Abstract
The authors are developing a consumable electrode water jet technique as an underwater cutting method, which has such characteristics as low cost, high working efficiency, possibility of cutting various metal and high degree of safety. With this cutting technique, it was also found out interesting facts that cutting for thick plate could be done at arc voltage of 40V, and change of cutting current depended on the cutting speed and had little to do with the wire feeding rate. Therefore as the result of observing arc phenomena whilst cutting proceed using high speed motion camera and oscillograph, the following conclusion was introduced.
An arc is struck between an electrode and the work, a jetting water is directed at the cut portion to blow away the molton metal, and the arc is therefore moved from anupper side to a bottom side, where the arc is extenguished, but the arc re-ignited by the contacting of the wire and the work. By repeating this phenomena, arc cutting proceed smoothly.
