Low-energy high-current electron beam heating of target with second-phase microinclusions

Abstract

The temperature field generated by microsecond pulsed low-energy high-current electron beam (LEHCEB) in the surface layer of a stainless-steel target containing second-phase (manganese sulfide, MnS) microinclusions has been numerically simulated. The results of calculations show that the temperature is nonuniformly distributed over the target surface. By the end of the LEHCEB pulse, the temperature in the regions of MnS inclusions significantly exceeds that of the steel matrix. This nonuniformity is related to (i) markedly greater thermal conductivity of steel compared to that of MnS and (ii) the pulsed character of the electron-beam-induced heating of the target surface. It is also established that LEHCEB-induced melting begins at the inclusion-steel interface and then involves the inclusion and spreads over the entire irradiated surface. The dependence of the characteristics of the irradiation-induced temperature field on the parameters of the pulsed electron beam has been studied.