NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF SHORT-PULSED LASER PROCESSING OF MATERIALS

Abstract

A numerical study of the short-pulsed laser-induced evaporation process is presented. For short-pulsed laser operation, the radiation penetration depths of most nonmetallic engineering materials are of the same order of magnitude as or of higher order of magnitude than the heat diffusion depth. Thus, the materials must be treated as semitransparent media during short-pulsed laser material processing. A quasi–one-dimensional model is developed to predict the two-dimensional heat conduction inside the solid. It is assumed that the conduction losses are normal to the surface and the ablation velocity is governed by an Arhennius equation. The model is solved using an integral method. The numerical simulations of the laser processing of ceramics are carried out. The results indicate that the radiation penetration depths of the materials make significant differences in the groove shape, heat losses, and the temperature field during short-pulsed laser operations.