Abstract
The material removal mechanism of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) in the process of laser assisted cutting (LAC) is still unclear. This study adopts a simulation and experimental methods to reveal the material removal mechanism of CFRP under the thermal-mechanical coupling effect. The cutting force, cutting temperature, and surface morphology are also analyzed through orthogonal cutting experiments. The experimental results show that the cutting force at various angles is significantly reduced due to enhancements in fiber fracture mode and a decrease in material removal volume with the laser assistance. The most substantial reduction, at 75.3 %, is observed in the feed cutting force at a 135° cutting angle. Additionally, the cutting temperature remains steady at approximately 55 °C, with no damage to the substrate in the laser assisted cutting. A three-dimensional finite element model of laser assisted orthogonal cutting was established innovatively by considering the bare fiber leakage to simulate the laser assistance. Based on this model, the fracture evolutionary mechanism of fibers and resins under laser irradiation is characterized. Laser assisted cutting experiments were conducted, and the simulation results were consistent with the experimental cutting force error within 20 %. The substrate damage and surface morphology were consistent with the experimental results. It is found that the bonding effect of the resin is significantly weakened due to being ablated in laser assisted cutting, making the fibers more prone to shear fracture. The proportion of fiber extrusion fracture under 90° cutting angle in laser assisted orthogonal cutting decreases, the crack damage is small and the fracture point of fiber bending is higher than that of conventional cutting. In addition, the effect of the laser on fiber fracture is more significant when the cutting angle is 135°, and it is more helpful for improving the fiber fracture mode with an increasing cutting speed when the cutting angle is 90°.
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