Laser-ultrasonic vibration hybrid assisted machining in advanced difficult-to-cut materials: Technologies, mechanisms, and challenges

The tech breakthroughs of advanced difficult-to-cut materials have promoted the development of aerospace, defense systems and clean energy. The inherent physicochemical properties and the complex microstructures of these materials make the conventional machining processes facing the significant challenges of poor surface quality and low processing efficiency. Laser-ultrasonic vibration hybrid assisted machining (LUVAM) has been emerged as the transformative solution and gradually applied in high-efficiency, low-damage machining of various advanced difficult-to-cut materials. Such approach mitigated the limitations of single energy field assistance, achieving simultaneous improvements in machining efficiency, tool longevity, and surface integrity. The LUVAM researches has been conducted on different materials, yet few studies have presented comprehensive analyses and systematic summarization. To fill the gap and elucidate the developmental trend of LUVAM, this paper reviews the frontier progress and innovation trends of the LUVAM in advanced difficult-to-cut materials. The principles and the system configurations of different machining equipment have been systematically reviewed. Then, the dynamic time-varying evolution and interaction mechanisms of multi-physical fields were analyzed. Critically, the influence mechanisms and response consequences of the LUVAM have been analyzed under the coupling conditions of various materials and machining parameters. Finally, the machining characteristics, advantages and limitations were summarized, and the future development trends of LUVAM were proposed. This work will provide important reference for theoretical research and industrial applications of the LUVAM and the corresponding machining systems. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.