gas cutting
In gas cutting, a high-temperature flame generated through the combustion of a fuel gas (acetylene) with oxygen is used to cut through the metal. Thick metal plates are efficiently cut on this account and therefore gas cutting is widely employed in heavy industries.
Key features:
- Process Mechanics: The process begins with a preheating flame to the ignition temperature of the metal. Pure oxygen is blown into the heated zone, resulting in a rapid oxidation reaction that melts and sweeps away all the melted metal.
- Common Gases: Using oxy-acetylene, which is the most common fuel gas, gives the hottest flame. Lesser precision-large scale cutting may use oxy-propane and oxy-natural gas as fuel.
- Advantages of Gas Cutting: Useful for thick steel sections (>25 mm thick). Portable-not requiring electricity-suits field applications. Can be integrated with CNC systems for precision automated cutting.
- Drawbacks: Mostly ferrous metals; stainless steels and aluminum cannot be easily gas cut. Gas cutting produces a heat-affected zone (HAZ) that may alter the properties of the cutting material around the cut.
- Industrial Applications: Shipbuilding, steel fabrication, and construction. Cutting scrap metal and demolition of big industrial structures. Maintenance of pipelines and heavy machinery.
Gas cutting is still considered to be a fairly economical and efficient method of cutting thick plates of steel in industries where portability and high productivity are of paramount importance.