Abstract
The purpose of this work is to study the effect of laser radiation on powder particles transported by gas during laser cladding. The temperature and velocity of particles entering the light field of a CO2 laser were determined by measuring particle radiation as well as the scattered radiation of the diode laser, two independent methods. It is shown that under the action of laser radiation, the particles acquire additional acceleration due to the vapor pressure from the irradiated part of the particle surface. This sonic recoil vapor pressure can significantly affect the in-flight characteristics of powder particles in a gas jet. Particle velocities due to laser acceleration exceeded 100 m/s in a carrier gas with a flow rate less than 30 m/s. Particle temperature depends on several factors and was found to vary from ambient temperature to the boiling point of the powder.
