The Effect of Loading on the Laser Ablation of Graphite/Epoxy Composite Material
Abstract
An investigation was conducted to quantify the effect structural loading of a graphite/epoxy member has upon the mass removal rate during laser ablation. An effective heat of ablation (Q*eff=energy absorbed/mass removed) was used as a measure of this efficiency. A simple physical model of the important factors affecting the graphite/simple physical model of the important factors affecting the graphite/epoxy was developed, and predictions were made of the effect of loading on Q*eff. A three-dimensional finite difference heat transfer code was written to predict the temperature distribution in the composite while modeling the orthotropic nature of the thermal conductivity tensor. The effect of thermal and mechanical loads upon the stress distribution in a single fiber was calculated. A hypothesis was formed that fracture of individual fibers, a process linearly dependent upon applied stress, will remove a fraction of the composite independent of the absorption of laser energy. Theses.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA216209
Entities
People
- Joseph L. Hamrick Ii
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology