Effect of nozzle orientation on the gas dynamics of inert-gas laser cutting of mild steel

Brandt, Aaron D.; Scroggs, S. D.; Settles, Gary S.

doi:10.2351/1.5059032

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Molten materials such as Ti alloys, stainless steel, Inconel etc and their oxides have high surface tensions and viscosities compared with those of carbon steels [1]. The reliability of high-pressure laser fusion cutting has always been a problem in the production line [2][3][4][5]. All the process parameters are extremely sensitive to changes and the parameter windows are recognized to be very small compared with conventional low-pressure oxygen-assisted laser cutting.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All the process parameters are extremely sensitive to changes and the parameter windows are recognized to be very small compared with conventional low-pressure oxygen-assisted laser cutting. The causes for such small tolerances in these parameters have been interesting topics of research for some years [2][3][4][5][6][7]. Approaches such as theoretical modelling and practical experimenting on systematic and parametric design etc have been tried by various researchers, as mentioned in parts I and II of this series of papers [8,9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Modelling the laser fusion cutting process: III. Effects of various process parameters on cut kerf quality

Duan

Man

Yue

2001

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

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Based on the models for determining the geometry of the cutting front and the gas flow distribution inside the cut kerf of the laser fusion cutting process, the effects of the inlet stagnation pressure of the nozzle, the exit diameter of the supersonic nozzle, laser power, cutting speed and focal position upon the geometry of the cutting front and the flow field distribution which subsequently affect the cut edge quality are analysed in this paper. The theoretical predictions are verified by practical laser fusion cutting experiments using a high-power CO2 laser, a supersonic nozzle and a high-pressure cut-assisted gas in the range of 5 bar and above. The theoretical predictions are used to explain the roughness, the ripple directions and the amount of dross on the experimental cut edges.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling the laser fusion cutting process: III. Effects of various process parameters on cut kerf quality

Duan

Man

Yue

2001

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

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“…17 Finally, the problem of choking was solved with the new supersonic cutting head, by injecting the gas jet before the laser-workpiece interaction zone. 17 Finally, the problem of choking was solved with the new supersonic cutting head, by injecting the gas jet before the laser-workpiece interaction zone.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Laser cutting of 2024-T3 aeronautic aluminum alloy

Riveiro

Quintero

Lusquiños

et al. 2008

Journal of Laser Applications

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Articles you may be interested inThermal stress distributions and microstructure in laser cutting of thin Al-Si alloy sheet J. Laser Appl. 25, 042006 (2013); 10.2351/1.4807081 Spatial analysis of the back reflected laser light during CO2-laser cutting of metal sheets J. Laser Appl. 25, 012001 (2013); 10.2351/1.4765818Comprehensive assessment of the C O 2 laser cut quality of ceramics with different assist gas injection systems Since the beginning of the aeronautic industry, aluminum alloys have played a crucial role in its development. Nowadays, different aluminum alloy families are the base material of many pieces of aerospace vehicles. In this work, a novel approach to process aluminum alloys is explored. The authors efforts are aimed to cut 2024-T3 plates by a CO 2 laser. They used a novel laser cutting head assisted by a gas jet working in supersonic regime in order to accomplish this objective. This supersonic nozzle and the intrinsic geometry of the cutting head allow carrying out the processing of these alloys more efficiently than conventional cutting heads. The microstructural characterization, grain morphology, kerf dimensions, and surface finish of the cuts have been analyzed. The cut edges are free of dross and cracks and the heat affected zone is negligible. These successful results confirm laser cutting processing assisted by a supersonic assisting gas jet as a promising technique in the aerospace field.

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“…The steel plate has an angle of 12 • which simulates the angle of the leading edge of the laser cut slot [18]. The distance between the nozzle tip and the simulated kerf was adjusted by a x-y-z microtable.…”

Section: Experiments Methods and Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of the dynamic characteristics of gas flow inside a laser cut kerf under high cut-assist gas pressure

Man

Duan

Yue

1999

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

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The behaviour of the cut-assist gas jet inside a simulating laser cut kerf for a supersonic and a conical nozzle tip were studied by a shadowgraphic technique under conditions of inlet stagnation pressure from 3 to 7 bar. The effects of the stand-off distance, kerf width, material thickness and the inlet stagnation pressure upon the dynamic characteristics and momentum thrust of the gas flow inside the cut kerf were investigated. It was found that under a gas pressure of 7 bar, the gas jet from a conical nozzle tip expands radially and the jet momentum deteriorates rapidly inside the kerf. The behaviour of the jet is strongly influenced by the stand-off distance and thickness of the workpiece. On the other hand, the gas jet from a supersonic nozzle inside the cut kerf has tidy boundary and uniform distribution of pressure and thrust. The sensitivity to the stand-off distance and the workpiece thickness of the supersonic nozzle are much less as compared with the conical nozzle. With the supersonic nozzle, a dross free clean cut on 5 mm stainless steel can be achieved at an inert cut-assist gas pressure as low as 5 bar instead of the normal operating range of 10 bar or above for the conical nozzle.

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Effect of nozzle orientation on the gas dynamics of inert-gas laser cutting of mild steel

Cited by 6 publications

References 8 publications

Modelling the laser fusion cutting process: III. Effects of various process parameters on cut kerf quality

Modelling the laser fusion cutting process: III. Effects of various process parameters on cut kerf quality

Laser cutting of 2024-T3 aeronautic aluminum alloy

Analysis of the dynamic characteristics of gas flow inside a laser cut kerf under high cut-assist gas pressure

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