Laser surface modification of materials

Abstract

To develop any process of laser technology, you need to solve 3 problems: 1) What are the properties of the interaction of laser radiation with matter must be selected to achieve the goal (resonant – non-resonant, absorption-scattering, photo- or thermal absorption, heating, hardening, melting, softening, evaporation, decomposition, coagulation, etc.); 2) What type of laser source should be used to achieve this goal (wavelength, operation mode – continuous or pulse-frequency, power, pulse duration, transverse energy distribution in the beam, coherence, monochromaticity, polarization, etc. taking into account the reliability, stability of the process and its value, and how to calculate and verify these parameters ?; 3) What are the requirements for the transverse and longitudinal shape of the beam and what opto-mechanical, opto-electronic and other systems are needed to solve this problem? Successful solution of these problems hardens the high quality of the result of the application of laser technology of materials processing. The aim of this work is to show the effectiveness of laser surface treatment of materials on their micromechanical properties. The surface of the samples was treated with laser radiation using a pulsed neodymium laser YAG: Nd. Vickers microhardness measurements were then performed. The surface of silicon carbide was irradiated with a laser beam with different technical parameters. The micromechanical characteristics of the treated samples were studied and their comparison with the source material was made. Suggestions for laser modification of mechanical properties of superhard materials are made. Alloying of aluminum with titanium nitride impurities by pulsed laser irradiation was performed. A significant increase in microhardness in the field of laser fusion of titanium nitride nanopowder into the aluminum matrix was revealed. We have thus shown that laser treatment of structural and functional materials is an effective method of controlling their properties. A set of experimental studies, in particular, structural, optical, and magnetic, will be conducted to physically substantiate the established results. In this paper, we have expressed our views, citing well-known literature sources.