Spot Diameter Research Articles

Optimization of the Forming Quality of a Laser-Cladded AlCrFeNiW0.2 High-Entropy Alloy Coating

Laser cladding is an effective surface strengthening method widely used in the surface treatment of extreme operating components such as gas turbines, aviation engines, and nuclear facilities. However, traditional cladding layers struggle to meet the diverse application needs of extreme working conditions due to their single cladding material and poor forming quality. Therefore, this article selected the new-type high-entropy alloy as the coating material and optimized its laser cladding process parameters in order to obtain an AlCrFeNiW0.2 high-entropy alloy coating with an excellent forming quality. It was found that as the laser power increased from 300 to 1800 W, the AlCrFeNiW0.2 high-entropy alloy coating transitioned from the incomplete or near-melted state to the fully and over-melted state gradually, while the coating showed the opposite trend of change as the laser scanning speed increased from 0.002 to 0.008 m/s. And when the laser power was 1000 W, the scanning speed was 0.005 m/s, and the spot diameter was 0.003 m, the AlCrFeNiW0.2 high-entropy alloy coating with a low dilution rate (9.95%) had no defects such as pores and cracks, and achieved good metallurgical bonding with Q235 steel substrate, demonstrating excellent forming quality. These could provide valuable theoretical and technical guidance for optimizing the laser cladding process and forming quality of new-type high-entropy alloy coatings.

Laser shock peening induced mechanical properties enhancement of 50CrVA alloy

Laser shock peening (LSP) was implemented to treat aircraft landing gear 50CrVA alloy to improve mechanical properties. The sensitivity investigations of time step and mesh size were used to benchmark the 3D finite element method (FEM) model. Based on the established FEM model, the dynamic propagation characteristics of the shock wave inside the sample were predicted. The influence of laser energy and spot diameter on the residual stress field was further investigated. The numerical results indicate that regulating two critical LSP parameters can effectively improve the compressive residual stress (CRS) of metals, and the spot diameter has a greater effect than the laser energy in improving the uniformity of the CRS distribution. After that, the influences of LSP on the CRS field, microstructure, and mechanical properties were experimentally studied. After LSP treatment, the surface CRS reached 494.8 ± 31.8 MPa with an affected depth of about 400 μm. The phase composition was not changed by LSP treatment, but it weakened texture strength and refines grains. Under the impact of grain refinement and CRS, the average surface microhardness of the 50CrVA alloy reached 355 HV, indicating an increase up to 5.3 %. The ultimate tensile strength and yield strength were increased by 11.3 % and 14.5 %, respectively, which were in contrast to the unchanged elongation. This work verifies the feasibility of mechanical properties enhancement of 50CrVA alloy by LSP.

PROSPECTS FOR THE APPLICATION OF FULLERENE ADDITIVES IN MODERN AVIATION OILS

The possibilities and expediency of using fullerene additives and their influence on the tribological properties of modern synthetic aviation oils are analyzed. The method of increasing anti-wear properties of synthetic oils for turbojet aircraft engines Mobil Jet Oil II and Mobil Jet Oil 254 by adding fullerene additive C60 is considered. It is shown that the antiwear properties of synthetic Mobil Jet Oil 254 oil for turbojet aircraft engines exceed more than 5% of Mobil Jet Oil II oil, which, along with other factors, was the reason for the complete transfer of Airbus Helicopters H-145 helicopters to Mobil Jet Oil 254 oil. The increase in the concentration of fullerene additives in oils does not significantly affect the amount of wear of the rolling bearings of the turbine shaft of helicopters, although there is a tendency to decrease the diameter of the wear spot and an increase in the critical load of the transition to seizing. This is explained by the fact that, in contrast to sliding friction, in which the coefficient of friction decreases tenfold due to the possibility of rolling of fullerene molecules on the graphite surface, which is characterized by much lower friction compared to the sliding of graphite surfaces relative to each other due to the higher contact area in the last case. It follows that fullerenes act as micro-rolling bearings that reduce the coefficient of sliding friction. It is assumed that the balls in the rolling bearings may grind fullerenes like ball mills, therefore no significant effect of improving the anti-wear properties of oils when using fullerene additives is observed. It was established that an increase in the concentration of the fullerene additive in oils shifts the critical load to higher values. The use of fullerenes as an anti-wear additive to oils for turbojet engines requires further research and justification.

