Experimental study of cutting thick aluminum and steel with a chemical oxygen-iodine laser using an N2 or O2 gas assist

David L. Carroll; James A. Rothenflue

doi:10.1117/12.270182

4 April 1997 Experimental study of cutting thick aluminum and steel with a chemical oxygen-iodine laser using an N₂ or O₂ gas assist

David L. Carroll, James A. Rothenflue

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 3092, XI International Symposium on Gas Flow and Chemical Lasers and High-Power Laser Conference; (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.270182
Event: XI International Symposium on Gas Flow and Chemical Lasers and High Power Laser Conference, 1996, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Abstract

A chemical oxygen-iodine laser (COIL) was used for cutting aluminum and carbon steel. Cut depths of 20 mm were obtained in aluminum and 41 mm in carbon steel using an N₂ gas assist and 5 - 6 kW of power on target. The same laser at the same power level produced a cut depth of 65 mm in carbon steel with an O₂ gas assist; a low quality cut to a depth of nearly 100 mm in carbon steel was demonstrated. These data are compared with existing COIL and carbon-dioxide laser cutting data. COIL cuts carbon steel and stainless steel at approximately the same rate. For a given cut depth, power and spot size, COIL cuts steel approximately three times faster than a carbon-dioxide laser using an inert gas assist. COIL cutting speeds in carbon steel are improved by approximately a factor of three when an O₂ assist is used in lieu of an N₂ gas assist. With an N₂ gas assist, COIL cuts aluminum at approximately the same rate as carbon-dioxide cuts steel. To improve the agreement between data and an existing theoretical cutting model, an empirical correction factor was added to the model; this modification provides excellent agreement with data.

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David L. Carroll and James A. Rothenflue "Experimental study of cutting thick aluminum and steel with a chemical oxygen-iodine laser using an N₂ or O₂ gas assist", Proc. SPIE 3092, XI International Symposium on Gas Flow and Chemical Lasers and High-Power Laser Conference, (4 April 1997); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.270182

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