The study on surface integrity on laser-assisted turning of SiCp/2024Al
Changtai Zhai, Jinkai Xu, Yiquan Li, Yonggang Hou, Shuaishuai Yuan, Qimeng Liu, Xu Wang
Abstract
The study investigates the effects of variables of laser-assisted turning (LAT) and conventional turning (CT) on machining performance of 45% volume fraction silicon carbide particle reinforced 2024 aluminum matrix composites (45 vol.% SiCp/2024Al). The process benefits of laser processing variables were analyzed by comparing the surface roughness, surface microstructure and residual stress. The variables in LAT are as follows: cutting speed, feed rate, and laser power. The experimental results show that under the same cutting parameters, the LAT outperforms the CT method by reducing the surface roughness value by up to 81.73%. Unlike in CT, LAT produces more residual compressive stress. Micro-structure analysis shows that there are no microcracks on the surface of the workpiece machined by LAT.