Evaluation of Metallic Parts Defects to Determine Repair Process Strategies through Laser Metal Deposition

With technological advances, additive manufacturing processes have been gaining prominence in several industrial areas including maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) processes. A process with great potential for repairing and rebuilding metal parts is laser metal deposition (LMD) technology. Despite the high potential, LMD implementation in the repair industry is not straightforward, due to the geometry variability of parts and damages to be repaired. This paper presents a repairability study that evaluates the remaining volume of the repair of different types of damages in AISI 316L parts by LMD, and determines the most appropriate deposition strategies to adapt to the repair process. This study involves the characterization and classification of common defects in metallic parts and the development of a design of experiments, in which, given the damage geometry, volume, and location, the best repair toolpath to be adopted and the ideal parameterization for the repair process are determined. The ability to correct part damage is assessed from a geometric, mechanical and energetic approach, and explores the possibility of including LMD in an adaptive and intelligent MRO system. The result of this work establishes a new deposition strategy approach based on a modified contour-parallel deposition strategy for repairing metal parts. This study also demonstrates that in surface damage cases, a fixed point strategy is highly effective, especially when using higher laser power values and larger laser spot diameters, enabling an easier process automation. However, in edge and corner damage cases, the best repair approach is using trajectory strategies that constitute material support between deposition tracks and layers. Additionally, it is demonstrated that the corners are the most critical zones that require temperature control throughout the entire repair process.

Influence of Process Parameters in LMD for Geometrical Accuracy and Thin Geometry with AISI316L

Laser metal deposition (LMD) industrial use demands research about the influence of the parameters in the built parts density, accuracy and mechanical properties. Especially for the thin-wall parts, knowledge about the correlations between processing parameters and the final result is indispensable. This study explores the relationship between process parameters and the quality of AISI316L stainless steel thin-walled parts produced by LMD. A six-axis robot equipped with a deposition head allowed relative spatial movement between the powder nozzle and laser beam and substrate with high accuracy. Controlled energy input provided by continuous wave Ytterbium fibre laser allows using less material flow rate and the production of thin layers in test samples. Three processing parameters were selected to investigate the effects on part characteristics using a Box-Behnken experimental design. Through this method, each parameter was evaluated between 600 W to 800 W laser power, 6 mm/s to 14 mm/s feedrate and 0.2 mm to 0.4 mm layer thickness. All remaining parameters were fixed using argon to provide an inert atmosphere, 8.8 g/min powder feeding rate and 1.5 mm spot diameter. The method was used to test the manufacture of thin-wall cylindrical specimens with 10 mm in height and 75 mm in diameter. Fabricated AISI316L samples were evaluated regarding the dimensional and geometrical characteristics. It was observed that higher energy input density during the laser additive manufacturing implies lower geometric precision. Feedrate and layer thickness has the highest impact on both the wall thickness and vertical accuracy. Given the inability to produce parts with an acceptable final surface, the process finds great applicability when complemented with additional finishing technologies.

Using fiber or rod—The influence of different filler materials during CO2 laser welding of quartz glass

Welding of quartz glass is still mainly carried out with gas torches and manually by glass specialists. The use of gas torches is highly energy inefficient as much heat energy is released around the component and into the environment. In addition, the manual process can result in inhomogeneous welds. An automated laser process would make quartz glass welding more energy-efficient and repeatable and address the growing shortage of skilled labor. In this study, quartz glass plates up to 4.5 mm in thickness are welded together at an angle of 125° to each other using a fiber or rod as the filler material. Glass thickness and angle were selected based on a project-specific application. The aim is to achieve a homogeneous weld with as few defects as possible using a lateral fiber- or rod-based deposition welding process. The main challenge is to achieve the melting of the filler material at the bottom contact point of the two glasses so that no air inclusions occur. A 400 μm fiber and a 1 mm rod are investigated as filler materials. The advantage of the fiber compared to the rod is that the contact point of the glasses is easier to reach and bond during the welding process. Due to the large gap between the glass fibers compared to the fiber diameter, a high fiber feed rate is required to fill the V-gap with the viscous glass material. The disadvantage is that the fiber is subjected to high pressure when digging into the melt, which can lead to fiber breakage. In addition, there is a high consumption of filling material. Adjustable and relevant process parameters include the ratio between substrate and fiber feed, the laser power, the spot diameter, and the process gas pressure. The fabricated samples are analyzed using optical and laser confocal microscopy.

