Feasibility analysis of double-sided laser irradiation for testing mechanical properties of materials at elevated temperatures

A method of double-sided laser irradiation is presented for temperature control in high temperature mechanical properties test of composite materials. Based on the finite element method (FEM), a numerical model of temperature distribution of materials was established. The effects of specification, laser heating area and laser intensity, laser heating time on temperature uniformity during heating were analyzed. The results show that the laser heating area, thickness of the specimen, laser intensity and laser heating time have a decisive effect on the temperature uniformity. The limit temperature control precision reaches 2% for carbon fiber reinforced polymer(CFRP), and the heating time can be controlled in minutes. The method is especially suitable for composite materials that cannot be heated by electric induction in the traditional heating experiment of high heating rate. Furthermore, an experimental scheme of double-sided irradiation heating using a single laser beam was designed. Experiment results illustrated that the temperature control precision was high before the material appears obvious flame. This method has the advantages of rapid heating rate, high testing efficiency and high testing temperature. It can make a reference for mechanical properties test of composite materials at elevated temperature with rapid heating rate.