Sinisa Vukelic

Wave-solid interactions in laser-shock-induced deformation processes

A model was developed for material deformation processes induced by laser-generated shock waves. The processes include laser peen forming (LPF) and laser shock peening (LSP) of metals. Numerical solutions of the model using finite element method were implemented in two steps: (1) explicit step, devoted to shock wave propagation, and (2) implicit step, calculating relaxation of material. A series of LPF and LSP experiments was conducted to validate the model. The residual stress measurements by synchrotron x-ray diffraction and deformation measurements by profilometry showed that the experimental and numerical results were in good agreement. It is the first time to numerically and experimentally study the novel process of micro-scale LPF. An important aspect of the work is that the numerical results were further analytically explored to gain improved understanding of wave-solid interaction including shock wave attenuation and shock velocity variation.

Energy-Level Effects on the Deformation Mechanism in Microscale Laser Peen Forming

Laser microscale peen forming has recently received more and more attention as a viable laser processing technology as it not only imparts desirable residual stress for improvement of fatigue life of the material, but can also precisely control part deformation. In the present study, the effect of energy level on the deformation mechanism in laser microscale peen forming was investigated by both numerical and experimental methods. Deformation curvatures and residual stress distributions of both sides of the specimen, characterized by X-ray microdiffraction, were compared with the results obtained from FEM simulation. The forming mechanism for convex and concave bending was explained in terms of the resulting pressure, compressive stress distribution, and plastic strain. Differences in residual stress distribution patterns were also investigated as a function of the forming mechanism.

Microscale laser peen forming of single crystal

As the result of quickly increased requirement in many industrial products resulting from microtechnology, laser thermal microforming and microsurface treatment [microscale laser shock peening (μLSP)] have been well studied. By combining the beneficial effects of these two processes with a controlled bending deformation, microscale laser peen forming (μLPF) attracts more attention recently since it not only improves the fatigue life of the material but also shapes microscale metallic parts at the same time. In the present study, μLSP of single crystal aluminum was presented to study anisotropic material response. Local plastic deformation was characterized by lattice rotation measured through electron backscatter diffraction. Residual stress distributions of both sides of a peened sample, characterized by x-ray microdiffraction, were compared with the results obtained from finite element method simulation. μLPF anisotropic behavior was investigated in three effective slip systems via both the anisotropic ...

Characterization of Morphology and Mechanical Properties of Glass Interior Irradiated by Femtosecond Laser

Femtosecond laser pulses were focused in the interior of a single fused silica piece. Proper use of optical and laser processing parameters generated structural rearrangement of the material through a thermal accumulation mechanism, which could be potentially used for the transmission welding process. The morphology of generated features was studied using differential interference contrast optical microscopy. In addition, the predictive capability of the morphology is developed via a finite element analysis. The change in mechanical properties was studied through employment of spatially resolved nanoindentation. The specimen was sectioned and nanoindents were applied at the cross section to examine mechanical responses of the laser-modified region. Fracture toughness measurements are carried out to investigate the effects of the laser treatment on strength of the glass.

Spatially Resolved Characterization of Geometrically Necessary Dislocation Dependent Deformation in Microscale Laser Shock Peening

As the laser spot size in microscale laser shock peening is in the order of magnitude of several microns, the anisotropic response of grains will have a dominant influence on its mechanical behavior of the target material. Furthermore, conventional plasticity theory employed in previous studies needs to be re-examined due to the length scale effect. In the present work, the length scale effects in microscale laser shock peening have been investigated. The crystal lattice rotation underneath the shocked surface was determined via electron backscatter diffraction. From these measurements, the geometrically necessary dislocation (GND) density that the material contains has been estimated. The yield strength increment was then calculated from the GND distribution by using the Taylor model and integrated into each material point of the finite element method (FEM) simulation. Finite element simulations, based on single crystal plasticity, were performed for the process both with and without considering the GND hardening, and the comparison has been conducted.

Ultrafast Laser Induced Structural Modification of Fused Silica—Part II: Spatially Resolved and Decomposed Raman Spectral Analysis

Nonlinear absorption of femtosecond laser pulses enables the induction of structural changes in the interior of bulk transparent materials without affecting their surface. In the present study, femtosecond laser pulses were tightly focused within the interior of bulk fused silica specimen. Localized plasma was formed, initiating rearrangement of the random network structure. Cross sections of the induced features were examined via decomposition of spatially resolved Raman spectra and a new method for the quantitative characterization of the structure of amorphous fused silica was developed. The proposed method identifies the volume fraction distribution of ring structures within the continuous random network of the probed volume of the target material and changes of the distribution with laser process conditions. Effects of the different process conditions and the material response to different mechanisms of feature generation were discussed as well.

