The growing use of carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites as high performance material in aerospace and automotive industry has prompted studies in developing technologies for machining of composites in recent years. Use of lasers for cutting and drilling of composites is attractive due to its flexibility and free from tool wear. However, the large differences in material properties of the carbon fibre and the epoxy resin present serious challenges to the laser-based process. The issues related to heat affected zone (HAZ) causing charring and potential delamination have been the major obstacles for its industry applications. This paper studies the process in machining CFRP using a 10W diode pumped solid state (DPSS) Q-switched UV laser operation at the wavelength of 355 nm. HAZ, charring, material removal efficiency, and microstructure were investigated. Finite Element analysis on heat transfer phenomena in a 3D composite mesh at similar process conditions is also presented.

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2008
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