System for laser-driven impact acceleration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11618953-B2
Application number	US-202117303940-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 10, 2021
Priority date	Nov 23, 2016
Publication date	Apr 4, 2023
Grant date	Apr 4, 2023

Abstract

A system for laser-driven propulsion, system comprising a laser source and a target comprising an accelerating part and a projectile part, the accelerating part comprising a metal layer and a porous layer pressed against the metal layer; wherein the laser source is selected to emit pulse beams directed to the metal layer at a fluence below the plasma ablation threshold of the material of the metal layer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a metal layer having a first surface and a second opposite surface; a porous layer having a first surface and a second opposite surface; the porous layer being positioned with the first surface thereof in direct contact with the second surface of the metal layer, and a projectile, said projectile being positioned on the second surface of the porous layer; and
a laser source;
wherein said laser source is selected to irradiate the first surface of the metal layer with laser pulses of a fluence between 1 J/cm 2 and 3 J/cm 2 to temperatures below the liquefaction and ionization thresholds of the metal, thereby generating a pressure wave in the metal layer; the pressure wave propagates and compacts pre-compacted powder of the porous layer, thus creating a cavity; and the cavity transfers momentum to the projectile.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the metal layer is selected with a thickness in a range between 1 μm and 50 μm and a thickness of the porous layer in a range between 10 μm and 100 μm.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein said laser source is selected to emit pulse beams of a duration in a range between 10 ps and 50 ns at the fluence in the range between 1 J/cm 2 and 3 J/cm 2 .

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein said target comprises a transparent layer at the first surface of the metal layer irradiated by said laser source.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein said target comprises a transparent layer at the first surface of the metal layer irradiated by said laser source, said metal layer having a thickness in a range between 1 μm and 50 μm, said porous layer having a thickness in a range between 10 μm and 100 μm and said transparent layer having a thickness in a range between 500 μm and 1 cm.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the pre-compacted powder is selected with a selected pre-compaction density.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the metal layer and the porous layer are in materials selected for shock impedance matching.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the porous layer is part of the projectile.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the projectile is an array of micro-dots.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the projectile is a foam.

Assignees

• Inst Nat Rech Scient

Inventors

• Kieffer Jean-Claude

Classifications

• B64G1/40

  Arrangements or adaptations of propulsion systems · CPC title

• B64G1/403

  Solid propellant rocket engines · CPC title

• B23K26/18

  using absorbing layers on the workpiece, e.g. for marking or protecting purposes · CPC title

• C21D10/005

  by laser shock processing · CPC title

• C21D7/06

  by shot-peening or the like · CPC title