Comparison of melting efficiency between blue, green, and IR lasers in pure copper welding

Pure copper parts are commonly used in many industrial products because of their low thermal resistance and high electrical conductivity. However, connecting high-quality and high-efficiency copper materials remains a challenge. This is because pure copper has low absorption of near-infrared light, making it difficult to weld stably with a near-infrared laser. Visible light lasers should realize high-efficiency laser welding of pure copper. However, there are few reports comparing the laser wavelength dependence of welding efficiency for pure copper. In this study, bead-on-plate welding was performed on pure copper plates of 2 mm thickness using a 1.5 kW blue diode laser (445 nm), a 16 kW IR disk laser (1030 nm), and a 3 kW green disk laser (515 nm). Bead-on-plate welding of pure copper was performed in the thermal conduction mode or the keyhole mode by varying the laser spot diameter and power, and the amount of melting was measured from cross-sectional observations. As a result, compared to the IR disk laser, blue and green lasers showed higher melting efficiency in both the thermal conduction and keyhole modes, and the melting behavior was more stable. In thermal conduction mode welding, the melting efficiency was 0.2% with the IR disk laser and 0.7% with the blue diode laser. In keyhole mode welding, the melting efficiency with the blue diode laser or green disk laser was about 7%, which is equivalent to that with the IR disk laser with 2.5 times the output power.

Potential utility of endophytic Bacillus altitudinis strain P32-3 as a biocontrol agent for the postharvest prevention of sweet potato black rot

Sweet potato black rot is a common postharvest disease caused by the pathogenic fungus Ceratocystis fimbriata. The toxins produced by infected tubers are potentially harmful to humans. Plant endophytic bacteria may serve as biocontrol agents for protecting crops (including vegetables) during postharvest storage without detrimental effects on humans or other animals. In this study, 11 bacterial strains of Bacillus, Priestia, Blautia, Pseudomonas, and Sphingomonas species were isolated from sweet potato storage roots, of which only one strain (P32-3), which was identified as Bacillus altitudinis, strongly inhibited C. fimbriata mycelial growth and spore germination. Furthermore, the volatile organic compounds and cell-free supernatant of strain P32-3 repressed C. fimbriata growth. Additionally, P32-3 treatments significantly decreased the disease spot diameter and depth on harvested sweet potato roots. A total of 981 differentially expressed genes were identified by comparing the transcriptomes of the control and P32-3-treated mycelia. Strain P32-3 significantly altered the expressions of genes related to cell wall integrity, the cell membrane, spore germination, energy metabolism, pathogenicity, and oxidative stress. In addition, RNA-seq results were validated by a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. Our results indicate that B. altitudinis strain P32-3 can inhibit C. fimbriata growth and development and protect postharvest sweet potato storage roots from C. fimbriata infection. The study findings provide the theoretical basis for future investigations on the utility of strain P32-3 for protecting sweet potato against black rot during the postharvest stage.

Facile extraction of berberine from different plants, separation, and identification by thin-layer chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, and biological evaluation against Leishmaniosis.

The extraction of berberine was carried out from Berberis vulgaris, Berberis aquifolium, and Hydrastis canadensis plants using ethanol and water (70:30, v/v). The extracted berberine was characterized by ultraviolet-visible and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The purity of berberine was ascertained by thin-layer chromatography using n-propanol-formic acid-water (95:1:4) and (90:1:9) solvents. hRf values were in the range of 44-49 with compact spots (diameter 0.2-0.4cm). HPLC was carried out using ammonium acetate buffer and acetonitrile in gradient mode with Zodiac (4.6×150mm, 3μm) column. The flow rate was 1.0mL/min and detection was at 220nm. The values of separation and resolution factors of the standard and the extracted berberine were in the range of 1.13-1.16 and 1.40-1.71, respectively. A comparison has shown that both thin-layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods found applications in different situations and requirements. The extracted berberine samples were used to treat Leishmaniosis and the results showed better activity of berberine in comparison to the standard drug Amphotericin B. Briefly, the reported research is a novel and may be used to extract berberine from plants, separation and identification of berberine by thin layer chromatography and HPLC and to treat Leishmaniosis.

