Material removal mechanism in femtosecond laser-microstructured natural single-crystal diamond cutting tools by finite element simulation and experimentation

AbstractThis paper investigates the characteristics and mechanisms of femtosecond laser processing of natural single-crystal diamond cutting tool. Using finite element simulation methods, a two-temperature model of femtosecond laser processing of single-crystal diamond was constructed to simulate the ablation process under specific laser parameters. The findings suggest that, compared to nanosecond and picosecond lasers, femtosecond laser processing produces the smallest heat-affected zone. Additionally, the paper examines how parameters such as laser fluence, spot spacing, and material thickness affect the ablation depth, surface morphology, temperature, and residual stress of single-crystal diamond. The results indicate that as laser fluence increases and spot spacing decreases, the ablation depth, temperature, and residual stress increase. Additionally, the residual stress along the scanning direction is greater than that in the perpendicular direction. Temperature decreases as diamond thickness increases, but the residual stress value increases.