On the topographical/chemical analysis of polycrystalline diamond pulsed laser ablated surfaces

M. Pacella, D. A. Axinte, P. W. Butler-Smith, M. Daine

Research output: Journal PublicationConference articlepeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Pulse laser ablation (PLA) is a widely used material removal technique. This paper investigates the effects of various changes of laser parameters on surface integrity and binder composition when PLA (using a Nd: YAG laser) on polycrystalline diamond composites (grain size 2÷25 μm, binder Cobalt). Firstly, 2D/3D surface micro-geometry has been evaluated using contact autofocus profiling. Environmental scanning electron microscopy was carried out to establish surface damages after ablation on different grain size composites. Compositional chemical analyses were performed by Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, to evaluate the role of binder percentage in the surface integrity after ablation. This showed an increased percentage of Cobalt in particular in the areas of higher energy density/fluence. In particular, as a consequence of a single spot laser ablation, the coarse and fine grain composites proved to have similar reaction to laser ablation in term of remaining Co percentage, while in the ablation of a continuous groove the fine diamond grain specimen showed an higher Co percentage than the coarse specimen (35% versus 20%) proving that the percentage of the Cobalt in the ablated area is proportional to the material percentage before laser ablation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)387-392
Number of pages6
JournalProcedia CIRP
Volume13
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014
Externally publishedYes
Event2nd CIRP Conference on Surface Integrity, CSI 2014 - Nottingham, United Kingdom
Duration: 28 May 201430 May 2014

Keywords

  • Laser micro machining
  • Polycrystalline diamond
  • Scanning electron microscopy
  • X-ray spectroscopy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Control and Systems Engineering
  • Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'On the topographical/chemical analysis of polycrystalline diamond pulsed laser ablated surfaces'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this