Lumped parameter model for multimode laser cutting

A lumped parameter mathematical model is developed to relate the cut depth to the laser cutting parameters and material properties. The model takes into account the threshold power of the incident laser beam for the initiation of cutting and modifies an earlier cutting model so that it applies to a wide set of process parameters ranging from low to high laser powers and slow to fast cutting speeds. Plain steel is taken as an example to show the effects of various process parameters such as the laser power, spot size and cutting speed on the cut depth. Special emphasis is given to the effect of laser mode structure on its cutting capability.     

气流加热对气动光学效应的影响

以光束穿过三维高速流场为物理模型,研究了由于辐射加热气流对流场的干扰及激光束穿过流场后光束远场的分布。应用二维哈特曼波前测量系统,对高功率光束在风洞高速气流传输中的气动光学效应进行了测量。结果表明,气流未电离情况下,激光与高速气流相互作用对气流的温度、密度等参数影响很小,通过该区域流场的光束波前基本没有变化。     

基于FPGA的激光光束自对准电气自动化系统设计

激光光束技术运用的越来越广泛,包括光通信技术,激光测距技术,激光瞄准技术等,其中光通信技术范围最广;在光通信过程中,需要面对光束发射端与接收端中心对齐的问题,增加了操作的难度;针对光通信激光光束对准难的特点,研究并设计了一套基于FPGA的激光光束对准系统,利用在FPGA芯片上设计软硬件速度快、稳定可靠、研发周期短等特点;整个系统以FPGA芯片为核心,辅以操作电路、自适应算法;实验表明, 该系统较好地符合了光束对准的要求。     

Effect of focusing geometry on the continuous optical discharge properties

We studied the effect of the laser beam focusing geometry on the continuous optical discharge (COD) properties. We used a full two-dimensional radiative gas-dynamic model for the COD, maintained by a vertical CO₂ laser beam in free air atmosphere, in the Earth's gravitational field. The model takes into account all of the factors that are of importance in laser-sustained plasma processes, and uses realistic quasi optics to describe the laser radiation propagation. Results are presented for the optical discharge parameters as functions of applied laser power and degree (f-number) to which the laser beam is focused.     

Analysis and prediction of single laser tracks geometrical characteristics in coaxial laser cladding process

Direct Laser Fabrication is a promising new manufacturing technology coming from laser cladding process. From a coaxial nozzle, powder is fed through a laser beam on a substrate. The powder melting and solidification processes lead to the fabrication of a part layer by layer. In this work 316L stainless steel powder is used to form laser tracks on a low carbon steel substrate. The layer geometry is an important process characteristic to control the final part of fabrication. This paper presents analytical relationships between the laser tracks geometrical characteristics (width, height, area, penetration depth) and the processing parameters (laser power P, scanning speed V and powder mass flow Q_m). Three values of each processing parameters are fixed and so 27 different experiments have been made and analyzed. The validity of these results is discussed studying the correlation coefficient R, the graphical analysis of the residuals and the uncertainty evaluations. Two kinds of models are studied to predict the form and the geometrical characteristics of the single laser tracks cross sections. The first one is an analytical model in which the distribution of the powder in the feed jet is supposed to govern the laser clad geometry. Three distributions are proposed: Gaussian, uniform and polynomial. In the second model the general form of the clad cross section is supposed to be a disk due to the surface tension forces. Analytical relationships are established between the radius and the center of the disk in one hand and the process parameters in the other hand. This way we show that we can reproduce the laser track geometry in all the area experimentally explored.     

Spectroscopic, energetic and metallographic investigations of the laser lap welding of AISI 304 using the response surface methodology

Spectroscopic signals originated by the laser-induced plasma optical emission have been simultaneously investigated together with energetic and metallographic analyses of CO₂ laser welded stainless steel lap joint, using the Response Surface Methodology. This statistical approach allowed us to study the influence of the laser beam power and the laser welding speed on the following response parameters: plasma plume electron temperature, joint penetration depth and melted area. A clear correlation has been found between all the investigated response parameters. The results have been shown to be consistent with quantitative considerations on the energy supplied to the workpiece as far as the laser power and travel speed were varied. The regression model obtained in this way could be a valuable starting point to develop a closed loop control of the weld penetration depth and the melted area in the investigated process window.     

