Advanced Cutting Technology for Thin Aluminum and Steel Plates (The National Shipbuilding Research Program).

摘要

Four processes, plasma arc, oxyacetylene, laser, and water jet, were compared for cutting thin aluminum and steel plates. The objective was to determine which process would provide high productivity and cost effectiveness while minimizing distortion. Control of distortion is a major problem in lightweight, welded ship structures. A unique and innovative application of photogrammetry for measurement of out-of-plane distortion was demonstrated in the project. Photogrammetry, because of its unique ability to produce a large amount of digital data with close tolerance, non- contact measurements, was used to measure the magnitude of distortion on the cut pieces of aluminum and steel. This is believed to be the first use of photogrammetry for measurement of small values of out-of-plane distortion. Quality impact of the processes on the cut edges and base metals was measured by metallography. This included metallurgical effects and hardness adjacent to the cuts. Scanning electron microscopy was used to determine roughness of the cut edges.