Laser cutting of alloy steel: Three-dimensional modeling of temperature and stress fields

Laser cutting of alloy steel is of wide interest in metal industry due to precision of operation. In the present study, laser cutting of alloy steel, Haynes 188, is carried out. Temperature and stress fields in the cutting section are modeled using ABAQUS code in the line with the experimental conditions. In the model study, three-dimensional heating and thermal stress formation are incorporated. The resulting cut surfaces are examined using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The predictions of the residual stress formed around the edges are compared with the experimental data obtained from the XRD technique. It is found that the residual stress predicted agrees with the experimental data. High stresses are formed in the region, where the temperature gradients are high, while temperature is less than the melting temperature of the substrate material.