Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2011) 56:539552

DOI 10.1007/s00170-011-3209-6

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Single and dual gas jet effect in Ytterbium-doped fibre laser

cutting of dry pine wood
Juan Carlos Hernandez-Castaneda &
Huseyin Kursad Sezer & Lin Li

Received: 14 September 2010 / Accepted: 31 January 2011 / Published online: 26 February 2011
# Springer-Verlag London Limited 2011

Abstract This paper presents single and dual assist gas jet !
g Gravitational acceleration=9.80665 (m/s2)
effects in the single-pass laser cutting of dry pine wood. G Specific gravity recorded at oven dry weight
The laser wood cutting process is influenced by the and volume
assisting gas jet(s) applied. Therefore, it is important to Gk,q Turbulent kinetic energy
understand their roles in the removal of fumes and hq Specific heat enthalpy of the qth phase
combusted materials from the cutting kerf. A computational (J/kg)
fluid dynamic model is developed to investigate the effect hpq Specific enthalpy from the pth to qth phase
of single and dual gas jets in the laser wood cutting process. (J/kg)
In order to obtain a close approximation of the actual hqp Specific enthalpy from the qth to pth phase
process, a three-dimensional model was considered. Results (J/kg)
obtained in the simulations were compared with experi- Kpq Inter-phase exchange coefficient
mental data collected from a multifactor experiment M Mach number

analysing the laser cutting process of dry pine wood. A high m pq Mass transfer from the pth to qth phase (kg/s)

