INFLUENCE OF THE INTERNAL STRUCTURE AND DIMENSIONS OF TYPICAL NOZZLES ON THE CUTTING PRESSURE FIELD OF THE ASSISTANT GAS IN GAS LASER CUTTING

Abstract

This paper presents the developed equipment and methodology for studying the aerodynamic interaction between the assist gas jet and the surface of a workpiece. This interaction forms cutting pressure, which plays an important role in gas laser cutting technologies. Air and nitrogen were used as the assist gases. The results of a systematic set of experimental studies of the regularities of the influence of the internal structure and geometric dimensions of nozzles, gauge pressure inside the nozzle, the gap size between the nozzle tip and the workpiece on the formation of the jet geometry, and the cutting pressure in an arbitrary jet cross section are presented. The obtained data can serve as the basis for the efficient design of gas laser cutting processes for maximum productivity by accurately predicting the cutting pressure that the gas jet of the selected nozzle will create under specific technological conditions.