3.2. Influence of Laser Shock Frequency on Workpiece Forming Result
The forming process of multi-pulse laser dynamic microforming differs from that of single-pulse due to the involvement of multiple loading cycles, making the forming process more complex.
Figure 5 illustrates the forming process when the laser impact occurs twice. The first stage represents the initial phase. The second stage depicts the loading phase of the first laser impact, where the workpiece begins to deform. The third stage represents the contact stage between the workpiece and the micro-mold, where collision occurs between the bottom of the workpiece and the micro-mold, completing the forming of the spherical and trapezoidal grooves. The fourth stage represents the rebound phase of the soft membrane, marking the end of the first laser loading. The fifth stage is the second laser loading phase, where the two-level features at the bottom of the workpiece become more aligned with the micro-mold, optimizing the forming result and suppressing the rebound effect caused by the high laser energy during the first laser loading. The sixth stage is the second rebound phase of the soft membrane, marking the end of the numerical simulation process for forming the workpiece with two laser impact loadings. When increasing the laser impact cycles, the process remains similar to the two-load scenario, with only a change in the number of laser loadings, thus repeating stages five and six. Next, a systematic numerical simulation study will be conducted on the forming results of the workpiece under different laser impact cycles.
The workpiece with a thickness of 30 μm was selected as the research object.
Figure 6 compares the effects of 1 and 2 laser impacts at 1380 mJ laser energy. After a single laser impact at 1380 mJ energy, the workpiece exhibits significant rebound, particularly noticeable at the lower surface of the trapezoidal groove. However, with continued laser impact cycles, the rebound phenomenon disappears, and after 2 impacts, the bottom of the trapezoidal groove becomes smooth, indicating effective suppression of the rebound effect. Two points (points a and b) in the rebound area of the lower surface of the workpiece were selected to study their displacement histories. The displacement histories of these two points are shown in
Figure 7. It can be observed from the graph that after the first laser loading, point a exhibits an initial peak displacement, followed by a sharp decrease, indicating the occurrence of rebound after the collision between the workpiece and the micro-mold. Subsequently, the displacement of point a stabilizes at a reduced value, with a rebound displacement of approximately 0.01 mm, until the second laser loading, where the displacement returns to the peak height observed after the first laser loading. This indicates the suppression of the rebound phenomenon that occurred after the first laser loading, and the displacement finally stabilizes without further changes. The displacement history of point b is similar to that of point a, but the rebound displacement after the first laser loading is around 0.005 mm, indicating a less severe rebound effect compared to point a. This observation aligns with the experimental findings, where the rebound area of the workpiece is concentrated at the junction of the trapezoidal and spherical grooves. Therefore, point a is selected as the basic point for analyzing and suppressing the rebound effect in the subsequent research.
Continuing to increase the laser energy, the forming results of the workpiece were studied at laser energy levels of 1420 mJ, 1550 mJ, 1690 mJ, and 1800 mJ.
Figure 8 shows the comparison of numerical simulation results for the workpiece with a thickness of 30 μm under these four laser energy levels after 1 and 2 laser impacts. It can be observed that when the workpiece thickness is constant, increasing the laser energy leads to higher von Mises stresses within the workpiece, resulting in more severe rebound effects. However, after increasing the number of laser impacts to 2, the rebound phenomena induced by these four energy levels are all suppressed, and the rebound effect at the lower surface of the trapezoidal groove is significantly mitigated.
Figure 9 depicts the displacement histories of four selected regions exhibiting rebound after laser impacts at energy levels of 1420 mJ, 1550 mJ, 1690 mJ, and 1800 mJ on a 30 μm thick workpiece. From the graphs, it is evident that after the first laser impact, point a experiences an initial peak displacement, followed by an instantaneous decrease, stabilizing at a lower level for a period. This phenomenon occurs due to the rebound of the workpiece after the first laser impact, and as the laser energy increases, the magnitude of the decrease after reaching the peak also increases, indicating a more severe rebound effect. However, after the second laser impact, point a experiences an upward displacement and eventually stabilizes near the peak height observed after the first impact. This is because the rebound effect of the workpiece is successfully suppressed after the second laser impact. Therefore, increasing the number of laser impacts can effectively mitigate the rebound effect of the workpiece.
Figure 10 presents a comparison of the three-dimensional profiles and surface morphologies of the 30 μm thick workpiece after different numbers of laser impacts at high laser energies. It can be observed from the Figure that as the laser energy gradually increases from 1420 mJ to 1800 mJ, the rebound effect of the workpiece is effectively suppressed after 2 laser impacts. As mentioned in the previous numerical simulations, under laser energies ranging from 1420 mJ to 1800 mJ, the rebound effect after 2 laser impacts is mitigated. Therefore, the experimental results are consistent with the numerical simulation results, indicating that the rebound effect of the 30 μm thick workpiece is effectively suppressed after increasing the appropriate number of laser impacts.
