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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/N05406/01
Title: CONDUCTION LIMITED CARBON DIOXIDE LASER MATERIALS PROCESSING USING DIFFRACTIVE OPTICAL KINOFORMS
Principal Investigator: Williams, Dr K
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department: Mechanical Engineering
Organisation: Loughborough University
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 01 October 2000 Ends: 30 June 2004 Value (£): 62,013
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Materials testing & eng.
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Manufacturing
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
Surface engineering of large areas using a high power lasers suffers from non-uniformity and requires track overlap which can reduce process quality e.g. tempering of transformation hardened zones. This is due to the laser beam intensity profile which cannot be sufficiently controlled to fully optimise processing. With the development of diffractive optical kinoforms suitable for use with high power lasers, the ability to control the redistribution of the laser beam intensity can be used to remove the problems associated with large area laser surface engineering. This project will explore the application of diffractive optical kinoforms to conduction limited laser surface engineering through experimentation and a mathematical model.Identification of the substrate temperature field required allows itterative design of a customised laser beam intensity profile through use of a conduction limited model (using a Green's function summation of the solution to moving point heat sources). The resulting laser beam intensity profile can then be reproduced using a diffractive optical kinoform. Correlation with between experiamental and theoretical results can be made using microstructural analysis and infra-red imaging of the substrate surface.Knowledge of the temperature field allows microstructural changes to be mapped.
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Organisation Website: http://www.lboro.ac.uk