Experimental Investigation and Finite Element Simulation of Laser-Assisted Turning of H13 Tool Steel

Abstract

:Laser-assisted machining offers significant advantages in the machining of difficult-to-cut materials. This paper presents an experimental investigation and FE simulation of laser-assisted turning (LAT) of H13 tool steel in longitudinal and face-turning operations. The effect of cutting speed and surface temperature on machining performance was analyzed and compared to conventional turning in terms of tool wear, cutting forces, surface roughness, and chip morphology. The experimental results demonstrated a reduction of up to 47% in early-stage tool wear, 15% in main cutting force, 20% in feed force, 34% in passive force, and 19% in surface roughness during LAT. The recommended surface temperature differences between longitudinal (1000 °C) and face turning (740 °C) highlight the influence of geometry-dependent heat transfer. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to investigate the machinability of H13 under both longitudinal and face laser-assisted turning. This paper provides deeper insights into the underlying process–response mechanisms to define the most favorable surface temperature range for both operations for improved machinability based on the criteria of cutting forces, early-stage tool wear, chip morphology, and surface roughness.