Product Code: ICAL09_1102

Assessment of Part Quality in Laser Assisted Milling of Silicon Nitride Ceramic
Authors:
Budong Yang, Kansas State University; Manhattan KS USA
Jiangang Sun, Argonne National Laboratory; Argonne IL USA
Elizabeth Frink, Kansas State University; Manhattan KS USA
Shuting Lei, Kansas State University; Manhattan KS USA
Kevin Lease, Kansas State University; Manhattan KS USA
Presented at ICALEO 2009

Due to the high brittleness of ceramic materials, the performance of ceramic components is very sensitive to machining damage. As laser assisted machining (LAM) poises to become a potentially cost-effective machining process for structural ceramics such as silicon nitride, the quality of the machined parts using LAM needs to be assured. In this study, the surface integrity and bending strength of silicon nitride samples produced by laser assisted milling (LAMill) are evaluated. Specifically, the effects of operating conditions such as temperature and machining parameters are assessed in terms of surface roughness, mechanical damage, residual stress, and bending strength. It was found that operating temperature has profound influence on the machining quality. With proper selection of operating conditions, high quality parts with smooth surface, compressive residual stress and high bending strength can be obtained by LAMill.