Atomistic insights into ultrasonic vibration-assisted laser processing of Inconel 718 alloy via molecular dynamics simulations

Dong-Han Yang; Meng-Ya Zhang; Zhi-Qiang He; Ji-Bang Liao; Yi Liu; Ling Li

doi:10.1007/s40436-026-00621-z

Advances in Manufacturing ›› :1 -20. DOI: 10.1007/s40436-026-00621-z

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Atomistic insights into ultrasonic vibration-assisted laser processing of Inconel 718 alloy via molecular dynamics simulations

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¹School of Energy and Power Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, 200093, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

²State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200240, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

^a liling@usst.edu.cn

Dong-Han Yang

Dong-Han Yang is currently a Ph.D. candidate at School of Energy and Power Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology. His research interests focus on femtosecond laser processing of alloy materials, micro-nano scale heat transfer.

Meng-Ya Zhang

Meng-Ya Zhang obtained her Ph.D. degree from University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, China, in 2025. Her research interests primarily focus on the irreversible loss mechanisms of heat transport at heterogeneous interface layers, thermoelectric transport in power chips, and efficient thermal management.

Zhi-Qiang He

Zhi-Qiang He received his master’s degree from University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, China, in 2025. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at School of Energy and Power Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology. His research interests focus on the interaction between ultrafast laser and metals.

Ji-Bang Liao

Ji-Bang Liao obtained his master’s degree from Kunming University of Science and Technology, China, in 2022. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at School of Energy and Power Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology. His research interests focus on the use of molecular dynamics to study nanofluid-enhanced heat transfer and phonon heat transport at heterogeneous interfaces.

Yi Liu

Yi Liu obtained his Ph.D. degree from Southeast University, China, in 2024. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. His research interests focus on the processing characteristics and mechanical properties of metallic materials. He has published more than 30 papers in prestigious international journals.

Ling Li

Ling Li is currently a professor at School of Energy and Power Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology. Her research interests are mainly in the area of micro-nano scale heat transfer, thermal management of electronic devices, energy storage technologies and applications, and energy conversion and efficient utilisation. She has published over 100 research papers in prestigious international journals.

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Abstract

The Inconel 718 alloy is widely used in critical aerospace components owing to its exceptional thermal stability. However, traditional laser processing suffers from low material-removal efficiency and recast layer defects. Although ultrasonic vibration-assisted laser processing (UVLP) has demonstrated improved machining quality, the underlying atomic-scale material-removal mechanisms and thermodynamic behavior remain unclear. This study uses molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to explore how UVLP affects the atomic-scale ablation behavior of Inconel 718 alloy, with comparisons to conventional single-laser processing. The simulation results reveal that UVLP significantly extends the effective range of laser energy, leading to larger ablation craters and broader heat-affected zones (HAZs), thereby enhancing material removal rates. The technique modifies the internal temperature and stress distributions, resulting in a more uniform stress field near the laser focal region. This stress redistribution drives a void formation mechanism dominated by tensile stress within the HAZ, which facilitates greater bulk material removal. In addition, microstructural analysis shows increased surface amorphization under UVLP conditions (15.01% reduction in face-centered cubic structure vs. 10.44% in single-laser processing), indicating enhanced vibrational energy transfer. This work further identifies the significant influence of vibration amplitude and frequency on processing outcomes. Optimal vibration amplitudes improve atomic removal rates, whereas excessive amplitudes reduce processing efficiency due to increased thermal diffusion. These findings provide atomistic insights into UVLP process optimization, offering theoretical guidance for improving the machining of Inconel 718 alloy and extending MD applications in advanced manufacturing technologies.

Keywords

Laser processing / Vibration-assisted / Inconel 718 alloy / Molecular dynamics (MD)

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Dong-Han Yang, Meng-Ya Zhang, Zhi-Qiang He, Ji-Bang Liao, Yi Liu, Ling Li. Atomistic insights into ultrasonic vibration-assisted laser processing of Inconel 718 alloy via molecular dynamics simulations. Advances in Manufacturing 1-20 DOI:10.1007/s40436-026-00621-z

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