Effect of Preheating on the Morphology of an Aluminum Alloy Surface under Irradiation with a High-Power Ion Beam

The effect of a high-power ion beam with nanosecond duration and a current density of 150 A/cm(2) on the surface of a preliminarily heated D16T aluminum alloy is studied using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray microanalysis. It is shown that, at a temperature of 300 degrees C., the average size of the craters decreases by a factor of 3.6 and the surface density of the craters decreases fourfold. A possible mechanism for the effect of alloy preheating on the formation of the surface morphology under such the action is discussed.