Engineering ceramics are typical difficult-to-machine materials because of high hardness and brittleness. PAC (Plasma Arc Cutting) is a very important thermal cutting process and has been successfully used in cutting ...Engineering ceramics are typical difficult-to-machine materials because of high hardness and brittleness. PAC (Plasma Arc Cutting) is a very important thermal cutting process and has been successfully used in cutting stainless steel and other difficult-to-machine alloys. PAC’s application in cutting ceramics, however, is still limited because the most ceramics are not good electronic conducts, and transferred plasma arc cannot be produced between cathode and work-piece. So we presented a method of plasma arc cutting engineering ceramics with additional anode. To reduce the kerf width and to improve the kerf quality, the hydro-magnetically confined plasma arc is used to cut engineering ceramic plates. By experiments and analyses the mechanism and characteristics of hydro-magnetic confined plasma are discussed and the effects of secondary confinement on cutting quality, arc properties, and optimal process parameters are presented. When the nozzle diameter is 3 mm, the kerf width of the Al 2O 3 ceramic plate with 6 mm thickness is less than 4.6 mm, and the cutting speed reaches to 0.9～1.2 m/min. Both theoretical analysis and experimental results have proved the feasibility and validity of the newly advanced hydro-magnetic plasma arc cutting, and the following conclusion can be drawn: (1)Synthesizing the advantages of both the water-constriction and magnetic constriction, the hydro-magnetic constriction of plasma arc forms a three-dimensional constriction with improved shape and uniformity of arc column, narrower kerfs, minimal beveling of cuts and higher dross-free cutting speeds than those under either water-constriction or magnetic constriction alone.(2)Hydro-magnetic constriction is capable of improving arc stability, which is reflected in the higher arc voltage at which arc-extinction occurs, than that under any single constriction. (3)For a given diameter of nozzle, quality cut can be produced by using a lower arc current than usually required in conventional plasma arc cutting, but ensuring fine arc shape and capability of cutting simply by employing hydro-magnetic constriction. Meanwhile, the heat load on nozzle could be reduced and service life of nozzle raised.展开更多
文摘Engineering ceramics are typical difficult-to-machine materials because of high hardness and brittleness. PAC (Plasma Arc Cutting) is a very important thermal cutting process and has been successfully used in cutting stainless steel and other difficult-to-machine alloys. PAC’s application in cutting ceramics, however, is still limited because the most ceramics are not good electronic conducts, and transferred plasma arc cannot be produced between cathode and work-piece. So we presented a method of plasma arc cutting engineering ceramics with additional anode. To reduce the kerf width and to improve the kerf quality, the hydro-magnetically confined plasma arc is used to cut engineering ceramic plates. By experiments and analyses the mechanism and characteristics of hydro-magnetic confined plasma are discussed and the effects of secondary confinement on cutting quality, arc properties, and optimal process parameters are presented. When the nozzle diameter is 3 mm, the kerf width of the Al 2O 3 ceramic plate with 6 mm thickness is less than 4.6 mm, and the cutting speed reaches to 0.9～1.2 m/min. Both theoretical analysis and experimental results have proved the feasibility and validity of the newly advanced hydro-magnetic plasma arc cutting, and the following conclusion can be drawn: (1)Synthesizing the advantages of both the water-constriction and magnetic constriction, the hydro-magnetic constriction of plasma arc forms a three-dimensional constriction with improved shape and uniformity of arc column, narrower kerfs, minimal beveling of cuts and higher dross-free cutting speeds than those under either water-constriction or magnetic constriction alone.(2)Hydro-magnetic constriction is capable of improving arc stability, which is reflected in the higher arc voltage at which arc-extinction occurs, than that under any single constriction. (3)For a given diameter of nozzle, quality cut can be produced by using a lower arc current than usually required in conventional plasma arc cutting, but ensuring fine arc shape and capability of cutting simply by employing hydro-magnetic constriction. Meanwhile, the heat load on nozzle could be reduced and service life of nozzle raised.