brightness, 1 kW IPG single-mode, continuous-wave Ytterbium m qp Mass transfer from the qth to pth phase (kg/s)
fibre laser was employed to cut cubic wood samples parallel to p Pressure (Pa)
the wood fibre direction. It has been found that shear stresses Pstagnation Stagnation pressure (Pa)
produced by the gas jet(s) on the kerf walls have an important Pstatic Static pressure (Pa)
correlation with the yield and cut quality. !
qq Heat flux of the qth phase (W/m2)
Qpq Intensity of heat exchange between the pth and
Keywords Ytterbium fibre laser . Pine wood . Laser qth phases (W)
cutting . Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) Sq Mass source term
T Cutting front temperature (642 K)
Nomenclature !
Uq Phase-weighted velocity (m/s)
D Kerf width (m) v Speed of the gas jet (m/s)
cs Speed of sound (m/s) vk Kinematic viscosity (m2/s)
!vp Velocity of the pth phase (m/s)
cp Specific heat at constant pressure (kJ/kg K)
!vq Velocity of the qth phase (m/s)
cv Specific heat at constant volume (kJ/kg K)
!v pq and
C1 C2 Constant values Inter-phase velocities (m/s)
!v qp
Vq Total volume of the qth phase (m3)
J. C. Hernandez-Castaneda (*) : H. K. Sezer : L. Li q Volume fraction of phase q (m3)
Laser Processing Research Centre, School of Mechanical, Ratio of specific heats
Aerospace and Civil Engineering, The University of Manchester,
q Dissipation rate of turbulence kinetic energy
P.O. Box 88, Manchester M60 1QD, UK
e-mail: Juan.Hernandez@alumni.manchester.ac.uk of the qth phase (m2/s3)
URL: http://lprc.mace.manchester.ac.uk/ q Turbulence kinetic energy of the qth phase (J/kg)
540
Dynamic viscosity of the gas jet (kg/m s)
t,q Turbulent viscosity (Pa s)
Gas flow density (kg/m3)
rq Phase reference density (kg/m3)
q Density of phase q (kg/m3)
k Turbulent Prandtl numbers for the kq and q
tq Stressstrain tensor of the qth phase (Pa)
kq, q Turbulence influence of dispersed phases on
the qth continuous phase
1 Introduction
Wood is broadly employed in construction, packing,
furniture, flooring, and panelling industries. It is a natural
and renewable material which is readily available and with
plenty of variety. Wood is also an anisotropic and hydro-
scopic material, i.e. it has different properties in relation to
the direction of use, and it is prone to absorb moisture from
the surrounding environment [1, 2]. The use of lasers for
cutting of dry wood started early in the 1970s [3, 4] for
cutting die boards in the packing industry. Laser systems
have now found specific applications such as cutting wood
inlays for the furniture industry [5] and cutting wood pieces
for car interiors [6]. Cutting wood with lasers provides
certain advantages over cutting with conventional methods.
Lasers are particularly useful in high precision cutting and
when it is necessary to cut thin pieces with complicated
patterns (curved sections and end cuts) [711]. Additional
advantages of lasers include the absence of mechanical
stress in the work piece, low noise emission, narrow kerf
widths, reduced amount of sawdust, and smooth surfaces
[714]. However, laser cutting in comparison with sawing
does have the disadvantage of lower feed rates. When
cutting wood with a laser beam, a fine layer of charred
material is left on the cut surface as a result of the thermal
process [5, 1416]. It has been previously highlighted that
the cutting of wood with lasers is a multifactor process
which needs to take into account the characteristics of the
laser beam, the processing variables and the properties of
the material [13, 1721]. An integral analysis of the cutting
process of pine wood with an Ytterbium fibre laser has
been pursued be the authors [1821]. Design of experi-
ments methodology was applied to identify the main
process parameters and their interactions affecting the
cutting of wood with this compact, reliable and efficient
laser system.
Similar to the laser cutting process of composite
materials, the anisotropic nature of wood has an important
effect in the process. Here, different thermal properties of
carbon/glass fibres and the polymer matrix in composite
materials had imposed technical difficulties in obtaining
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2011) 56:539552
uniform and good quality edges when they are processed by
a laser beam [2225]. In the case of wood cutting
operations with lasers, it has been found that cutting
parallel to the wood fibres increased the yield of the
process and improved the quality of the cut edges [18, 19,
21]. The assisting gas jet(s) was found to have an effect on
the quality of the cut edges obtained [18, 20]. This work
presents further analysis of the gas jet effect in the laser
cutting process of wood.
The main function of the gas jet in wood cutting
operations with lasers is to exhaust smoke and debris from
the kerf [10, 17]. It also controls the excessive burning and
protects the focusing optics [17]. Once the smoke and waste
material have been removed from the cut surface, a more
homogeneous distribution of laser energy over wood is
obtained [10, 26]. Some relevant characteristics of the gas
jet include: pressure, speed, and reactivity with the material
[17]. Li and Mazumder [27] suggested that when a laser
beam cuts thin wood pieces (less than 6 mm of thickness)
wood is vaporised by the laser beam, and then the assist gas
jet ejects the fumes and dust from the kerf. But when
cutting thick wood pieces the laser beam vaporises only the
