Laser drilling of stainless steel with nanosecond double-pulse

Nanosecond double-pulse laser drilling is reported in this paper. The double-pulse herein represents two closely conjoint pulses with 21 ns pulse duration and about 52 ns interpulse separation, which are acquired by temporal pulse shaping. Percussion drilling with such double-pulse is performed in stainless steel samples with different laser fluences, sample's thickness, repetition rates and ambient pressures. The experimental results show that the drilling rates of double-pulse drilling are more than one order of magnitude higher than that of conventional single-pulse drilling in air. Differences in the processing results between single-pulse and double-pulse with various processing parameters are investigated. In addition the ablation mechanisms of the double-pulse drilling are discussed.     

Optical emission studies of plasma induced by single and double femtosecond laser pulses

Double-pulse femtosecond laser ablation has been shown to lead to significant increase of the intensity and reproducibility of the optical emission signal compared to single-pulse ablation particularly when an appropriate interpulse delay is selected, that is typically in the range of 50–1000 ps. This effect can be especially advantageous in the context of femtosecond laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy analysis of materials. A detailed comparative study of collinear double- over single-pulse femtosecond laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy has been carried out, based on measurements of emission lifetime, temperature and electronic density of plasmas, produced during laser ablation of brass with 450 fs laser pulses at 248 nm. The results obtained show a distinct increase of plasma temperature and electronic density as well as a longer decay time in the double-pulse case. The plasma temperature increase is in agreement with the observed dependence of the emission intensity enhancement on the upper energy level of the corresponding spectral line. Namely, intensity enhancement of emission lines originating from higher lying levels is more profound compared to that of lines arising from lower energy levels. Finally, a substantial decrease of the plasma threshold fluence was observed in the double-pulse arrangement; this enables sensitive analysis with minimal damage on the sample surface.     

Analysis of lead and sulfur in environmental samples by double pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

In the present work, a model of double pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) spectrometer has been developed and results from two different applications of double pulse LIBS for solving the problems of environmental interest are presented. In one case, laser induced breakdown spectroscopy has been applied to the determination of heavy and toxic metals (lead) in soil samples. In the second case, laser induced breakdown spectroscopy was used in preliminary experiments for the detection of sulfur content in coal, and on the basis of spectral features, ways to improve the sensitivity of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy detection of sulfur are proposed. The detection limit for lead in soil was estimated to be approximately 20 ppm that is lower than the regulatory standards for the presence of lead in soil.     

Electrochemical deposition of silver nanoparticles on TiO2/FTO thin films

Silver nanoparticles were deposited on titanium oxide^IV (TiO₂) thin films supported on FTO (fluorine-doped tin oxide^IV) glass using a double pulse electrochemical deposition method. A systematic study of particle nucleation and growth is presented as a function of applied potential and time. Samples were analyzed by grazing-angle X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) technique and morphology was observed using Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy device (SEM-EDS). Our results confirm the possibility of controlled electrochemical homogeneous deposition of metallic silver particles over TiO₂ surface, which exhibit a potential application in catalytic processes.     

Time-space distribution of laser-induced plasma parameters and its influence on emission spectra of the laser plumes

A physical model is developed accounting for dynamics and radiation of plasma plumes induced by nanosecond laser pulses on surface of solid samples. The model has been applied to simulate emission spectra of the laser erosion plasma at the elemental analysis of metals using single- and double-pulse excitation modes.     

