Anti-laser performance test of aluminum alloy plates reinforced by ceramic coating

ZrO2 ceramic coating was designed for aluminum alloy plates and their anti-laser performance was tested using 976 nm CW laser. The alloy substrate is 2.5 mm thick and the coating is 0.3 mm thick. In the tests the plates were subjected to 0.3 Ma tangential airflow. Temperature of the rear surface was recorded with thermocouples. Spectral reflectance of unirradiated area and irradiated area was measured respectively, and XPS analysis was done to investigate the change of elemental composition in the coating induced by laser irradiation. The experimental results show that, the sample could withstand 60 s irradiation by 976 nm CW laser with power density up to 700 W/cm2, and that the color of irradiated area turns white from offwhite, and that the reflectance to near-infrared light increases. The change in color may be the result of pyrolysis or gasification of carbon-containing compounds during laser irradiation, which is consistent with the results of XPS analysis.