material from the surface and heats the gas jet, which
sustain a distillation process in the remaining wood. Here,
the assisting gas jet also has to remove the combusted
materials from the kerf [27]. Mukherjee et al. [10]
demonstrated that the application of a high speed gas jet,
obtained by employing a supersonic Laval nozzle, in-
creased the cutting yield of wood boards up to 50% whilst
the quality of the cut section was not affected [10]. The
effects of applying different gasses, such as oxygen,
compressed air and inert gasses have also been explored
[13, 26]. Khan et al. found that pure oxygen, being an active
gas, increased the material removal rate and improved the
quality of the cut [13]. Lum et al. [26] employing a CO2 laser
for cutting medium density fibreboard found similar yields
when using reactive or neutral gasses. Nonetheless, the use
of nitrogen as an assisting gas jet helped to reduce the
charring on the cut surfaces [26].
Previous efforts in the simulation of the gas effects in
laser material processing include the work by Chen et al.
[28] whom modelled a transonic-turbulent gas jet imping-
ing on a substrate in a concentric hole. They found that
shock structures from different gas jet pressures and stand-
off distances modified shear forces acting on the cutting
front, which affected the ejection of materials and the
quality of the cut sections obtained. Similar findings were
reported by Guo et al. [29] in a supersonic turbulent gas jet
cutting study. They found that stand-off distance was the
main factor affecting the quality of the cut sections. Their
computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model computed the
gas jet shock structure and dynamic behaviour at different
stand-off distances and nozzle exit Mach numbers. The
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2011) 56:539552
formation of a vortex flow in the laser cutting of metal
sheets was experimentally observed and numerically mod-
elled by Kovalev et al. [30]. The flow vortices are claimed
to favour the accumulation of melted liquids flowing down
the channel generated in the cutting process which affects
the quality of cut sheet metal sections. Mai and Lin [31]
simulated the effect of a compound jet (central and a side
jets) in laser grooving of mild steel. They found through
numerical predictions and experimental verification that
optimal removal of material occurred when the side jet was
inclined between 40 and 50. Finally, Sezer et al. [32]
developed a CFD model to describe the effect of dual gas
jets in the drilling process of nickel alloy substrates. They
were able to improve the quality of acute drilled holes by
controlling the melt flux ejection through the application of
an off-axis gas jet.
This work investigates the actions of a coaxially applied
single inert gas jet (Argon) and an additional angular gas jet
in the laser cutting process of wood. A CFD model is
developed to describe the gas jet movement inside a three-
dimensional kerf. The shear stresses and dynamic pressures
generated at the kerf walls are computed for both single
and dual gas jet conditions. To the best of the authors
knowledge, the present 3D modelling work is the first
attempt to analyse the effect of single/dual assisting gas
jet(s) in a cutting operation of wood with a laser beam.
A multiphase flow was considered because of the various
gasses present in the laser cutting operation. The model
results are compared against experimental data collected
from a multifactor experiment of the laser cutting process
of pine wood. A high brightness, 1 kW IPG single-mode,
continuous-wave Ytterbium fibre laser was employed to
Fig. 1 Experiment set up (a) and detailed view of Ytterbium fibre laser processing head (b)
541
cut cubic wood samples parallel to the wood fibre
direction.
2 Model formulation
The laser cutting of wood is characterised in a CFD model
which simulates the action of a coaxial and secondary
angular gas jets in the laser cutting process using the finite
volume method. The mass, momentum, energy balance,
and turbulence expressions of the model comprise systems
of partial differential equations which were solved numer-
ically using the commercial software FLUENT. The effects
produced by the gas jets in the cutting process were related
to the dynamic pressures and shear stresses acting on the
kerf walls given a set of initial conditions (process
parameters). Figure 1 shows the arrangement of both, the
coaxial and the secondary gas jet. The latter is applied at
45 angle with respect to the vertical axis of the main
nozzle. Smaller angles were not possible because the
dimensions of the nozzles employed and larger angles
would only direct the gas jet at the superficial layers of the
material, with limited effect in the cutting process. A
detailed view of the laser head housing the focussing optics
and the gas jet convergent nozzle is also shown. The work-
piece movement relative to the stationary cutting head is
performed by high speed linear motor stage. Additional
technical details of the system can be found elsewhere [18].
A three-dimensional model was developed to analyse the
gas jet(s) flow inside the cutting kerf as close as possible to
the real process conditions. The simulation also considered
the steam generated by the boiling of the moisture content
542 Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2011) 56:539552