Laser metrology — a diagnostic tool in automotive development processes

Laser measurement techniques are widely used in automotive development processes. Applications at Volkswagen are presented where laser metrology works as a diagnostic tool for analysing and optimising complex coupled processes inside and between automotive components and structures such as the reduction of a vehicle's interior or outer acoustic noise, including brake noise, and the combustion analysis for diesel and gasoline engines to further reduce fuel consumption and pollution. Pulsed electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI) and holographic interferometry are used for analysing the knocking behaviour of modern engines and for correct positioning of knocking sensors. Holographic interferometry shows up the vibrational behaviour of brake components and their interaction during braking, and allows optimisation for noise-free brake systems. Scanning laser vibrometry analyses structure-born noise of a whole car body for the optimisation of its interior acoustical behaviour.Modern engine combustion concepts such as in direct-injection (DI) gasoline and diesel engines benefit from laser diagnostic tools which permit deeper insight into the in-cylinder processes such as flow generation, fuel injection and spray formation, atomisation and mixing, ignition and combustion, and formation and reduction of pollutants. The necessary optical access inside a cylinder is realised by so-called ‘transparent engines’ allowing measurements nearly during the whole engine cycle. Measurement techniques and results on double-pulse particle image velocimetry (PIV) with a frequency-doubled YAG laser for in-cylinder flow analysis are presented, as well as Mie-scattering on droplets using a copper vapour laser combined with high-speed filming, and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) with an excimer laser for spray and fuel vapour analysis.     

Comparison of detection limits, for two metallic matrices, of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy in the single and double-pulse configurations

Limits of detection have been studied for several elements in aluminium and steel alloys, at atmospheric pressure in air, by use of the single and collinear double-pulse configurations of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. For this purpose, calibration plots were constructed for Mg, Al, Si, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, and Cu using a set of certified aluminium alloy samples and a set of certified steel samples. The investigation included optimization of the experimental conditions to furnish the best signal-to-noise ratio. Inter-pulse delay, gate width, and acquisition delay were studied. The detection limits for the elements of interest were calculated under the optimum conditions for the double-pulse configuration and compared with those obtained under the optimum conditions for single-pulse configuration. Significantly improved detection limits were achieved, for all the elements investigated, and in both aluminium and steel, by use of the double-pulse configuration. The experimental findings are discussed in terms of the measured plasma conditions (particle and electron density, and temperature).     

基于一种远程双脉冲激光诱导击穿光谱系统原位分析钢样成分

为了实现钢铁等金属熔炼过程中实时、在线监测元素组分含量,设计了一种远程双脉冲激光诱导击穿光谱(LIBS)分析系统,对远距离的样品进行非接触式远程测量、成分分析。首先利用固体标准钢样对系统进行了测试以及标定,为下一步利用此系统在线监测熔融钢液组分含量提供了基础。实验结果表明：激光远距离聚焦光斑在1 mm左右;双脉冲烧蚀比单脉冲烧蚀深度深很多;双脉冲最佳延时在不同距离下不一致;3.1 m处双脉冲增强效果比2.1 m处更好,其中Ti(Ⅰ)319.99 nm增强最显著为5.19倍;各种元素的标定曲线相关系数r都在0.99左右,重复精度(RSD)基本都小于5%,测量偏差(RMSE)都小于0.021%,2.1 m处的检出限相比3.1 m处更低,2.1 m处多数元素检出限小于500 ppm。     

Time-resolved spectroscopy and imaging diagnostics of single pulse and collinear double pulse laser induced plasma from a glass sample

The characterization of laser-induced plasma from a glass sample was performed in the single- and double-pulse excitation regimes. The detailed information about density distributions of excited atoms and ions in the expanding plasma was obtained by using the imaging detection system providing measurements of the spatial, temporal, and spectral plasma emission characteristics. The expansion dynamics was shown to differ strongly between two excitation regimes. The enhancement factors of the line emissions in the double-pulse mode were found to be spatial dependent and to differ for the different elements in the plasma plume. The obtained results are useful for a better understanding of the main physical processes leading to the analytical improvement achieved by the use of double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS).     

直线感应加速器组元的双脉冲改造

 对用于单脉冲直线感应加速器的加速组元进行了双脉冲改造的初步尝试：利用传输线延时获得了双脉冲馈入；用铁氧体作为磁芯材料，在感应腔上得到了双脉冲腔压波形。结果表明，现有组元功率系统经过简单的改造，可以获得两个甚至多个脉冲输出；在伏秒值允许的范围内，铁氧体磁芯的感应腔可以感应出双脉冲波形。为以后多脉冲直线感应加速器的改造和设计提供了一个方向，也提出了一些有待解决的问题。