Study on anisotropic heat transfer and thermal damage in nanosecond pulsed laser processing of CFRP

Nanosecond pulsed laser processing is an efficient method of processing carbon fiber reinforced plastic(CFRP), which is widely used in the manufacturing field of aviation, medical, and auto industries. The anisotropic heat transfer of carbon fiber is a key factor degrading the surface integrity of laser processing CFRP. So it is urgent to explore the significant mechanism of anisotropic heat transfer of laser interacting with CFRP. A novel numerical model considering anisotropic heat transfer was established to analyze heat transfer and thermal damage of CFRP laser machining. By comparison of simulation and experiments, the average error of ablation depth and width ranges from 4.71% to 15.09%, so the model could precisely simulate the CFRP laser machining. It demonstrates that the heat conductivity along the axial carbon fiber is higher than that along the radial, resulting in an elliptical ablation morphology. And when the laser scanning direction is parallel to the direction of the carbon fiber, deeper and narrower microgrooves can be obtained. In addition, laser processing at the edge of the CFRP plate causes serious heat accumulation, leading to severe thermal damage. The simulation and experiments were conducted to explore the effect of parameters including laser energy, scanning speed, and scanning space on the depth and width of laser ablation. A deeper micro-channel with a smooth machined surface and small thermal damage was obtained when laser energy E = 0.275 mJ, scanning speed nu = 630 mm/s, and scanning space h = 21 mu m.

Automated summary

Nanosecond pulsed laser processing is an efficient method for carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) manufacturing in aviation, medical, and auto industries. Anisotropic heat transfer of carbon fiber is a critical factor degrading the surface integrity during laser processing of CFRP. A novel numerical model considering anisotropic heat transfer was established to analyze heat transfer and thermal damage. The simulation and experiments show that the model accurately simulates the CFRP laser machining, and the laser scanning direction and parameters have significant effects on the depth and width of laser ablation.