Effect of laser peening without coating (LPwC) on retardation of fatigue crack growth in SM490 plates

Laser peening without coating (LPwC) is a well-known technique to improve high-cycle fatigue properties by introducing compressive residual stress (RS) near the surface of metal components. In this study, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and flexural fatigue tests were applied to pre-cracked 12 mm thick SM490A welding structural steel specimens that were subjected to LPwC nearly 20 years ago with a pulse energy of 200 mJ, a spot diameter of 0.8 mm and a pulse density of 36 pulse/mm2. XRD revealed that the compressive RS has remained stable to date, with approximately 400–500 MPa remaining at the surface and a compressive depth of approximately 0.9 mm from the surface, which is comparable to the data measured by XRD immediately after LPwC. In the flexural fatigue tests with a stress ratio of 0.1 and stress rages of 100, 150 and 200 MPa, LPwC extended the fatigue life by more than 1.6 times, depending on the stress range and individual specimens. Crack restarting cycles were significantly increased by a factor of at least 1.8, and the crack growth rate was suppressed by a factor of about 0.7 or less.

REGULARITIES OF THE FIELD FOCUS OF THE THROUGH-TYPE ELECTROMAGNETIC ACOUSTIC TRANSDUCER OF TRANSVERSE WAVES

The article presents the results of experimental and theoretical research of the influence of the characteristics of a through-type electromagnetic-acoustic transducer and testing object on the focusing parameters of transverse waves using COMSOL Multiphysics. It is shown that in the radial plane of the section, the formation of a converging spherical front is observed, in the axial plane – close to a flat front. The influence on the focusing factor and the diameter of the focal spot of the diameter of the object, the operating frequency and the quality factor of the excitation pulse is presented. The developed model of the formation of the focus zone of the through-type EMAT can be used in the analysis of the acoustic path of the mirror-shadow method of multiple shadow, depending on the characteristics of the object and control parameters.

Design and Experimental Analysis of an Optical Fiber Coupling System for a Ground-based Telescope with Adaptive Optics

Astronomy photonics has opened up a new era for the application of astronomical optical instruments. The fiber coupling system serves as the crucial link between the telescope and photonic devices. This paper explores a beam shaping method that utilizes a coupled lens to enhance the efficiency of coupling light into an optical single mode fiber. Compared to directly coupling the telescope beam into the fiber, this approach offers improved coupling efficiency and greater adjustment tolerance. The laboratory-based optical fiber coupling system described in this study comprises an imaging component with an F/50 ratio and a fiber coupling component. Theoretical analysis indicates that optimal coupling efficiency is achieved when the diameter of the focusing spot, limited by diffraction, matches the fiber core size. Any axial error, position error, or tip-tilt error between the lens and the fiber will reduce the coupling efficiency. Experimental results confirm that the coupling system achieves an efficiency of approximately 70%, which is close to the theoretical limit of 78%. These findings underscore the effectiveness of the fiber coupling method.

Feasible Resolution of Angular Displacement Measurement by an Optical Angle Sensor Based on Laser Autocollimation

The feasible resolution of angular displacement measurement by an optical angle sensor based on laser autocollimation is investigated. Improving the sensor sensitivity while maintaining the noise level of the sensor signal as low as possible is necessary to achieve high-resolution angular displacement measurement. In this paper, the contribution of each component, such as a photodiode, a trans-impedance amplifier, and an analog-to-digital converter in the optical angle sensor, to the noise level of the sensor signal is first estimated on the basis of theoretical equations. The feasible sensitivity of the optical angle sensor is also estimated in numerical calculations. The sensitivity of a photodiode element at the edge of its photosensitive area is evaluated in experiments to realize the estimation of the angle sensor sensitivity. Experimental results are applied to the numerical calculations. The influences of the measurement laser beam diameter, the spot diameter of the focused laser beam on the photosensitive area, and the focal length of the collimator objective of the optical angle sensor are also considered in the numerical calculations. Finally, a prototype optical setup is developed. Experiments are performed to demonstrate that a compact optical angle sensor based on laser autocollimation with a collimator objective having a focal length shorter than 100 mm can achieve a resolution beyond 0.001 arc-second with a bandwidth of 1 kHz. This resolution is better than those achieved by commercial autocollimators employing an image sensor or a position-sensitive detector. The industrial contribution of this paper lies in the detailed breakdown of noise components in the readout signal of an angle sensor in a practical condition and the systematic estimation of its feasible resolution as well as its sensitivity.

