Understanding the interaction between a pulsed Nd:YAG laser beam and the plume generated above the surface of a workpiece during laser welding is important for process modeling and control. We present a laser schlieren method which can be used to observe this interaction by imaging the refractive index gradient within the plume. The laser schlieren technique uses an expanded, collimated probe laser beam to image a phase object onto a filter with a radial gradient in optical density. The probe beam is focused through the filter and onto the image plane of an intensified high-speed camera, so that the temporal …
continued below
Publisher Info:
Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Place of Publication:
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Provided By
UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
Serving as both a federal and a state depository library, the UNT Libraries Government Documents Department maintains millions of items in a variety of formats. The department is a member of the FDLP Content Partnerships Program and an Affiliated Archive of the National Archives.
Descriptive information to help identify this article.
Follow the links below to find similar items on the Digital Library.
Description
Understanding the interaction between a pulsed Nd:YAG laser beam and the plume generated above the surface of a workpiece during laser welding is important for process modeling and control. We present a laser schlieren method which can be used to observe this interaction by imaging the refractive index gradient within the plume. The laser schlieren technique uses an expanded, collimated probe laser beam to image a phase object onto a filter with a radial gradient in optical density. The probe beam is focused through the filter and onto the image plane of an intensified high-speed camera, so that the temporal variation of the laser/plume interaction may be observed over the duration of the laser pulse. Qualitative measurements of the spatial distribution of refractive index are presented. The velocity of the vaporized metal forming the plume is also measured for a stainless steel weldment.
This article is part of the following collection of related materials.
Office of Scientific & Technical Information Technical Reports
Reports, articles and other documents harvested from the Office of Scientific and Technical Information.
Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) is the Department of Energy (DOE) office that collects, preserves, and disseminates DOE-sponsored research and development (R&D) results that are the outcomes of R&D projects or other funded activities at DOE labs and facilities nationwide and grantees at universities and other institutions.
Essien, M.; Keicher, D. M. & Jellison, J. L.Observation of refractive index gradients in a laser-generated plume using laser schlieren imaging,
article,
December 31, 1995;
Albuquerque, New Mexico.
(https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc673187/:
accessed April 25, 2024),
University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu;
crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.
