Laser surface hardening of AISI 1518 alloy steel
- Authors: Zhang, Tao
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Lasers , Laser beams , Lasers in engineering , Nd-YAG lasers , Steel alloys , Surfaces -- Effect of radiation on
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9613 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/723 , Lasers , Laser beams , Lasers in engineering , Nd-YAG lasers , Steel alloys , Surfaces -- Effect of radiation on
- Description: The laser surface hardening process will enhance the hardness profile of automotive components and ensure better process control and predictability of quality as compared to the conventional hardening processes. A 2KW Nd-YAG laser system was used to harden the surface of alloy steel with various process parameters (laser power, focal spot diameter and beam velocity). The results (microhardness, microstructure change and residual stress distribution) were measured and analyzed with Vickers microhardness tester, optical/electron microscope and hole-drilling residual stress equipment. Statistical analyses of the experimental data were used for explaining the relationships between process parameters, microhardness and microstructure. General thermal hardening was applied in the research to show the influence of heating temperature and cooling method on microstructure and mechanical properties. Also, the results were compared with laser surface hardening process from microhardness, microstructure and residual stress to show the advantage of laser surface hardening. Through analysis of the results of the laser surface hardening experiments, a suitable laser power density and interaction time for optimum hardening was obtained. The presented laser surface hardening process can also be applied to other alloy steel surface hardening process.
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- Date Issued: 2010
The development and evaluation of a Nd:YAG laser incorporating an unstable resonator
- Authors: De Kock, Trevor Neil
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: Nd-YAG lasers , Lasers -- Resonators , Laser beams
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5512 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008566 , Nd-YAG lasers , Lasers -- Resonators , Laser beams
- Description: Introduction: For approximately the last eight years the Laser Section of the National Physical Research Laboratory (NPRL) has been interested in inter alia, pulsed solid-state lasers and in particular, Nd:YAG. Investigations of various resonator types were undertaken with a view to the improvement of the laser parameters such as output energy, pulse width, beam quality and sensitivity to mirror misalignment. In 1980 a Nd: YAG laser employing a rotating prism Q-switch was constructed (Preussler (1980)). It involves rotating one of the two cavity reflectors so that they are parallel for only a brief instant in time. Typically the prism must rotate at a speed of 20 000 r.p.m. to ensure a single pulse output. Such lasers suffer from the tendency to emit multiple pulses, they are very noisy and they require frequent maintenance because of the short lifetime of the bearings. A resonator employing conventional curved mirrors and an electro-optical Q-switch was constructed in 1980 (Robertson & Preussler (1982)). In 1981 an electro-optically Q-swi tched laser making use of a crossed Porro-prism resonator was investigated due to its relative insensitivity to misalignment of the reflectors compared with the conventional mirror resonator (Nortier (1981)). Improvements in terms of output power, beam divergence and beam quality can be achieved by making use of a so-called unstable resonator. Such a laser has been investigated and is reported on in this study. Chapter 2 provides some background into laser theory and operation while chapter 3 deals with the theory of the unstable resonator. Chapter 4 provides details of the experimental equipment and techniques used in the work and chapter 5 discusses the evaluation of the project and results obtained.
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- Date Issued: 1986