Absorptance of nonferrous alloys to Nd:YLF and Nd:YAG laser light at room temperature

The measurement of absorptance is important for the analysis and modeling of laser-material interactions. Unfortunately, most of the absorptance data currently available consider only polished pure metals rather than the commercially available (unpolished, oxidized) alloys that are actually being processed in manufacturing. We present the results of absorptance measurements carried out at room temperature on as-received engineering grade nonferrous metals (Al, Cu, and Zn alloys). The measurements were made using an integrating sphere with a Nd:YLF laser at two wavelengths (1053 and 527 nm, which means that the results are also valid for Nd:YAG radiation at 1064 and 532 nm). The absorptance results obtained differ considerably from the existing data for polished, pure metals and should help improve the accuracy of laser-material interaction models. Some clear trends were identified. For all 22 cases studied the absorptance was higher than for ideal pure, polished metals. For all Al and Cu samples the absorptance was higher for the green than it was for the infrared wavelength, while for all Zn coatings this trend was reversed. No clear correlation between absorptance and surface roughness was found at low roughness values (Sa 0.15-0.60), but one rougher set of samples (Sa 2.34) indicated a roughness-absorptance correlation at higher roughness levels.