$} \!\mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{\partial P} {\partial z}}}\right.\kern-0pt} \!\lower0.7ex\hbox{${\partial z}$}} \) :

Pressure gradient through the workpiece thickness

\( p_{a} \) :

Ambient pressure acting on the bottom of the melt film

\( r \) :

Radius of the beam (cm)

\( r_{L} \) :

Radius of laser spot on workpiece

\( s \) :

Melt layer thickness

\( s_{\text{ACC}} \) :

The minimum thickness of melt if melt at the bottom of cut front by acceleration of the molten material

\( s_{\text{HC}} \) :

The maximum thickness of melt film without evaporation

\( T_{0} \) :

Room temperature

\( T_{M} \) :

Melting point of workpiece

\( T_{E} \) :

Boiling point of workpiece

\( t_{\text{on}} \) :

Pulse duration

\( t_{\text{off}} \) :

Duration of laser power off in a pulse

\( V \) :

Cutting speed

\( V_{M} \) :

Velocity of cut front

\( v_{g} \) :

Velocity of the assist gas jet

\( v_{m} \) :

Velocity of melt flow

\( \bar{v}_{m} \) :

Average velocity of melt flow

\( {\text{We}} \) :

Weber number

\( w \) :

The beam radius at which \( I = I_{0} e^{ - 2} \) (86 % of the total energy is within the beam radius \( w \))

\( w_{0} \) :

The collimated beam radius

\( w_{f} \) :

Radius of focused laser beam

\( w_{k} \) :

Kerf width

\( z_{R} \) :

Rayleigh length distance

\( \alpha \) :

Angle of inclination of the cut front

\( \alpha_{w} \) :

Thermal expansion coefficient workpiece

\( \hat{\alpha } \) :

Absorptivity of laser light

\( \beta \) :

Cut front angles at the vertical planes

\( \beta_{B} \) :

Cut front angle at the bottom

\( \eta \) :

Percentage of melt film that is oxidized

\( \lambda \) :

Wavelength of the laser beam

\( \mu_{g} \) :

Dynamic viscosity of the assist gas

\( \mu_{m} \) :

Viscosity of melt

\( \theta \) :

Angle of incidence

\( \rho_{g} \) :

Density of the assist gas

\( \rho_{m} \) :

Density of melt

\( \rho_{w} \) :

Density of workpiece

\( \sigma \) :

Surface tension of melt

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  1. School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, 3083, Australia

    Shoujin Sun & Milan Brandt

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    J. Paulo Davim

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Sun, S., Brandt, M. (2013). Laser Beam Machining. In: Davim, J. (eds) Nontraditional Machining Processes. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-5179-1_2

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