Optimization of laser beam welding process parameters to attain maximum tensile strength in AZ31B magnesium alloy

An empirical relationship is developed to predict tensile strength of the laser beam welded AZ31B magnesium alloy by incorporating process parameters such as laser power, welding speed and focal position. The experiments were conducted based on a three factor, three level, central composite face centered design matrix with full replications technique. The empirical relationship can be used to predict the tensile strength of laser beam welded AZ31B magnesium alloy joints at 95% confidence level. The results indicate that the welding speed has the greatest influence on tensile strength, followed by laser power and focal position.     

Doppler shift of a laser pulse beam scattered by a rotating cone and cylinder

Based on laser radar equations, a Doppler shift model of a laser pulse beam scattered by a rotating arbitrary convex target is reported in this paper. The boundary relations between an incident pulse beam and the detected area elements are analyzed by geometric methods. The Doppler shift characteristics of the rotating cone and cylinder are discussed and the difference between the laser pulse beam and the plane wave scattered from the same rotating target is compared accordingly. Numerical simulations show that the Doppler shift is tightly relevant to their dimensions, speeds, and so on. In the same incidence conditions, the pulse beam and plane wave have difference peak values and the same Doppler shift bandwidth. If the waist radius of the pulse beam is larger, the peak value is higher, and the Doppler shifts are proportional to the speed of the rotating target. By virtue of our theoretical model, we probe into the scattered characteristics of the Doppler shifts of a laser pulse beam, which would benefit target identification in national defense.     

Self-compensation of thermal lens in high-power diode pumped solid-state lasers

We present a comprehensive model to describe the optic-thermal coupling in the diode pumped solid-state lasers (DPSSL). The thermal transition of particles at the upper laser level leads the heat-generation of laser crystals to depend on shape of the laser beam, while the laser field is also influenced by the temperature because of the thermal excitation of doped particles among various Stark levels. These effects, together with the usual thermal-optic effect that induces a fluctuation of the refraction index by an inhomogeneous temperature distribution, cause a complicated coupling between the laser field and the temperature field. We show that the optic-thermal coupling plays an important role in high-power DPSSL with larger size beam. That effect may yield a self-compensation for the thermal lens and improve the beam quality.     

Wavefront study in a Gaussian beam passed through a nonlinear optical medium

We present a numerical model to study the wavefront of a Gaussian laser beam propagated through a nonlinear Kerr media. The model is based on the Gaussian decomposition method. The interaction between a laser beam and a self-focusing or self-defocusing media is discussed from the viewpoint of wavefront distortion. The method is useful for simulation of the wavefront of the beam next to the sample. We also compare our results with those obtained from z-scan method. There is a quite good agreement between data from z-scan method and our results.     

Numerical simulation of process dynamics during laser beam drilling with short pulses

In the last years, laser beam drilling became increasingly important for many technical applications as it allows the contactless production of high quality drill holes. So far, mainly short laser pulses are of industrial relevance, as they offer a good compromise between precision and efficiency and combine high ablation efficiency with low thermal damage of the workpiece. Laser beam drilling in this pulse length range is still a highly thermal process. There are two ablation mechanisms: evaporation and melt expulsion. In order to achieve high quality processing results, a basic process understanding is absolutely necessary. Yet, process observations in laser beam drilling suffer from both the short time scales and the restricted accessibility of the interaction zone. Numerical simulations offer the possibility to acquire additional knowledge of the process as they allow a direct look into the drill hole during the ablation process. In this contribution, a numerical finite volume multi-phase simulation model for laser beam drilling with short laser pulses shall be presented. The model is applied for a basic study of the ablation process with μs and ns laser pulses. The obtained results show good qualitative correspondence with experimental data.     

