Investigation of damage to metals by pulsed CO2 laser radiation

A study was made of the physical mechanism involved in piercing holes in metallic plates, using CO₂ laser radiation. It was established experimentally that the energy consumed in removing a unit volume of a metal has a minimum, depending on the duration and energy of the laser pulse. An explanation is proposed for the laws governing this behavior, based on ideas of the ejection of liquid from a crater by the vapor pressure of the material. The effect on the interaction efficiency of the absorption of laser radiation in the plasma jet is taken into account.