Experimental study on the cutting force during laser-assisted machining of fused silica based on the Taguchi method and response surface methodology

Fused silica is widely used in optical systems such as high-power lasers and astronomical telescopes, but its high brittleness, hardness, and low fracture toughness make it difficult to machine using conventional technique. In this regard, laser-assisted machining (LAM) is considered an efficient method for the machining of fused silica. In this study, the effect of spindle speed, feed rate, depth of cut, and laser pulse duty cycle on the cutting force during the LAM of fused silica was studied experimentally based on the Taguchi method (TM) and Response surface methodology (RSM). Orthogonal array and central composite design were used to design the experiments. Analysis of variance, signal-to-noise ratio, main effect plots, 3D response surface, and the corresponding contour plots were measured to evaluate the effects of factors on the cutting force. Based on RSM, a regression model has been developed for the cutting force. A comparison of the experiments results showed that optimum parametric combination from RSM induced a smaller cutting force and produced better surface integrity in LAM of fused silica.