Research Progress on Ultrafast Laser Processing of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Resin Matrix Composites

Carbon fiber reinforced resin matrix composites（CFRP） are renowned for their high strength, low density and excellent corrosion resistance, which are widely used in aviation, aerospace, medical and energy sectors. However, due to the anisotropy and structural inhomogeneity of CFRP, traditional processing methods such as high-pressure water jet and mechanical processing are inefficient and often result in issues like fiber pulling, matrix cracking, delamination and expansion.In recent years, ultrafast lasers, with their extremely short pulse widths and high pulse energies, have shown promise as a new,efficient and high-quality processing method for CFRP. Therefore, the current research of energy absorption, energy transfer and material removal during the interaction between ultrafast lasers and CFRP was summarized, the advancements in the processing technology of CFRP using ultrafast lasers were analyzed, the existing quality control methods for ultrafast laser processing of CFRP, as well as the research progress in AI-assisted femtosecond laser processing of CFRP were outlined.Finally, the challenges currently faced by ultrafast laser processing of CFRP were summarized, and the strategies to address these challenges were proposed.