Dynamic analysis of laser shock response: Experimental and numerical studies

Abstract Laser is an excellent shock source with the advantages of non-contact, high controllability and broadband frequency, which has great potential to replace traditional mechanical impact and simulate pyroshock. In this paper, the dynamic response induced by laser shock is studied both experimentally and numerically. Firstly, laser shock tests are conducted. The general characteristics of laser shock response are experimentally investigated, where the effects of transparent overlays and absorbent coatings are evaluated in terms of shock response spectrum. Furthermore, a finite element (FE) model is developed and validated by comparing simulation and experimental results. Based on FE model, the effects of power density, pulse duration, and spot size of laser on the dynamic response are evaluated. The results demonstrate that laser shock response has fantastic high-frequency and broadband-frequency characteristics and shock response spectrum amplitude of laser shock can be obviously improved by adding transparent overlays and absorbent coatings. The amplitude of shock response spectrum is in quadratic correlation with laser power density. Laser pulse duration significantly influences the slope of shock response spectrum, but power density and spot size of laser have little effect on the slope.