Combustion chambers of helicopter engines experience high temperature during combustion of the kerosene spray. Improving the efficiency and reducing the NOx produced by these engines, requires to further increase the temperature within the combustion chamber. However the latter tackles the fusion of the used metallic alloys. Nowadays to sustain such high temperature, the combustion chamber is coated with refractory ceramics and it is drilled with thousands of holes through which compressed air is flowing. Lasers are largely used to drill the holes in the combustion chamber. However drilling sub-millimetric holes with a well-controlled profile in ceramic coated metal alloys with no defects (delamination, formation of cracks…) remains a difficult task. In this presentation, we will detail the technique we developed to drill holes in such ceramic coated combustion chamber using sub-millisecond pulses delivered by high power fiber laser. This technique was made possible thanks to the numerical model we developed using COMSOL. By solving Maxwell’s equations this model account for the propagation of the laser beam within the hole during the drilling process. To test its validity, we drilled a series of holes in 800 µm thick cobalt alloy (KCN22W) coated with a 400 µm thick zirconium oxide (ZrO2) ceramic using an IPG Ytterbium fiber laser (YLS-1200-12000-QCW) and a Precitec drilling head (YK52). Experimental and numerical data are found to be in very good agreement. Moreover, Raman measurements indicate the ceramic alloy is not affected by this drilling process. Further improvements of this technique will be discussed.
Chirp of the pulses generated in the 1.4 μm-1.8 μm spectral ranges and in a singly resonant OPO build around a 3 mm long PPLN crystal pumped at 108 MHz by 40 nJ, 1 ps chirped or 350 fs weakly chirped pump pulses centered at 1035 nm is analyzed. Whatever the chirp of the pump pulses, we achieved a pump to signal conversion efficiency < 30%. We demonstrate that by adjusting the cavity length around synchronism condition, chirped or almost chirped free (down to 80 fs) signal pulses are generated. A simple mechanism accounts for this phenomenon.
A 10 mm long PPLN crystal pumped by 125 nJ, 250 fs pulses centered at 1035 nm yielded by Yb3+ femtosecond fiber oscillator generates femtosecond signal and idler pulses tunable in the 1.35 μm - 1.65 μm and 2.6 μm - 4.2 μm spectral ranges. A numerical model accounting for both second- and third-order nonlinear processes well agree with the recorded signal conversion efficiency (up to 42%), the spectral and temporal profile of the generated pulses. Pulse to pulse stability is drastically improved injecting this compact and versatile device with a continuum generated in a photonic fiber. Further improvements are discussed.
Processing of helicopter engines faster, better and more reliably is the triptych which binds LOMA, ALPhANOV and TURBOMECA. In current production machines, flash lamp pumped lasers are employed to drill thousands of cooling holes with specific geometries and diameters to ensure a homogeneous air flow over the surface. However we aim to enhance the production process. Therefore, the three partners started an initiative to identify and overcome the shortcomings of the current process, where the laser source is a key element for improvement.
In this paper, we report on the latest developments in multi-pulse drilling using an IPG fiber laser. The latter delivers, at a tunable repetition rate (from single shot up to 2 kHz), laser pulses whose width and peak power are adjustable in between 0.2 - 10 ms and 0 - 12 kW respectively. We have focused our work on drilling of thick sheets of metal alloys with different geometries and different processing strategies. We will show that using such laser system it is possible to decrease the processing time while limiting the heat affected zones and collateral effects. Finally, the impact of the different physical processes in play during the drilling on the geometry of the holes will be discussed.
Complete characterization of terahertz (THz) radiation becomes an interesting yet challenging study for many years. In visible optical region, the wavefront assessment has been proved as a powerful tool for the beam profiling and characterization, which consequently requires 2-dimension (2D) single-shot acquisition of the beam cross-section to provide the spatial profile in time- and frequency-domain. In THz region, the main problem is the lack of effective THz cameras to satisfy this need. In this communication, we propose a simple setup based on free-space collinear 2D electrooptic sampling in a ZnTe crystal for the characterization of THz wavefronts.
In principle, we map the optically converted, time-resolved data of the THz pulse by changing the time delay between the probe pulse and the generated THz pulse. The temporal waveforms from different lens-ZnTe distances can clearly indicate the evolution of THz beam as it is converged, focused, or diverged. From the Fourier transform of the temporal waveforms, we can obtain the spectral profile of a broadband THz wave, which in this case within the 0.1-2 THz range. The spectral profile also provides the frequency dependency of the THz pulse amplitude. The comparison between experimental and theoretical results at certain frequencies (here we choose 0.285 and 1.035 THz) is in a good agreement suggesting that our system is capable of THz wavefront characterization. Furthermore, the implementation of Hartmann/Shack-Hartmann sensor principle enables the reconstruction of THz wavefront. We demonstrate the reconstruction of THz wavefronts which are changed from planar wave to spherical one due to the insertion of convex THz lens in the THz beam path. We apply and compare two different reconstruction methods: linear integration and Zernike polynomial. Roughly we conclude that the Zernike method provide smoother wavefront shape that can be elaborated later into quantitative-qualitative analysis about the wavefront distortion.
We present the realization of an actively mode-locked laser based on a 30 μm core diameter single-mode double clad
photonic crystal fiber. For 19 W of pump power at 976 nm, it yields an average power of 10 W at 40 MHz. The delivered
pulses, centered at 1030 nm, have a duration of 15 ps. This corresponds to an energy of 250 nJ per pulse and a peak
power of 17 kW.
N. Blanchot, E. Bignon, H. Coїc, A. Cotel, E. Couturier, G. Deschaseaux, N. Forget, E. Freysz, E. Hugonnot, C. Le Blanc, N. Loustalet, J. Luce, G. Marre, A. Migus, S. Montant, S. Mousset, S. Noailles, J. Néauport, C. Rouyer, C. Rullière, C. Sauteret, L. Videau, P. Vivini
A Multi-Petawatt High-Engergy laser coupled to the LIL (MPWHE-LIL) is under construction in the Aquitaine Region in France. This facility will be open to academic community. Nd:glass laser chain and Chirped Pulse Amplification (CPA)technique makes possible to deliver high energy. Optical Parametric Chirped Pulse Amplification (OPCPA) for pre-amplification and new compression scheme will be implemented. The MPWHE-LIL will deliver output energy of 3.6 kJ in 500 fs on target corresponding to more than 7 PW. The PW laser facility linked to UV-60kJ-ns beam from LIL, will give new scientific research opportunities.
The formation of periodic ripples is reported under exposure in air of several solids (Ge, GaAs, W, steel, etc.) to a scanning beam of a femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser operating at wavelength λ = 810 nm. Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) characterization shows that the period of ripples at normal incidence of laser radiation lies in a sub-λ domain and depends on the nature of the solid. Ripples are oriented perpendicular to the plane of polarization of the laser beam. Their period is different under ablation of a solid in a liquid environment at otherwise equal conditions. The results are interpreted as an interference of the incident laser radiation with a surface
electromagnetic wave induced in the solid. The examples are presented of sub-μm structures generated by intersection of several ripple arrays.
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