Mechanisms involved in the tool life improvement of laser assisted machining 45%SiCp/Al composites

Abstract Published reports indicate that laser assisted machining (LAM) is an emerging manufacturing process for improving the productivity when machining metal matrix composites (MMCs), but there is still debate about whether the LAM is beneficial for improving the tool life, and also many arguments about the tool wear mechanism. This study evaluates the tool life and specific wear mechanisms of the uncoated and coated carbide tools in LAM of 45%SiCp/Al composites. It is discovered that the life of these two carbide tools is longer in LAM than conventional machining (CM) when the cutting temperature increasing from room temperature to 420 °C. Based on the results associated with tool wear, an improved archard-type model of abrasive wear in LAM was developed for predicting the average flank wear (VBavr) of two carbide tools. The corresponding experimental results matches well with it. In LAM abrasive wear was found to be the most predominant wear mechanism. An existing wear model associated with a critical value D/h has been used for characterizing the transition from two-body wear to three-body wear about the particles between the flank face of cutting tool and machined surface in LAM of 45%SiCp/Al composites. In addition, mechanisms involved in the tool life improvement of LAM 45%SiCp/Al composite has been explained by comparing a range of normal and tangential forces between particles and flank face of cutting tools with CM.