The numerical simulation study process of the 30 μm thick workpiece subjected to three laser impacts at different laser energies is presented above. The research indicates that after two impacts, the rebound effect of the workpiece is essentially suppressed. Next, we explore whether the rebound effect of the workpiece can be effectively suppressed after three impacts at low laser energies.
Figure 11 shows the numerical simulation process of the 30 μm thick workpiece subjected to three laser impacts at 1020 mJ laser energy. It can be observed that at low laser energies, the rebound effect of the workpiece is not completely suppressed after two impacts, and it is only fully suppressed after the third impact. Additionally, the displacement history of the rebound area of the workpiece after three laser impacts is characterized, as shown in
Figure 12 It can be seen that initially, the displacement history is similar to that after two impacts mentioned earlier, with an instantaneous drop after reaching the peak value, followed by recovery to near peak height after the second impact. The difference lies in the fact that at low laser energies, the displacement of the workpiece after two impacts does not reach the peak value, indicating a slight rebound effect still present after the second impact. However, after the third impact, the displacement history returns to the vicinity of the peak height and stabilizes, indicating a better suppression effect on the rebound effect of the workpiece.
Figure 13a illustrates the surface morphology and three-dimensional profile of the workpiece after two laser impacts with a laser impact energy of 1020 mJ, while
Figure 13b depicts the surface morphology and three-dimensional profile of the workpiece after three laser impacts. It can be observed that in
Figure 13a, the rebound phenomenon is significantly suppressed, and the forming depth of the workpiece is increased, indicating a better forming result. The process can be clearly observed to be essentially identical to the numerical simulation results. After two impacts, the rebound phenomenon on the lower surface of the trapezoidal groove has not completely disappeared; however, after the third impact, the rebound phenomenon is essentially eliminated. Therefore, the experiment serves as a good comparative verification of the numerical simulation results.
3.3. Variation Trend of Chemical Element Content on Workpiece Surface after Multi-Pulse Laser Loading
Next, we investigate the changes in surface chemical elements before and after the collision of the workpiece. The experimental instruments to be used for this purpose are the S-3400N scanning electron microscope and its associated energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) system. To conduct a comparative analysis of the changes in chemical elements on the surface of the workpiece before and after collision, it is necessary to first measure the chemical element content on the surface of the raw material.
Figure 14 illustrates the chemical element content on the surface of the raw material before collision. All experimental raw materials used in this study are T2 copper foil, as indicated in
Figure 14, with a copper (Cu) element proportion of 98.42%. Due to inevitable contact with air, the surface undergoes slight oxidation, resulting in an oxygen (O) element proportion of 1.58%.
Figure 15 illustrates the proportion of surface chemical elements in three areas after three impacts with 835mJ laser energy. The data reflect that the elements beneath the trapezoidal groove surface undergo relatively minor changes compared to before the collision. The proportion of carbon (C) elements on the wall of the spherical groove increases by approximately double compared to beneath the trapezoidal groove surface. However, upon measuring the proportion of carbon elements at the bottom of the spherical groove, the results show a proportion of 24.88%, indicating the most intense collision behavior at the bottom of the spherical groove and suggesting a significant increase in carbon atom content before and after the collision, indicating carbonization on the surface of the workpiece. Similarly, after three impacts with 1200 mJ laser energy, chemical element measurements in three different areas reveal similar patterns. The proportion of carbon elements in Area 1 exhibits minor changes compared to before the collision, while the proportion of carbon elements in Area 2 increases by approximately two-thirds. However, in the central Area 3, the proportion of carbon elements reaches 33.64%, higher than the proportion after three impacts with 835 mJ laser energy, indicating more intense collision behavior with increased laser energy and carbonization at the bottom. This trend is illustrated in
Figure 16.
Figure 17 shows the velocity distribution at the bottom of the spherical groove of the workpiece in the numerical simulation. According to the
Figure 17, it can be observed that the velocity at the bottom of the spherical groove is relatively high during forming. The temperature rise due to plastic deformation at high strain rates can be calculated using Equation (4), where
is the material density(
=8.9x10
3kg/m
3),C
v is the specific heat capacity(C
v=394J/kg
℃),t is time, T is temperature,
is the thermal conversion coefficient (usually taken as 0.9),
is the strain rate, and
is the strain. During high strain rate deformation, the surface temperature of the workpiece increases rapidly, while the cooling rate is relatively slow, making it difficult for the heat to dissipate. Additionally, the increased contact with oxygen on the surface further exacerbates this effect. As a result, even with a short laser exposure time and high velocity, the surface temperature of the workpiece can become excessively high, intensifying the carbonization phenomenon. This is the fundamental reason why a significant increase in carbon atoms is observed at the bottom of the spherical groove during experimental measurements, as shown in
Figure 18.