Non-Linear Modelling and Simulation of Laser Cutting and Grooving of Fibre Reinforced Thermoplastics

Fibre reinforced plastics are of great interest in industry achieving high stiffness, favourable strength to weight ratios, and high toughness. Laser has been successfully used in various industrial applications including composite machining. The complex effect of the laser cutting and grooving of fibre reinforced thermoplastics is examined by theoretical modelling and simulation and by experiments. The paper describes the development of a heat physics model, including the steady-state thermal abrasion process, the temperature dependence of parameters, the intensity distribution of the laser beam in all three space co-ordinates, the orientation of the fibres, and the effects of diverging and converging groove shapes, which occur usually in plastics. The model calculates the cutting groove geometry, the temperature distribution, the thickness of the heat affected zone (HAZ), and also the maximum cutting speed and cutting depth. The predictions of the analysis are compared with experimental results. The objective is to optimize the work process in terms of quality criteria. The simulation shows a good agreement with experiments.