Simulation of surface profile formation in oxygen laser cutting of mild steel due to combustion cycles

A physicomathematical model of cyclic iron combustion in an oxygen flow during oxygen laser cutting of metal sheets is developed. The combustion front is set into motion by focused laser radiation and a heterogeneous oxidation reaction in oxygen. The burning rate is limited by oxygen supply from the gas phase towards the metal surface, and the interface motion depends on the local temperature. A 3D numerical simulation predicts wavy structures on the metal surface; their linear sizes depend on the scanning speed of the laser beam, the thickness of the produced liquid oxide film and the parameters of the oxygen jet flow. Simulation results help in understanding the mechanism of striation formation during oxygen gas-laser cutting of mild steel and are in qualitative agreement with experimental findings.