Influence of high overload on the collimating lenses of laser ranging systems

Collimating lenses are an important component of laser ranging systems, and high overload environments severely affect the beam shaping effect of such lenses. This study proposes a buffer isolation method on the basis of impact stress wave attenuation theory for collimating lens spacers. ANSYS finite element software was applied to simulate the high load dynamics of collimating lenses, and the buffer isolation performance of different materials and composite structures was compared and analysed. Optical simulation analysis of the collimating lenses under different buffer conditions was performed using ZEMAX software to study the mechanism by which a high overload affects the collimating lenses. High overload and optical shaping experiments based on theoretical analysis were further conducted. Results showed the superiority of butadiene rubber to polytetrafluoroethylene after application of 70000 g impact acceleration. The combination-gasket method was superior to the single-gasket method, and the sandwich combination-gasket method was superior to the double-layer combination-gasket method.