Effect of electric field on plasma control during CO2 laser welding

Experimental results showed that an applied electric held can affect the sh ielding behavior of the laser-produced plasma during laser welding. It was found that at optimum field strength, the penetration depth can be increase d by about 8% and the width of bead can also be reduced. In other words, th e electric field can be used for enhancing the efficiency of the laser ener gy coupling to the workpiece. In addition, the influences of the electric f ield strength, field direction and laser power on the penetration depth and the bead width are reported. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights res erved.