Numerical and experimental analysis of dynamic process of laser ablation epoxy resin

Abstract

The numerical simulation of polymer laser ablation is essential for applications such as laser propulsion and laser deposition. Based on the pyrolysis effect of polymers, this paper establishes a dynamics model of polymer laser ablation. Numerical solution software FLUENT was used to solve the equations involving mass, momentum, and energy. With user-defined functions (UDF) and dynamic mesh, the deposition of laser energy, the depression of the material surface, and the generation of high-temperature pyrolysis gas plumes were simulated. Epoxy resin was selected as the experimental material, and its surface changes were observed after exposure to various laser pulse powers. High-speed shadow imaging techniques were employed to examine epoxy resin's dynamic laser ablation process. Compared to experimental results, numerical calculations accurately reflected the dynamic behaviours of epoxy resin after pulse laser interaction, such as the expansion of pyrolysis gas plumes and the propagation of shockwaves.