Water repellence of biomimetic structures fabricated via femtosecond laser direct writing

Femtosecond laser direct writing based on two-photon polymerization (TPP), which is a sub-classification of vat photopolymerization, has the advantages of unlimited geometrical freedom and high resolution, and has attracted significant interests from scientists and engineers in recent years. In the present study, TPP fabrication was performed using a laser equipment with wavelength of 514 nm. The collimated beam diameter before the focusing lens was measured as 5 mm and the focused laser spot diameter was calculated as 280 nm. Key TPP processing parameters were investigated for the fabrication of nanowires, and micro/ nanoscale biomimetic structures, including cone and pinecone structures. The finest nanowire has a diameter of 105 nm and is achieved at the laser power of 0.8 μW (near the laser polymerization threshold). For the three-dimensional (3D) structures, laser power, layer thickness and hatch spacing would influence the fabrication accuracy. Generation of a stiff 3D cone structure would require a minimum laser power of 1.4 μW when the hatch spacing and layer thickness are 200 nm. The optimum processing parameters (laser power 2.2 μW, hatch space and layer thickness 100 nm) can generate structures with dimensions close to the design values. For pinecones with nano features, the scanning strategies play a significant role in the nano fabrication accuracy. A row of pinecones and cones were fabricated and tested for their water repellence performance. The relationship between the performance and the nano cone density was investigated. The pinecone structures exhibit superior performance to the ones with no nano-scale structures, indicating that improved hydrophobicity can be achieved by designing the micro/nano hierarchical structures. The increased number density of the nano cones in a micro/nano hierarchical structure was found to profoundly enhance the water repellence of the structures. The mechanisms were discussed with Wenzel and Cassie models.

The effect of the diode laser beam power on the behaviour of the ZrC powder pre-coat and the 145Cr6 steel substrate during laser processing

The paper presents both the production method and its impact on selected properties of composite coatings reinforced with hard ZrC particles. The Fe/ZrC coatings were produced using diode laser by remelting the pre-coat in the form of paste consisting of ZrC powder and binder. Different values of laser beam power (500 W, 700 W, and 900 W) and different pre-coat thicknesses (100 µm, 150 µm, and 200 µm) were used to produce the composite coatings. During all processes, the scanning speed of laser beam was 3 m/min. Laser beam spot diameter was 1 mm. Microstructure study, microhardness tests, as well as EDS and XRD analysis were carried out. The obtained Fe/ZrC coatings were also tested for the effect of the corrosive medium in a 3.5% NaCl water solution. The effect of applied parameters on wear resistance of Fe/ZrC coatings was also studied. The tribological properties were assessed both by mass loss measurement and by scanning electron microscopy. Fe/ZrC coatings produced using the highest thickness of the pre-coat were characterised by cracks arising during production process. The very high concentration of carbides and hence high hardness of the coating produced in this way contributed to it. However, a positive effect of laser beam power increase on reduction of these cracks was observed. The coatings were characterised by very high hardness, reaching in some cases even more than 2000 HV. It was found that the most favourable properties regarding both tribology and corrosion resistance were obtained for Fe/ZrC coatings produced using 150 µm of pre-coat thickness.

Experimental investigations on the material behaviour of SLM fabricated SS316L

In this present study, the microstructure and mechanical behaviour of selective laser melting (SLM)-fabricated SS316L are investigated. A rectangular plate of dimension 100 × 100 × 8 mm is fabricated using the SLM machine. SS316L powder with a size in the range of 20 to 45 µm is used. The SLM parameters selected for fabrication are: laser power 140 W, scan speed 700 mm/s, hatch spacing 0.12 mm, layer thickness 30 µm and laser spot diameter 80 µm. The energy density of the laser source used to fabricate the component is 55 J/mm3. The chemical composition, microstructure, and defects of the SLM-fabricated SS316L are studied using an optical microscope, SEM, and XRD. The hardness, tensile behaviour and fracture strength of the component are investigated to study the mechanical behaviour of the sample. Finally, fracture surfaces of tensile and fatigue specimens are studied using SEM to understand the failure mechanisms of SS316L produced through SLM. The comparison with conventional SS316L revealed that SLM-fabricated SS316L has higher hardness, ultimate strength, yield strength, and reduced elongation % under untreated condition.

