Analytical modeling of workpiece temperature in laser-assisted milling considering the combined effect of multi-heat sources.

Laser-assisted milling (LAM) is generally regarded as a promising process for machining difficult-to-cut materials. Accurate prediction of workpiece temperature is an essential prerequisite for the configuration of process parameters in LAM. An analytical thermal model concerning the combined effect of multi-heat sources is presented in this paper to predict the workpiece temperature in LAM. To deal with the complex geometry and kinematics problems in the LAM process, the method of heat source discretization and temperature superposition is used in the thermal model. In addition, the influence of material softening caused by laser heating on cutting heat source is considered. A series of LAM experiments are conducted to validate the thermal model. Good agreement between the predicted and measured results indicates the proposed model is effective. Further, the effect of spindle speed and feed per tooth on workpiece temperature is discussed. This work can be applied to optimize process parameters in LAM for reasonable machined surface integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]