Generalized augmented alternating links and hyperbolic volumes (Q2409978)

This work is devoted to showing that any generalized augmented alternating link, that is constructed from a reduced projection of a prime non-2-braid non-split alternating link by adding trivial link components that bound \(n\)-punctured disks, is hyperbolic. This result generalizes previous work of the author, published in [Lond. Math. Soc. Lect. Note Ser. 112, 115--130 (1986; Zbl 0632.57008)], for augmented alternating links, where the added trivial links bound twice punctured disks. In addition, the author obtains a formula for the hyperbolic volume of the complement of the belted sum of two links in terms of the volumes of the complements of the sums.