Karol Jach

Numerical modeling of laser-matter interaction

Laser radiation is often used in cleaning and conservation of artworks. Interaction of laser radiation with matter is so sophisticated process that analytical solutions rarely bring the valuable formulas. Even numerical methods seldom give quantitative insight into the physics of processes. Chemical and physical properties of surface impurity layers may change from point to point within the same sample. Absorption coefficient of the layers depends on such factors as weather or air humidity. In spite of this, theoretical description of laser cleaning is necessary, as it allows to explain some characteristic features of processes under investigation. In this work we present a model for laser pulse interaction with graphite layer placed on aluminium substrate. The model is limited to one dimensional hydrodynamic equations. The following phenomena are included into the model: absorption and reflection of laser radiation, heat conductivity, radiation transport in grey body approximation, shock waves, ionisation and the elastic properties of the media. Numerical calculations and experimental results give a qualitative agreement.

Analysis of deformation of aluminum plates under the influence of nano- and microsecond laser pulses

The paper presents numerical modeling of interaction of strong laser radiation with conventional aluminum sheets, similar to those used in military technology. The theoretical model uses equations of continuum mechanics (equations of hydrodynamics and the equations of mechanics of solid bodies in a cylindrical coordinates r, z), enriched with equations describing the typical effects of high temperature, such as absorption of laser radiation within the Al shield, electronic and radiative thermal conductivity, and energy loss on phase transitions (melting, evaporation, ionization). Semiempirical equations of state were used to describe the properties of material in the conditions of large deformation and the Johnson-Cook’s model. The equations were solved using the method of free points developed by one of the authors. Two kinds od laser pulses were considered: microsecond pulse with duration of 200 μs and a low peak power of 10 kW/cm2 (CW laser), and nanosecond pulse with duration of 10 ns and high peak power of 5 GW/cm2 (pulsed laser). The aim of this study was to determine the shapes and temperatures of Al plates under the influence of these pulses for the comparison of the numerical results with future experiments and to verify the possibility to determine the distribution of the energy density of the laser beam on the basis of the plate deformation.

LIBS spectra of multi-component Al, Fe, Cu alloys and composite materials used for selected elements of armament and munition

Spectral investigations in the UV-VIS range of selected Al, Cu, and Fe alloys and composite materials were performed using LIBS technique. The investigated objects were typical rifle cartridges, mortars, rocket launchers and samples of different type steel, Cu and Al alloys, as well as composite materials of special chemical composition. Two Nd:YAG lasers were applied: a short 4 ns, 60 mJ Brio Quantel/BigSky laser (1064 nm) and a long pulse 200/400 (up to 1000) µs (~ 2/4 up to 10 J) laser (1064 nm) constructed at the Institute of Optoelectronics MUT. This spectrochemical analysis was possible for Al, Cu, and Fe alloys objects for both lasers, and in case of composites only if the samples were irradiated by short laser pulse since in the experiment with the long pulse, all composite materials spectra, in general, were very similar to each other – they imitated a grey/black body spectra. For metal alloys in experiments with a short laser pulse only atomic spectra were observed while for long microsecond laser pulses molecular transitions have been registered for Al alloys. Electron temperatures of plasma created on different materials for short and long laser pulses were found on the base of Boltzmann plots. Temperatures are clearly higher for plasmas generated with a short laser pulse which results from much higher laser power density on the sample surface for short pulse and not from fluence which is 20-40 times larger for long pulse.

Modeling of remelting processes of metal targets using pulses of continuous laser with pre-impulses

The study presents preliminary results of theoretical analyses concerning interaction of quasi-cw laser radiation with an aluminium target. The range of laser power the authors were interested in was from 1 to 10 kW, and target thicknesses from 0.1 to 1 cm. It was also assumed that a laser beam diameter on the target (Al) was around 0.5 cm. A mathematicalphysical model of the phenomenon was based on the equation of conservation of energy (spatially one-dimensional model – (z,t)) taking into account: radiation absorption and transport inside the target, heat conduction, reflection of part of radiation from the target’s surface, and heat losses in the processes of melting and evaporation. Coefficients of light absorption and reflection from the target’s surface were described with semi-empirical expressions, which took into account their dependence on the temperature and density. Initially, a case of target static during heating was considered. Subsequently, the problem of enhancement of radiation interaction with the target (decrease of reflection coefficient) by the use of short (< 20 ns), high power pre-impulse was analyzed. The last case needed expansion of a set of equations with the continuity equation and the equation of motion, to take into account evaporation of target’s surface under influence of the pre-impulse. It was shown that thermal effect of the pre-impulse is practically not influencing final depths of target remelting. On the other hand, damage (matting) of the target’s surface by the pre-impulse, causing the decrease of reflection coefficient can have a substantial influence on the remelting depth.

Research on quasi-cw and pulse interaction of strong laser radiation with the military technical materials

The paper describes work connected to the investigation of the interaction of strong laser radiation with selected metals, constituting typical materials applied in military technology, like aluminum, copper, brass and titanium. A special laser experimental stand was designed and constructed to achieve this objective. The system consisted of two Nd:YAG lasers working in the regime of free generation (quasi-cw) and another Nd:YAG laser, generating short pre-pulses in the Qswitching regime. During the concurrent operation of both quasi-cw systems it was possible to obtain pulse energies amounting to 10 J in a time period (pulses) of 1 ms. The synchronized, serial operation resulted in energy amounting to 5 J over a time period (pulse) of 2 ms. Variations of the target’s surface reflection coefficient, caused by the interaction of short pre-pulses with high power density were determined. The experiments were performed using a standard Nd:YAG laser with amplifiers, generating output pulses whose duration amounted to 10 ns and energy to 1 J, with near Gaussian profile. Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was used to analyze the emission spectra of targets under the conditions of the interaction of destructive strong and weak as well as long and short excitation laser pulses. A decay of the spectra in the UV range from 200 to around 350 nm was observed when irradiating the target with a long, quasi-cw destructive pulse. Moreover, in the case of an Al target, some AlO molecular spectra appeared, suggesting a chemical reaction of the aluminum atoms with oxygen.