in the wood, a mixture of combusted gasses, and the fumes source term, Qpq is the heat exchange between the pth and
ejected in the process by applying the time-dependent qth phases, hpq is the inter-phase enthalpy.
EulerEuler multiphase model. In this model, the compo- The following continuity equation is employed to
nent phases are treated mathematically as interpenetrating calculate the volume fraction of each phase. This equation
continua. Furthermore, because the volume of a phase applies for fluid-fluid multiphase flows in the general case
cannot be occupied simultaneously by any other phase, this of n-phase flow.
model applies the concept of phasic volume fraction. They !
are considered as continuous functions of space and time, 1 @     X n  
a q rq r  a q rq !
 
vq mpq  mqp
and their sum yields one [33, 34]. rrq @t p1
Z 6
Vq aq dV 1
Where rq is the phase reference density.
V
The effects of the turbulent fluctuations of dispersed
velocities were described by the dispersed turbulence model
X
n within the RNG based (k ) model [34]. The turbulent
aq 1 2 predictions in a multiphase model are obtained with the
q1 following equations:
Where Vq is the total volume of phase q and q is the  
@    !  mt;q
phasic volume fraction. a q rq k q r  a q rq U q k q r  a q rk q
@t sk
The conservation of mass is given by the following Y
continuity equation for phase q. aq Gk;q  aq rq "q aq rq k
q

7
@     X n  
aq rq r  aq rq !
 
vq mpq  mqp Sq
@t p1
 
3 @    !  mt;q
aq rq "q r  aq rq U q "q r  aq r"q
@t s"
Where q is the density of phase q, !v q is the velocity   Y
 "q
of phase q, m pq is the mass transfer from the pth to qth aq C1" Gk;q  C2" rq "q aq rq "
 kq q
phase, similarly m qp is the mass transfer from the qth to
pth phase, Sq is a source term. 8
The conservation equations of momentum and energy in Where q is the turbulence kinetic energy of phase q, q is
the Euler multiphase model are [34]: the dissipation rate of the turbulence kinetic energy of
!
@     phase q, U q is the phase-weighted velocity, t,q is the
a q rq !
v q r  a q rq !
v q!
v q aq rp rt q aq rq !
g turbulent viscosity, k and are the turbulent Prandtl
@t
X
n     numbers for the q and q, respectively. G,q is the
Kpq !vp!
v q mpq !
v pq  mqp !

v qp production of turbulent kinetic energy, q and q
p1 represents the influence of the dispersed phases on the
4 continuous phase q. The C1 =1.42 and C2 =1.68 are
constant values.
Turbulent viscosity mt;q is calculated with the following
@     @pq
a q r q hq r  a q r q ! t q : r!
expression:
v q hq aq vq
@t @t
k 2q
X n   mt;q rq Cm 9
r!
 
q q Sq Qpq mpq hpq  mqp hqp "q
p1

5 Where C =0.0845 is a constant value

Where p is the shared pressure, t q is the stressstrain
tensor of the qth phase, !
g is the gravitational acceleration,
Kpq is the inter-phase momentum exchange coefficient, ! v pq
and !v qp are the inter-phase velocities, hq is specific heat
enthalpy of the qth phase, !q q is the heat flux, and Sq is a
A phase-coupled SIMPLE (PC-SIMPLE) scheme was
applied for the pressurevelocity coupling with the
Eulerian multiphase modelling technique. PC-SIMPLE is
an extension of the SIMPLE algorithm to multiphase
models used in FLUENT [34]. An upwind discretisation
scheme was applied for the volume fractions, momentum,
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2011) 56:539552
energy, and turbulence equations modelling the assisting
gas jets, the combustion gasses, vapour and fumes flows.
The formulation applied was first-order implicit because it
is robust and unconditionally stable for any size of time
step.
2.1 Computation domain
The geometry and the mesh were generated using the pre-
processor GAMBIT. Figure 2a shows the spatial distribu-
tion of the cubic wood sample with its developing kerf
along with the coaxial and angular nozzles employed. The
view of the meshed geometry employed in this simulation
is presented in Fig. 2b. A mesh refinement in the kerf
section and the nozzle exit points was expedient to improve
the accuracy of the assisting gas jets flow simulation.
Tetrahedral elements were employed to mesh the sample
because they appropriately fitted the physical space where
the flow phenomena developed. These elements also
generated a usable mesh for the processing package. A
total of 135,243 elements comprised all the fluid space. The
wood sample employed has a 25.425.425.4 mm dimen-
sions. In the model, the kerf geometry is shown in Fig. 2a.
The length of the cutting kerf is 12.7 mm, the depth is
21.5 mm, and the kerf width is 1 mm. The angular nozzle is
located at 45 and 8 mm distance with respect of the
coaxial nozzle. The exit diameter of the coaxial nozzle is
1 mm whereas it is 0.5 mm for the angular nozzle and the
stand-off distance is 2 mm for both nozzles. Finally, the
origin of the coordinates is located at the cutting front and
at the top of the sample with the x-axis along the width of
Fig. 2 Wood sample developing a kerf with coaxial and angular nozzles (a) and view of the meshed geometry employed in the assisting gas jet(s)
flow simulation (b)
543
the kerf, the y-axis along its depth and the z-axis towards
the length of the kerf (see Fig. 2a).
2.2 Boundary conditions
2.2.1 Gas jet velocity
Isentropic relations for gas jet stagnant pressures of 300 and
500 kPa were employed to calculate the gas jet velocity at
the exit point of both coaxial and angular nozzles. A pitot
tube was employed to measure the stagnation and static
pressures directly at both nozzle exits. The following
isentropic relations were applied to obtain the speed of the
gas jet(s) [35].
v
" #
u  g1
v u 2
t Pstagnation g
M 1 10
cs g1 Pstatic
cp
g 11
cv
Where M is the Mach number, v is the gas jet speed, cs is
speed of sound, is the ratio of specific heats, cp is the
specific heat at constant pressure, and cv is the specific heat
at constant volume. Table 1 shows the calculated gas jet
speeds at the exit point of both nozzles employed in the
simulation. The values of the assisting gas jet(s) were taken
at room temperature (~293 K). The heat transferred to the
gas jet(s) from the laser beam and the combusted wood and
fumes was numerically calculated by the solver. Here, the
544 Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2011) 56:539552

