Characterization Of Laser-materialInteraction During Laser Cladding Process

The interaction between a gas-powder mixture and a laser beam has been studied in the conditions of laser surface cladding. A powder is blown with an inert gas, coaxially with a laser beam, through a nozzle. A substrate, placed underneath, receives part of the laser beam and the heated powder material. A surface layer of the blown material is formed on the substrate. The paper describes the interaction between the laser beam and the gas-powder mixture. Signals that have been recorded, include : laser power transmitted by the powder stream, spatial extension of the plasma, temporal variations and spectral content of light emitted by the ionized mixture.