Comprehension of chip formation in laser assisted machining

Guénaël Germain (1) , Philippe Dal Santo (1) , Jean-Lou Lebrun (1)

1 LAMPA - PMD - Laboratoire des Arts et Métiers ParisTech d'Angers - Procédés Matériaux Durabilité

Laser Assisted Machining (LAM) improves the machinability of materials by locally heating the workpiece just prior to cutting. Experimental investigations have confirmed that the cutting force can be decreased, by as much as 40%, for various materials. In order to understand the effect of the laser on chip formation and on the temperature fields in the different deformation zones, thermo-mechanical simulations were undertaken. A thermo-mechanical model for chip formation was also undertaken. Experimental tests for the orthogonal cutting of 42CrMo4 steel were used to validate the simulation. The temperature fields allow us to explain the reduction in the cutting force and the resulting residual stress fields in the workpiece.

Mots clés: LAM; Chip formation; FEM; Cutting force; Residual stresses

Domaines: Génie des procédés; Mécanique des matériaux [physics.class-ph]; Mécanique des matériaux [physics.class-ph]

Guénaël Germain, Philippe Dal Santo, Jean-Lou Lebrun. Comprehension of chip formation in laser assisted machining. International Journal of Machine Tools and Manufacture, 2011, 51 (3), pp.230-238. ⟨10.1016/j.ijmachtools.2010.11.006⟩. ⟨hal-01068075⟩