Modelling the energy absorbed during a laser beam metal melting process

The interaction between a high-density laser beam and a metallic surface pr oduces a deep and narrow melted area that has a characteristic keyhole geom etric pattern. The amount of energy absorbed by the metal will depend on th e parameters of the laser beam being applied, and the nature and geometry o f the piece. In this paper, a formulation is presented which makes it possi ble to quantitatively determine the amount of energy absorbed by the metal as a function of a series of experimental parameters. The formulation that has been developed is especially applicable in bead-on-plate tests commonly used to analyze laser-metal interactions in laser technology research. The formulation applies specifically to two types of aluminium alloys, Al-Mg-S i and Al-Zn-Mg.