BULLETIN OF THE POLISH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES TECHNICAL SCIENCES, Vol. 60, No. 4, 2012 DOI: 10.2478/v10175-012-0083-9 OPTOELECTRONICS Laser modification of the materials surface layer – a review paper J. KUSINSKI 1 * , S. KAC 1 , A. KOPIA 1 , A. RADZISZEWSKA 1 , M. ROZMUS-GÓRNIKOWSKA 1 , B. MAJOR 2 , L. MAJOR 2 , J. MARCZAK 3 , and A. LISIECKI 4 1 AGH The University of Sciences and Technology, 30 Mickiewicza Ave., 30-059 Cracow, Poland 2 Institute of Metallurgy and Materials Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, 25 Reymonta St., 30-059 Cracow, Poland 3 Institute of Optoelectronics, Military University of Technology, 2 Gen. S. Kaliskiego St., 00-908 Warsaw, Poland 4 Welding Department, Silesian University of Technology, 18A Konarskiego St., 44-100 Gliwice, Poland Abstract. The state of laser processing in surface materials modification in Poland is reported, based on own experience, coworkers and coauthors results, as well the literature review. The curriculum concerning historical development of lasers and laser technology in Poland, laser-matter interaction, as well basis of different laser techniques applied in materials surface engineering (solid state hardening, melting, alloying, cladding, ablation, shot peening, cleaning and texturing) are reviewed, and compared with results of coauthors, as well with a wide range of Polish authors papers. Finally, it is concluded that overall state of research on laser application in surface engineering in Poland is well developed and still growing industrial application is observed. Key words: lasers in Poland, laser surface heat treatment, laser melting, alloying, cladding, laser ablation, laser cleaning, laser shock processing, laser texturing, multilayer coatings. 1. Introduction Lasers have enormously provided to important fields of sci- ence as well as technologies since T. Maiman [1] in 1960, created the first working ruby laser. Just after his invention the first applications of ruby lasers took place in USA, in drilling diamonds for wire draw dies. Also Polish researchers were very active in development of laser technology. Three years after Maiman had built his ru- by laser, Polish researchers constructed first He:Ne gas lasers: at the Military University of Technology, at Warsaw Techni- cal University, as well at University of Adam Mickiewicz in Poznan. In 1965, on the base of the ruby laser, the first micro drilling machine was constructed at the Military University of Technology. At the same time, at the Warsaw Technical University the micro drilling-welding machine equipped with the neodymium glass laser was built up (in the next years they constructed also the drilling machines operating with Nd:YAG pulsed laser and with Nd:YAG CW laser, as well with Nd:YAG pulsed laser of high frequency). During 1970s several papers and books concerning interaction of laser with the matter were published in Poland. The papers published by Paszkowski, Wolinski and Now- icki [2] on: “Some problems of laser beam welding and drilling”, Puzewicz and Slojewski [3] on: “Laser processing of formed holes” as well: Wolinski and Nowicki [4] on “Laser treatment of materials”, and the books on: “The laser in mate- rials processing and metrology” written in 1973 by Sadowski and Krehlik [5], as well Nowicki [6] on: “Lasers in electronic technology and in materials treatment”, are one of the first Polish publications concerning interaction of lasers with ma- terials. Zimny [7] conducted one of the first in Poland complex studies on materials laser drilling. His investigations on laser beam machining are summarized in the habilitation thesis [8]. Kusinski [9] started to investigate laser heat treatment of materials in 1971 during realization of PhD thesis on “Effect of the heating rate, time and temperature on the hypereutec- toid tool steels homogeneity”. The Nd:YAG, laser working at the Institute of Metal Cutting in Krakow (now: The Insti- tute of Advanced Manufacturing Technology), was used as the one of the heat sources applied for the rapid heating of tool steel samples. The main achievement of these studies was detailed analysis of structural and compositional (using SEM, TEM, XRD and microprobe techniques) changes involved in the surface layer of tool steels by a pulsed laser. Kusinski [9] showed the significant structural refinement and high level of the chemical homogeneity of laser-melted layer. In the case of laser hardening without melting and in the heat affected zone (just beneath the melted zone) residues of un-dissolved car- bides were still present in the structure causing higher struc- tural and compositional inhomogeneity. Indeed non uniform hardness values were measured in such zones. This finding permitted to conclude that for the laser solid state hardening the initial tool steel structure should be highly homogeneous. The best would be tempered martensite or bainitic structures. The successful experimental studies of Polish researchers on laser-induced material processing have been reported since the end of 1970s [10–18]. The experiments were based on the use of Nd:YAG and CO 2 lasers in hardening, melting and al- loying of steels and cast irons. Actually in Poland, the research on laser beam applica- tion to materials processing is running in many laboratories located at universities, scientific institutes and in industries * e-mail: kusinski@agh.edu.pl 711 Unauthenticated | 83.7.161.14 Download Date | 9/6/13 1:29 PM