Experimentally Validated Analytical Modelling of the Laser Bending of Low Carbon Steel Sheets
R. Nair, R. Kant, R. Yadav and H. Gurung
Laser bending is used to induce precise bend angle in sheets and foils by controlled laser irradiations. In this paper an analytical model is developed to set up a relationship between bend angle and process parameters in terms of laser power and scan speed during laser sheet bending. The proposed model estimates the bend angle considering laser parameters and thermo-mechanical properties of the workpiece material. The analytical model is validated by conducting experiments on low carbon steel, and the results showed that the developed analytical model is in good agreement with the experimental results. The average absolute error between experimental and analytical bend angle is about 9.51%.
Keywords: Fibre laser, low carbon steel, laser forming, laser bending, analytical model, temperature gradient mechanism