Removal Mechanisms and Microstructure Characteristics of Laser Paint Stripping on Aircraft Skin Surface

As a non-contact and non-destructive technology, laser cleaning provides an alternative method for the paint stripping of aircraft skins. Herein, particular multi-layer on aluminum alloy skin surface was stripped by adjusting parameters. Beyond expectation, led to highly complex as opposed ordinary single-layer after cleaning. The morphology, chemical compositions, functional groups samples were analyzed, successful depaint parameters found in this experiment with damage free substrate, i.e., energy density 5.09 J/cm2 scanning speed 700 mm/s. More importantly, paper revealed that mechanisms from Al are thermal decomposition, evaporation, spallation. After cleaning, nanoindentation hardness completely undamaged increased 3.587% relative conventional mechanical lapping sample. improvement also confirmed microstructure characterized electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) which plastic deformation strain hardening substrate surface. This study lays solid foundation large-scale, high-efficiency, low-pollution removal more layers surfaces future.