Experimental modeling and high speed photographic studies of gas laser cutting of sheet metal - art. no. 627917

The study is intended to the investigation of melt removal process during gas laser cutting of sheet metal. Model setup, revealing visual access into the cutting kerf is developed. High speed photography technique is applied for the process recording. Explanation of the melt removal process is given. Interpretation is based on the model cutting shooting analysis and gas flow inside channel visualization data. Mechanisms of striated roughness generation are studied. Gas flow separation is discovered to be the reason for elevated roughness of the cutting surfaces at the lower part. Flow separation leads to vortex formation and reflux motion of the molten film, adjacent to the cutting front. Cutting regimes that are free of these phenomena are also considered. Adequacy of the model experiment to the real case is demonstrated.