Investigation of surface integrity in laser-assisted turning of AISI 4340 hardened steel: Finite element simulation with experimental verification

Abstract

This study investigates the laser-assisted turning (LAT) of AISI 4340 hardened steel (similar to 52 HRC). Despite the various advantages of this process for machining hard materials, the issues related to the machined surface integrity remain the most important challenge. The laser heating used in this process substantially affects the surface integrity characteristics of the workpiece and its mechanical properties. Therefore, it is important to understand, predict, and optimize the workpiece's heat effects at various regions. Due to the complexity of the process, experimental investigations alone cannot reveal thorough information of various phenomena involved. Therefore, a reliable finite element model has been developed to predict the effect of various process input parameters on the metallurgical changes of the machined workpieces. Since general-purpose finite element codes cannot predict the phenomena of interest, three user-defined subroutines have been developed to capture surface integrity parameters such as heat-affected zone, hardness variations of the machined surface, and white layer formation. The developed FE model consists of three parts: mechanical model, thermal model, and coupled thermo-mechanical model. The results of the FE models are verified with experimental data, and a good agreement has been observed. The effect of various process parameters on the surface integrity characteristics of the workpiece has been studied in detail. It has been observed that the laser scanning speed, laser power, and undeformed chip thickness have the most significant influence on the metallurgical effects on the workpiece, respectively.