Method of Reducing Residual Stress Generated by Laser Cutting by Light Indentation of Sheet Metal Edge

Abstract

The aim of the present research is to propose a new method for the reduction of the residual stress which was generated by laser cutting. Laser cutting has been expected to be used as an effective and potent method for cutting out blanks from rolled sheet metals because of its high flexibility of the cutting line and high productivity. However, residual stresses, which are inevitably generated by laser cutting, have been the greatest obstacle to the prevalence of laser cutting. One of the problems is the warping that occurs in the sheet metal subjected to bending processes following laser cutting. The authors present a new method for reducing residual stress generated by laser cutting. The method involves applying is to give light indentation on the sheet metal edge. The FEM analyses were carried out to study the feasibility of this method, to determine the method of applying indentation, and to optimize the conditions. Experiments were conducted for verification. As a result, the warp generated by the residual stress was significantly reduced to one-tenth of that without the new treatment, and the magnitude was satisfactorily small for industrial usage.