Failure Response of Simultaneously Pre-Stressed and Laser Irradiated Aluminum Alloys

The failure response of aluminum alloys (Al-6061 and Al-7075) under the condition of simultaneously pre-stressing and laser heating was investigated. Specimens were subjected to predetermined preloading states and then irradiated by continuous wave fiber (Yb) laser. For all specimens, it was found that the yield stress decreased with increasing laser power density. This implies that the load-bearing capacity of the specimens reduced under increased thermal or tensile loading. Consequently, the specimen’s failure time was shortened by increasing either laser power density or preloaded speed. For Al-6061, a remarkable reduction in failure time by the increase of laser power density is found. However, for Al-7075, under higher preloaded speeds, comparatively smaller impact of laser power density on the failure time is reported. Moreover, for Al-6061, relatively a more non-uniform variation in the average failure time with the increase of laser power density or preloaded speed is observed. The failure mode of Al-6061 turned from brittle to ductile at higher laser power densities; whereas for Al-7075, it changed from quasi-brittle to ductile. At higher preloaded speeds, a greater degree of melting and ablation phenomenon can be seen due to relatively higher temperatures and higher heating rates.