Study on cutting force in laser-assisted ultrasonic elliptical vibration machining (LUEVM) of high volume SiCp/Al composites

Laser assisted machining (LAM) and ultrasonic elliptical vibration assisted machining (UEVAM) are effective in reducing cutting force and boost the cutting capability of SiCp/Al composite materials, compared to traditional machining (TM). However, the characteristics of high frequency intermittent cutting and laser high temperature heating result in the cutting force change more complicated. Therefore, the forecasting model in LUEVM is established to effectively reduce and control it. Based on the heterogeneous properties of the material, the model considers the effects of laser heating on the flow stress and ultrasonic elliptical vibration on the machining path. Then, the transient force was verified by conducting experiments. Furthermore, an elaborate investigation was carried out to probe into how cutting-related parameters affect the average value of the cutting force. Finally, the impact of cutting forces on dislocations during the machining process was analyzed. The results show that the predicted value matches the experimental value well, and the maximum error is 18.2 %. When suitable ultrasonic and laser parameters are applied, LUEVM can effectively reduce the magnitude of the turning force, fluctuation and misstacking phenomenon. The machining force reaches its minimum when the amplitude is 3 mu m and the laser power is 300 W.