| Abstract | Recent advances in the laser machining technology have made it possible to fabricate parts and features with high accuracy and precision, using high-powered, short-pulsed, Q-switched lasers. To determine the machining parameters to obtain desired geometrical quality, an understanding of the relationship between the process parameters and the resulting surface profile is necessary. In the present study, we adopt a geometrical approach, which, coupled with the material properties and machining process parameters, yields a model for the surface profile of the region ablated by a laser pulse. Energy incident upon an infintesimal area of the surface is transferred in the outward normal direction, and the depth of the ablation depends on the laser-material interaction and the process parameters. This determines the modified surface profile an infintesimal time later, yielding a nonlinear partial differential equation, which is then integrated to determine the profile after a given time period. Theoretical predictions and the experimental results are compared and discussed. |
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