Fiber laser cutting study on ternary NiTiV shape memory alloy

Shape memory alloys (SMA) made of nickel-titanium (NiTi) have grown in popularity because of their functionality and mechanical qualities. Vanadium (V) was added as an alloying element to the regular binary NiTi shape memory alloy for enhancement of its ability to retain memory at high temperatures. In this research, the machined surface roughness (Ra) and material removal rate (MRR) of fiber-laser cutting of Ni50Ti48V2 SMA were investigated using Box-Behnken design (BBD) experimentation. The surface characteristics in terms of Ra decreased by 57.79% while cutting speed and laser power decreased and the frequency level gradually increased. The microhardness was high due to the resolidified molten layer on the machined surface. A surface morphology study indicated the formation of debris and striations due to the flow of nitrogen gas. DSC analysis reveals a minimal variation in the shape memory property even after laser machining.