The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 30, 1992
Filed:
Feb. 28, 1991
Harold M Epstein, Columbus, OH (US);
Jeffrey L Dulaney, Hilliard, OH (US);
David W Sokol, Columbus, OH (US);
Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, OH (US);
Abstract
Apparatus for improving properties of a solid material by providing shock waves therein. A laser oscillator 10a provides a plurality of pulses 112 of coherent radiation. The leading edge of each pulse is sharpened either by a metal foil 18 or by phase conjugation reflection means 18a, 18e including a stimulated Brillouin scattering cell 18d,18e and optionally a Faraday isolator 18b. Each pulse is directed onto an amplifier 123 comprising first and second laser amplifier rods 23a,23b in series. At least a major portion of the radiation 112 amplified by the first amplifier rod 23a is directed to the second amplifier rod 23b, where it is amplified and then directed to a surface of the solid material. Substantially uniform spatial amplitude is achieved in the radiation 112 in at least one of these ways: A pair of flashlamps 70,71 are included with each laser amplifier rod 23a,23b for pumping the rod; the axis of each flashlamp 70,71 and the axis of the first rod 23a are substantially parallel to each other and substantially in the same (first) plane; and a (second) plane containing the axis of the second rod 23b and the parallel axes of its associated flashlamps 70,71 is substantially perpendicular to the first plane; and/or the oscillator 10c provides a beam of unpolarized coherent radiation 12T in which the spatial amplitude pattern of each succeeding pulse is substantially a mirror image of the pattern in the pulse that preceded it, or is rotated about its axis by a predetermined smaller angle from the pattern in the pulse that preceded it.