激光无铅钎焊速度的影响因素(英文)

为了提高激光无铅钎焊的速度,对影响激光无铅钎焊速度的因素(如激光的参数、所用钎料和基体的特性、钎焊的系统结构等)进行了分析研究。研究认为,在激光器、钎料及基体等已定的情况下,相对于那些受到机械惯性制约的移动激光加工头或移动工作台的激光钎焊系统,一种配备了振镜扫描系统和f-theta聚焦透镜的激光钎焊系统具有更高的钎焊速度。另外,对激光钎焊过程中激光束的扫描路径进行了优化,这种优化能在不增加硬件成本的基础上大大缩短总扫描路程,较大程度地提高激光钎焊速度。最后通过实例对激光钎焊的快速性进行了验证。     

Laser through-hole drilling and laser cutting in teflon

We report a novel technique for laser high-speed drilling and cutting in teflon films. The new laser drilling surpasses the conventional techniques in simplicity, throughput and spatial resolution. The laser cutting and drilling process consists of three simple steps. First, a thin absorbing layer (in this case 300 Å of gold) is deposited on the teflon to allow for laser absorption. Second, the drilling is performed by pulsed-laser irradiation at the rate of one hole per pulse. The irradiation process does not completely open the holes in which debris still remain. Third, the ultrasonic cleaning in water is used to remove the modified and weakly bound material inside the drilled holes, leaving behind 50 m diameter through holes in 25 m thick teflon sheets. The drilling process-window is well mapped. The cutting process is obtained by fast scanning the laser beam at laser powers above a threshold value. This new technique is desirable for packaging because of its drilling speed as high as 60 000 holes per minute, its fast cutting and its low laser equipment cost.     

Analysis of Aberrations in Laser-Focused Nanofabrication

Based on the semi-classical model, we analyse the motion equation of chromium atoms in the laser standing wave field under the condition of low intensity light field using fourth-order Adams-Moulton algorithm. The trajectory of the atoms is obtained in the standing wave field by analytical simulation. The image distortion coming from aberrations is analysed and the effects on focal beam features are also discussed. Besides these influences, we also discuss the effects on contrast as well as the feature width of the atomic beam due to laser power and laser beam waist. The simulation results have shown that source imperfection, especially the transverse velocity spread, plays a critical role in broadening the feature width. Based on these analyse, we present some suggestions to minimize these influences.     

CO2 laser heating of surfaces: Melt pool formation at surface

The melt pool formation during the heating of titanium and steel surfaces by a moving CO₂ laser beam is examined. The repetitive pulses are introduced in the simulations and the Marangoni effect in the melt pool is incorporated in the model study. The influence of laser scanning speed and the laser intensity parameter on the melt pool size is also considered. The enthalpy–porosity method is adopted to account for the phase change in the irradiated spot. It is found that the influence of laser scanning speed on the melt pool size is considerable, which is more pronounced for laser beam parameter β=1. The melt pool size is smaller for stainless steel as compared to that corresponding to titanium.     

Experimental study on negative laser bending process of steel foils

In this paper, laser bending experiments were carried out on the stainless foil for producing negative bending angles. BM-dominated laser parameters, such as larger ratio of beam diameter to specimen thickness and lower scanning speed, help to produce negative bending angles. However, the bending direction in BM-dominated process will be uncertain due to the influence of the specimen's initial stress state and surface conditions. For this reason, experiments on stainless foil loaded with controlled pre-stresses were carried out for producing certain negative bending angles. The effect of the pre-stress and laser parameters are investigated experimentally. The experimental results show that negative bending angles could be produced conveniently when the pre-stresses were induced by elastic pre-bending which direction away from the laser beam, and the angles increase remarkably with the pre-stresses increasing. A set of reasonable laser parameters (laser power, scanning speed and beam diameter) for good quality negative bending angles forming were gotten by analyzing the effect of each parameter respectively in the experiments.     

