ENHANCED FAILURE OF CERAMICS IRRADIATED BY COMBINED PULSE AND CW LASERS

Several ceramic materials were subjected to the combined irradiation of a 1.06 μ pulse and a 10.6 μ continuous wave (c.w.) laser. The duration of c.w. irradiation required to cause failure from the combined exposure is compared to that from c.w. irradiation alone. For example, thin Pyroceram and soda-lime glass plates burned through when exposed to the c.w. laser followed by the single pulse laser, in about one half the time required to cause fracture during exposure to the c.w. laser alone. Also, enhanced catastrophic fracture of thick soda-lime glass plates resulted when the c.w. irradiation followed the pulse within 0.3 sec. Finally, the effects of the combined pulse and c.w. exposure are compared with the effects of single or multiple pulses, and the apparent enhancement is discussed in terms of beam size and power. © 1979 Chapman and Hall Ltd.