The absorption of laser light by rough metal surfaces

In Laser Material Processing of metals, an understanding of the fundamental absorption mechanisms plays a vital role in determining the optimum processing parameters and conditions. The absorptance, which is the fraction of the incident laser light which is absorbed, depends on a number of different parameters. These include laser parameters such as intensity, wavelength, polarisation and angle of incidence and material properties such as composition, temperature, surface roughness, oxide layers and contamination. The vast theoretical and experimental knowledge of the absorptance of pure elements with smooth, contamination-free surfaces contrasts with the relatively sparse information on the engineering materials found in real processing applications. In this thesis a thorough investigation of the absorption mechanisms in engineering grade materials has been conducted, both experimentally and theoretically. Integrating sphere reflectometry has been employed to study the impact of surface conditions on Nd:YAG and Nd:YLF laser absorptance of some of the most common ferrous and non-ferrous metallic alloys found in Laser Material Processing. Mathematical modelling and simulations using ray-tracing methods from scattering theory have been used to analyze the influence of surface topography on light absorption. The Doctoral thesis consists of six papers: Paper 1 is a short review of some of the most important mathematical models used in describing the interaction between laser light and a metal surface. Paper 2 is a review of experimental methods available for measuring the absorptance of an opaque solid such as a metal. Papers 3 and 4 are experimental investigations of the absorptance of some of the most frequently found metallic alloys used in Laser Material Processing today. Paper 5 presents results from 2D ray-tracing simulations of random rough metal surfaces in an attempt to investigate the influence of surface roughness on laser scattering and absorption. Paper 6 is a full 3D ray-tracing investigation of the interaction of laser light with a rough metallic surface, where some comparisons also are made to the previous 2D model.<p>Godkänd; 2008; 20080221 (ysko)