Comparative theoretical analysis of continuous wave laser cutting of metals at 1 and 10 μm wavelength

We present a derivation and, based on it, an extension of a model originally proposed by V.G. Niziev to describe continuous wave laser cutting of metals. Starting from a local energy balance and by incorporating heat removal through heat conduction to the bulk material, we find a differential equation for the cutting profile. This equation is solved numerically and yields, besides the cutting profiles, the maximum cutting speed, the absorptivity profiles, and other relevant quantities. Our main goal is to demonstrate the model’s capability to explain some of the experimentally observed differences between laser cutting at around 1 and 10 μm wavelengths. To compare our numerical results to experimental observations, we perform simulations for exactly the same material and laser beam parameters as those used in a recent comparative experimental study. Generally, we find good agreement between theoretical and experimental results and show that the main differences between laser cutting with 1- and 10-μm beams arise from the different absorptivity profiles and absorbed intensities. Especially the latter suggests that the energy transfer, and thus the laser cutting process, is more efficient in the case of laser cutting with 1-μm beams.     

Non-contact sound speed measurement by optical probing of beam deflection due to sound wave

We report a non-contact and non-invasive method of sound speed measurement by optical probing of deflected laser beam due to normally incident degenerated shock wave. In this study the shock wave from an exploding wire was degenerated to an ordinary sound wave at the distance exceeding 0.23 m. Temporal resolution of the deflected beam signal was improved by passing through an adequate electronic high-pass filter, as a result we obtained a better temporal resolution than that of the acoustic pressure detection by PZT transducer in terms of rising time. The spatial resolution was improved by passing the refracted beam signal into the edge of focusing lens to make a larger deflection angle. Sound speed was calculated by monitoring the time of flight of transient deflected signal at the predetermined position. Sound speed has been measured in air, distilled water and acryl, agreed well with the published values. The sound speed measured in the solution of glycerin, magnesium sulfate (MgSO4), and dimethylformamide with various mole fractions also agrees within 3% of relative error with those measured in the present work by ultrasonic pulse echo method. The results suggest that the method proposed is to be reliable and reproducible.     

Surface modification of Ti dental implants by Nd:YVO4 laser irradiation

Surface modifications have been applied in endosteal bone devices in order to improve the osseointegration through direct contact between neoformed bone and the implant without an intervening soft tissue layer. Surface characteristics of titanium implants have been modified by addictive methods, such as metallic titanium, titanium oxide and hydroxyapatite powder plasma spray, as well as by subtractive methods, such as acid etching, acid etching associated with sandblasting by either AlO₂ or TiO₂, and recently by laser ablation. Surface modification for dental and medical implants can be obtained by using laser irradiation technique where its parameters like repetition rate, pulse energy, scanning speed and fluency must be taken into accounting to the appropriate surface topography. Surfaces of commercially pure Ti (cpTi) were modified by laser Nd:YVO₄ in nine different parameters configurations, all under normal atmosphere. The samples were characterized by SEM and XRD refined by Rietveld method. The crystalline phases αTi, βTi, Ti₆O, Ti₃O and TiO were formed by the melting and fast cooling processes during irradiation. The resulting phases on the irradiated surface were correlated with the laser beam parameters. The aim of the present work was to control titanium oxides formations in order to improve implants osseointegration by using a laser irradiation technique which is of great importance to biomaterial devices due to being a clean and reproducible process.     

Hybrid laser processing for microfabrication of glass

Hybrid laser processing for the precision microfabrication of glass materials, in which the interaction of a conventional pulsed laser beam and a medium on the material surface leads to effective ablation and modification, is reviewed. A major role of the medium is to produce strong absorption of the conventional laser beam by the material. Simultaneous irradiation by a vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) laser beam that possesses an extremely small laser fluence and an ultraviolet (UV) laser greatly improves the ablation quality and modification efficiency for fused silica (VUV-UV multiwavelength excitation process). The metal plasma generated by the laser beam effectively assists high-quality ablation of transparent materials by the same laser beam, resulting in microstructuring, cutting, color marking, printing, and selective metallization of glass materials (laser-induced plasma-assisted ablation (LIPAA)). The detailed discussion presented here includes the ablation mechanism of hybrid laser processing. Received: 18 December 2002 / Accepted: 20 January 2003 / Published online: 28 May 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +81-48/462-4682, E-mail: ksugioka@postman.riken.go.jp