Ultrafast Laser Induced Structural Modification of Fused Silica—Part I: Feature Formation Mechanisms

Nonlinear absorption of femtosecond-laser pulses enables the induction of structural changes in the interior of bulk transparent materials without affecting their surface. This property can be exploited for transmission welding of transparent dielectrics, three dimensional optical data storages, and waveguides. In the present study, femtosecond-laser pulses were tightly focused within the interior of bulk fused silica specimen. Localized plasma was formed, initiating rearrangement of the network structure. Features were generated through employment of single pulses as well as pulse trains using various processing conditions. The change in material properties were studied through employment of differential interference contrast optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The morphology of the altered material as well as the nature of the physical mechanisms (thermal, explosive plasma expansion, or in-between) responsible for the alteration of material properties as a function of process parameters is discussed.

Dynamic Material Response of Aluminum Single Crystal Under Microscale Laser Shock Peening

The process of laser shock peening induces compressive residual stresses in a material to improve material fatigue life. For micron sized laser beams, the size of the laser-target interaction zone is of the same order of magnitude as the target material grains, and thus the target material must be considered as being anisotropic and inhomogeneous. Single crystals are chosen to study the effects of the anisotropic mechanical properties. It is also of interest to investigate the response of symmetric and asymmetric slip systems with respect to the shocked surface. In the present study, numerical and experimental aspects of laser shock peening on two different crystal surfaces (110) and (114) of aluminum single crystals are studied. Lattice rotations on the top surface and cross section are measured using electron backscatter diffraction, while residual stress is characterized using X-ray microdiffraction. A numerical model has been developed that takes into account anisotropy as well as inertial terms to predict the size and nature of the deformation and residual stresses. Obtained results were compared with the experimental finding for validation purpose.

Numerical Investigation of Opposing Dual Sided Microscale Laser Shock Peening

Laser shock peening (LSP) is an innovative process which imparts compressive residual stresses in the processed surface of metallic parts to significantly improve fatigue life and fatigue strength of this part. In opposing dual sided LSP, the workpiece can be simultaneously irradiated or irradiated with different time lags to create different surface residual stress patterns by virtue of the interaction between the opposing shock waves. In this work, a finite element model, in which the hydrodynamic behavior of the material and the deviatoric behavior including work hardening and strain rate effects were considered, was applied to predict residual stress distributions in the processed surface induced under various conditions of the opposing dual sided microscale laser shock peening. Thus the shock waves from each surface will interact in different ways through the thickness resulting in more complex residual stress profiles. Additionally, when treating a thin section, opposing dual sided peening is expected to avoid harmful effects such as spalling and fracture because the pressures on the opposite surfaces of the target balance one another and prohibit excessive deformation of the target. In order to better understand the wave-wave interactions under different conditions, the residual stress profiles corresponding to various workpiece thicknesses and various irradiation times were evaluated.

Femtosecond laser collagen cross-linking without traditional photosensitizers

Collagen cross-linking in cornea has the capability of enhancing its mechanical properties and thereby providing an alternative treatment for eye diseases such as keratoconus. Currently, riboflavin assisted UVA light irradiation is a method of choice for cross-link induction in eyes. However, ultrafast pulsed laser interactions may be a powerful alternative enabling in-depth treatment while simultaneously diminishing harmful side effects such as, keratocyte apoptosis. In this study, femtosecond laser is utilized for treatment of bovine cornea slices. It is hypothesized that nonlinear absorption of femtosecond laser pulses plays a major role in the maturation of immature cross-links and the promotion of their growth. Targeted irradiation with tightly focused laser pulses allows for the absence of a photosensitizing agent. Inflation test was conducted on half treated porcine cornea to identify the changes of mechanical properties due to laser treatment. Raman spectroscopy was utilized to study subtle changes in the chemical composition of treated cornea. The effects of treatment are analyzed by observing shifts in Amide I and Amide III bands, which suggest deformation of the collagen structure in cornea due to presence of newly formed cross-links.