Large-Area Niobium Titanium Nitride Superconducting Microstrip Single-Photon Detector Fabricated Using a Photolithography Process

In this paper, we present a large-area niobium titanium nitride (NbTiN) superconducting microstrip single-photon detector (SMSPD) fabricated using a photolithography process. We fabricated a 1-μm-wide NbTiN-SMSPD covering 420 × 420 μm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> active area with a filling factor of 20% using an i-line stepper. The detector is cooled down to approximately 2.2 K, and its performance is evaluated at the wavelengths from visible to near-infrared. The detector operates stably without a shunt resistor and shows single-photon sensitivity for photons with a wavelength of 1550 nm. The bias current dependence of the detection count rate is measured at the wavelengths from 406 to 1550 nm. The saturation of the detection count rate with increasing the bias current was successfully observed at wavelengths below 850 nm, suggesting an internal detection efficiency approaching 100%. Furthermore, we evaluated the timing jitter performance using the femtosecond pulse laser with a wavelength of 1550 nm. Consequently, we achieved a system timing jitter of 85 ps for a light spot diameter of 100 µm.

Study on the Duration of Laser-Induced Thin Film Plasma Flash

The accuracy of judging whether the film is damaged directly affects the accuracy of the measurement of the film laser damage threshold. When judging the film damage by the traditional plasma flash method, there is a problem of misjudgment caused by the failure to distinguish the film and air plasma flash. In order to eliminate misjudgment, the two flashes are accurately distinguished by the difference in the duration of the air and film plasma flash. This paper aims to obtain the theoretical and experimental values of the duration of the film plasma flash (tf) and analyze the factors affecting it. Firstly, taking single-layer hafnium oxide and aluminum oxide thin films as examples, when the wavelength of the incident laser is 1064 nm, the diameter of the laser focusing spot is 0.08 cm, the energy of the incident laser is 100 mJ, and the pulse width of incident laser is 10 ns, the tf of hafnium oxide, and aluminum oxide thin films are 542.7 and 299.6 ns, respectively. Secondly, the experimental study of tf was carried out. Through six experiments, the following results were obtained: (1) With the increase in incident laser energy, the tf of both films increases; (2) The tf of the hafnium oxide film is longer than that of the aluminum oxide film. (3) The experimental parameters are put into the calculation model, and the theoretical results are in good agreement with the experimental tf values. Finally, it is found that tf increases with the increase in incident laser energy and incident laser pulse width, and decreases with the increase in focusing spot diameter.

Effect of scanning spacing on the efficiency of CFRP hole-cutting with multi-pass scanning strategy by nanosecond laser

Short-pulse laser processing of CFRP can reduce heat damage, but the efficiency is limited. In this paper, the efficiency of CFRP hole-cutting with multi-pass scanning strategy by nanosecond laser was investigated. The differences in material removal mechanisms at different scanning spacing and the effect of different scanning spacing on processing efficiency were investigated. The results show that the material is removed by the combined effect of laser ablation and mechanical erosion effect with different scanning spacing, and the appropriate scanning spacing and number of passes can effectively utilize the effect of mechanical erosion to improve processing efficiency. With a repetition frequency of 80 kHz (pulse energy is 141.25 μJ), the shortest cutting time is 73.3 s, and the optimal scanning spacing is 0.06 mm (focused spot diameter is 22 μm), which is 26.8 % more efficient compared to the scanning spacing of 0.08 mm and number of passes with 3; As laser repetition frequency increases, the optimal scanning spacing for processing efficiency increases and the optimal number of passes decreases.

Novel high-flux indoor solar simulator for high temperature thermal processes

A novel 32 kWe high flux solar simulator compound of eight xenon arc lamps coupled with a truncated paraboloid mirror and a secondary paraboloid mirror was designed, built, and tested. Collimated rays from a set of xenon arc lamps emulating outdoor solar radiation were reflected by a secondary set of paraboloid mirrors to a common system focus. Relative irradiance measurements were performed to obtain the xenon arc lamp radiation spectrum. Thermal power delivered by each lamp was evaluated by using a heat flux gauge mounted at the system focus. Concentrated thermal power was estimated by the heat superposition method, which allowed us to quantify both the total and the concentrated peak power along with the heat flux mapping. A 10.2% energy conversion efficiency was achieved. Experimental results determined a 3.0 kW total concentrated power on a 100 mm spot diameter resulting in a 1028 kWm−2 peak flux at the center; a lamp total thermal radiant power average of 615 W was achieved, and the lamp spectrum was compared with the 6200 K blackbody radiation spectrum.