Abstract
A high power chemical oxygen-iodine laser (COIL) at the Air Force's Phillips Laboratory was evaluated to determine its cutting capability in thick section stainless steel. The results of this experiment were used to validate a new model that describes the effects of using rectangular- shaped beams for thick section materials processing. That model, while derived in a way similar to a model developed by researchers in Japan, predicts a completely different behavior when cutting extremely thick metal sections. A detailed understanding of the thick section metal cutting is necessary for the development of new commercial applications of very high power lasers, including nuclear power plant dismantlement, shipbuilding, and heavy equipment manufacture. Such applications depend on the demonstration of high power delivery of a laser beam through fiber optics. A case is made for the capability of delivering a COIL beam over 10 kilowatts, and an outline for a possible demonstration using off-the-shelf components is described. Areas requiring further research in high power materials processing technique are described, including advanced assist gas nozzle development, laser focal spot shaping to optimize processing rates and large area surface modification. A description is included of the cooperative research and development agreement program to describe how laser application developers can gain access to testing at the Phillips Laboratory COIL test facility.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
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