Computer simulation of thermal-mechanical effects of high intensity pulsedion beams on a metal surface

By using Monte-Carlo sampling methods we calculated the energy deposition p rofiles of high-intensity pulsed ion beams (IPIBs) vs. pulsed ion currents and accelerating voltage. Then simulations of thermal-mechanical effects of IPIBs were carried out with coupled fluid-plastic equations. Based on the above calculation, several characteristics of both IPIBs energy deposition and thermal-mechanical effects have been obtained. As a high intense energy beam, the total energy deposition distribution curve of IPIBs has a simila r shape compared with intense pulsed laser and electron beams, but time sch edule behavior and its affected range are far different from those two kind s of high power energy beams. Therefore, IPIBs have their own thermal-mecha nical peculiarities. The calculation for a single pulse also shows that the compression pressure waves in targets caused by IPIBs are strongly depende nt on the combination of current density and accelerating voltage. This may be explained by the fact that this combination influences the effective en ergy deposition density, which radically contributes to the production of t hermal shock waves of IPIBs in target materials. (C) 2000 Published by Else vier Science S.A. All rights reserved.