Research on cutting force characteristics of laser ultrasonically assisted turning of cemented carbide

Cemented carbide possesses excellent characteristics such as high strength and hardness, but its poor machinability has restricted its widespread application. Laser ultrasonically assisted turning (LUAT) can enhance the machinability of workpieces and is widely used in precision machining of difficult-to-machine materials. In this paper, LUAT is applied to the cutting of cemented carbide, and the characteristics of cutting force in the machining process are studied. A theoretical model of cutting force is established by analyzing the interaction between the cutting tool, chip and workpiece during the turning process. The maximum error was found to be 18.6% by comparing with the experimental data, which better predicted the changing trend of cutting force and verified the accuracy of the model. Furthermore, experiments on LUAT of cemented carbide are carried out using the Taguchi method. The influence of cutting tools and processing parameters on cutting force is analyzed, revealing that the amplitude has the most significant impact on cutting force. The optimal combination of processing parameters is also obtained. Finally, a comparison is made between different turning methods. Compared to conventional turning, laser assisted turning, and ultrasonically assisted turning, the total cutting force in LUAT is reduced by 53.44%, 45.62%, and 21.64%, respectively, resulting in improved surface quality of the workpiece.