Transient thermal response of a rotating cylindrical silicon nitride workpiece subjected to a translating laser heat source, part II: Parametric effects and assessment of a simplified model

In a companion paper (Rozzi et at, 1998), experimental validation was provided for a transient three-dimensional numerical model of the process by which a rotating workpiece is heated with a translating laser beam. In this paper, the model is used to elucidate the effect of operating parameters on thermal conditions within the workpiece and to assess the applicability of an approximate analysis which is better suited for on-line process control. From detailed numerical simulations, it was determined that the thickness of a surface thermal layer decreases with increasing workpiece rotational speed and that the influence of axial conduction an the workpiece temperature distribution increases with decreasing laser translational velocity. Temperatures increase throughout the workpiece with increasing laser power, while the influence of increasing beam diameter is confined to decreasing near-surface temperatures. Temperature-dependent thermophysical properties and forced convection heat transfer to the laser gas assist jet were found to significantly influence the maximum temperature beneath the laser spot, while radiation exchange with the surroundings and mixed convection to the ambient air were negligible. The approximate model yielded relations for calculating the radial temperature distribution within an r-phi plane corresponding to the center of the laser source, and predictions were in reasonable agreement with results of the numerical simulation, particularly in a near-surface region corresponding to the depth of cut expected for laser-assisted machining.