Research on velocity of thin aluminum flyers formed by laser ablation

Thin metal flyers were launched from an aluminum-coated glass support using nanosecond Nd: YAG laser pulses at 532 nm. The velocity of the flyers was measured as a function of incident energy using a time-of-flight method. Also, the effects of flying distance, flyer’s diameter, and its thickness on the velocity were researched. The results showed that the flyer’s velocity depends strongly on laser-pulse energy, its flying distance, and its thickness. This study demonstrates the important influence of these conditions on flyer’s velocity, which is essential for finding the optimal conditions for flyer to achieve the highest velocity.