CONSOLIDATION OF NANOENCAPSULATED POWDER SHEETS WITH PHOTONS

摘要

We are developing a method of consolidating metal coated, glass micro-balloon powders into sheets using high-intensity radiation sources, namely infrared lasers. These materials are currently being developed for low density structural panels with tailored thermal diffusion and thermal expansion properties. To accomplish the fusion of sheets, the metal coating on the individual micro-balloon particles must fuse or sinter under the action of the radiation source without damaging or deforming the spherical voids in the individual micro-balloon. Moreover, consolidation must occur homogeneously throughout a uniform layer. In this paper we will discuss aspects of the physical interaction of photonic sources with powder beds containing particles whose size distribution ranges from sub-wavelength to many times the wavelength of the photon source. In addition, it is possible to control the thickness of the metal coating to adjust the optical properties of the individual powders. A numerical model of the process will be compared to trial consolidation experiments.