The Theory of Laser Materials Processing: Heat and Mass Transfer in Modern Technology

Hardcover, xiv + 387 pages, NOT ex-library. Clean and bright throughout, with unmarked text, free of inscriptions and stamps, firmly bound. Boards show mild shelfwear, small indentations and creases to corners and edges. Issued without a dust jacket. -- Contents: 1 Mathematics in Laser Processing [Mathematics and its Application; Formulation in Terms of Partial Differential Equations; Boundary and Interface Conditions; Fick's Laws; Electromagnetism]; 2 Simulation of Laser Cutting [Introduction; Mathematical Formulation and Analysis; Outlook; Acknowledgements]; 3 Keyhole Welding: The Solid and Liquid Phases [Heat Generation and Heat Transfer; Melt Flow]; 4 Laser Keyhole Welding: The Vapour Phase [Notation; Keyhole; Keyhole Wall; Role of Convection in the Transfer of Energy to the Keyhole Wall; Fluid Flow in the Keyhole; Further Aspects of Fluid Flow; Electromagnetic Effects]; 5 Basic Concepts of Laser Drilling [Introduction; Technology and Laser Systems; Diagnostics and Monitoring for [microsecond] Pulse Drilling; Phenomena of Beam-Matter Interaction; Phenomena of the Melt Expulsion Domain; Mathematical Formulation of Reduced Models; Analysis; Outlook; Acknowledgements]; 6 Arc Welding and Hybrid Laser-Arc Welding [Structure of the Welding Arc; Arc Electrodes; Molten Metal Flow; Unified Arc and Electrode Models; Arc Plasma - Laser Interactions; Laser-Arc Welding]; 7 Metallurgy of Welding and Hardening [Thermal Cycle and Cooling Rate; Resolidification; Metallurgy; Defects]; 8 Laser Cladding [Introduction; Beam-Particle Interaction; Formation of the Weld Bead; Thermal Stress and Distortion; Conclusions and Future Work]; 9 Laser Forming [History of Thermal Forming; Forming Mechanisms; Applications]; 10 Femtosecond Laser Pulse Interactions with Metals [Introduction; What is Different Compared to Longer Pulses?; Material Properties Under Exposure to Femtosecond Laser Pulses; Determination of the Electron and Phonon Temperature Distribution; Summary and Conclusions]; 11 Comprehensive Numerical Simulation of Laser Materials Processing [Motivation: The Pursuit of Ultimate Understanding; Review; Correlation, the Full Picture; Introduction to Numerical Techniques; Solution of the Energy Equation and Phase Changes; Program Development and Best Practice when Using Analysis Tools; Introduction to High Performance Computing; Visualisation Tools; Summary and Concluding Remarks]; Index -- The purpose of the book is to show how general principles can be used to obtain insight into laser processes. The principles used may come from fundamental physical theory or from direct observation of experimental results, but an understanding of the general characteristics of the behaviour of a process is essential for intelligent investigation and implementation, whether the approach is experimental, observational, numerical or analytical. The last two have a special value since the associated costs can be relatively low and may be used as a starting point for more expensive techniques. The construction of simple models whose underlying principles are easy to see is therefore of special value, and an understanding of their strengths and limitations is essential. The applications considered in detail are cutting, keyhole welding, drilling, arc and hybrid laser-arc welding, hardening, cladding, forming and cutting, but the general principles have a very wide application; metallurgical aspects are considered, as are femtosecond interactions with metals. The book begins with a discussion of the mathematical formulation of some relevant classes of physical ideas, and ends with an introduction to comprehensive numerical simulation. Although all the examples considered have the common feature that the source of power is a laser, many of the principles and methods apply to thermal modelling in a variety of different fields and at many different levels of power.…