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.

Date Published: 4 April 1997
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 3092, XI International Symposium on Gas Flow and Chemical Lasers and High-Power Laser Conference, (4 April 1997); doi: 10.1117/12.270182

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 3092:
XI International Symposium on Gas Flow and Chemical Lasers and High-Power Laser Conference
Denis R. Hall; Howard J. Baker, Editor(s)