In this paper, water jet-guided laser (WJGL) drilling of composites was employed and the effects of the processing parameters on the depth and quality of the micro-holes were systematically investigated. Firstly, the depth measurement showed that the increase in processing time and power density led to a significant improvement in micro-hole drilling depth. However, the enhancement of the water jet speed resulted in a pronounced decrease in the depth due to the phenomenon of water splashing. In contrast, the scanning speed, path overlap ratio, pulse frequency, and helium pressure exhibited less effect on the micro-hole depth. Secondly, the microstructural analysis revealed that the increase in power density resulted in the deformation and fracture of the carbon fibers, while the augmentation in water jet speed reduced the thermal defects. Finally, based on the optimization of the processing parameters, a micro-hole of exceptional quality was achieved, with a depth-to-diameter ratio of 8.03 and a sidewall taper of 0.72°. This study can provide valuable guidance for WJGL micro-hole drilling of composites.
Repairing processing is a significant method for damaged high-cost Ti-6Al-4V components to decrease economic loss, which usually utilizes a welding technique. For a large-size structural component, welding processing is commonly completed in air conditioning, which makes it difficult to avoid welding defects. To this end, an appropriate matching technique is important for improving welding performance. In the present research, asynchronized laser shock peening (ALSP) and synchronized laser shock peening (SLSP) techniques were utilized to decrease the influence of macro welding defects on laser-welded Ti-6Al-4V joints. The results show that SLSP has a greater effect on inducing surface plastic deformation on Ti-6Al-4V joints with a pitting depth of more than 25 microns while ALSP can lead to a pitting depth of about 15 microns. Through micro-CT observation a long hot crack exists in the central area of as-welded joints with a length of about 2.24 mm, accompanied by lots of pores in different sizes on double sides. After ALSP processing, some pores are eliminated while others are enlarged, and one-side crack tips present closure morphology. However, some microcracks exist on the side-wall of hot cracks. With the influence of SLSP, significant shrinkage of pores can be observed and both sides of crack tips tend to be closed, which presents a better effect than ALSP processing. Moreover, greater effects of grain refinement and thermal stress release could be achieved by SLSP processing than ALSP, which can be ascribed to dynamic recrystallization. For the as-welded joint, the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation (EL) values are 418 MPa and 0.73%, respectively. The values of UTS and EL in the ALSP processed joint are increased to 437 MPa and 1.07%, which are 4.55% and 46.48% higher than the as-welded joint, respectively. Such values after SLSP processing are 498 MPa and 1.23%, which are 19.14% and 68.49% higher than the as-welded joint, respectively.
In bone-milling surgical procedures, the intense friction between the tool and bone material often results in high cutting temperatures, leading to the thermal necrosis of bone cells. This paper aims to investigate the effect of micro-texture on the tribological properties of YG8 cemented carbide in contact with bone. The main objective is to guide the design of tool surface microstructures to reduce frictional heat generation. To minimize experimental consumables and save time, numerical simulations are first conducted to determine the optimal machining depth for the texture. Subsequently, micro-textures with different shapes and pitches are prepared on the surface of YG8 cemented carbide. These textured samples are paired with bovine cortical bone pins featuring various bone unit arrangements, and friction and wear tests are conducted under physiological saline lubrication. The experimental results indicate that the appropriate shape and pitch of the micro-texture can minimize the coefficient of friction. The parallel arrangement of bone units exhibits a lower coefficient of friction compared to the vertical arrangement. This study holds significant implications for the design and fabrication of future micro-texture milling cutters.
In this study, the influences of different numbers of passes of laser shock peening (LSP) on the surface microstructures of Ti-6Al-4V alloy were investigated. Especially, the microstructural evolution of the As-received (AR) sample and LSP treated samples was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) observations. The results showed the grain size and the distribution of α, β phase have changed after the LSP process. After 1 LSP processing, the grain size is more uniform, the β phases were transformed from scattered and laminar characteristics to linear characteristics, while the α phases were parcelled by the β phases. After 2 LSP treatment, obvious grain refinement can be observed and the influence depth is deeper compared to the 1 LSP sample. After laser shock peeing processing, the material also has obvious dynamic recrystallization (DRX). Finally, the mechanism of microstructure evolution by LSP was revealed.