Numerical analysis and experimental study of the effect of workpiece thickness on flow field in laser cutting

Based on Navier-Stokes equation and renormalization group (RNG) onflow model, the 3D symmetrical impinging jet model of laser cutting is established by adopting a taper nozzle and a convergence nozzle. Numerical simulation of gas flow in laser cutting is used to investigate the effect of workpiece thickness on flow field of assist gas in cutting slot. The isolines of static pressure as well as the distributions of static pressure and velocity are analyzed in details with different workpiece thickness, and the trend of dynamics characteristics of gas jet is shown in the study. For taper nozzles and convergence nozzles, the dynamic structure of assist gas being close to the lower surface of workpiece is exacerbated while the cutting quality and cutting efficiency become worse with the increasing of workpiece thickness. The parallel degree between assist gas and the axis of convergence nozzle is better than that of taper nozzle after the gas goes out of the nozzles. Two typical subsonic nozzles are designed for the cutting experiment at the end of the paper.