Table 1 The calculated gas jet speeds at the exit point of convergent coaxial nozzle and auxiliary angular nozzle

Gas press (kPa) Gas flux (l/min) Stagnation pressure (kPa) Static pressure (kPa) Mach number Gas speed (m/s)

Coaxial gas jetnozzle diameter, 1 mm

300 20 156.40 89.70 0.8644 279.18
500 24 188.30 89.60 1.0187 329.03
Angular gas jetnozzle diameter, 0.5 mm
300 8.2 178.00 89.90 0.9709 313.59
500 9.5 222.00 89.90 1.1432 369.24

average temperature of the cutting front of wood T during
the laser cutting process was measured directly with a
thermal camera FLIR ThermaCAMTM Researcher 2.8.
Because the power of the laser beam employed was the
same and the moisture content of the wood samples was
also alike, the recorded average temperatures for both gas
jet conditions and gas jet pressures were similar. A
temperature value of T=642 K was used in the modelling.
This temperature is required by the solver to estimate the
physical changes in density, heat capacity and speed of the
assisting gas jets, vapour, combustion gasses and fumes.
These changes modify the shear stresses acting on the
cutting front and kerf walls.
The boundary and initial conditions of the process are
selected along with the physical properties of the materials.
Table 2 shows the properties of the wood sample and the
different gasses involved in the multiphase flow, i.e. the
assisting gas jets, wood fumes (volatiles), combustion
gasses (mainly CO) and water vapour. The time step size
was 10 s. This was sufficient time scale as the flow of the
assisting gas jets was fully developed after around 1 ms.
The fluxes of the assisting gas jets as well as the gasses
ejected in the process (fumes, water vapour, and combus-
tion gasses) were monitored by defining planes in three
different points along the kerf length. The results presented
here are those obtained well after the flow has reached a
steady state (around 5.5 ms). Various simulation runs were
also performed with subsequent refinement of the suscep-
tible grid cells programmed into by the solver. This
continued until solutions results were constant and inde-
pendent from the grid size employed.
3 Modelling and experimental results
The simulation results for the single and dual gas jets as
well as the effects produced at different pressures of the gas
jets are presented below. The model results are also
compared against the experimental results of a multifactor
laser wood cutting experiment. An IPG 1 kW single-mode,
continuous-wave Ytterbium-doped fibre laser was used to
cut dry pine wood samples along the wood fibre direction.
The use of single and dual gas jets was tested to compare
results regarding the yield of the process and the quality of
the cut surfaces obtained. Additionally, this experiment also
tested the effect of different power levels, focal plane
positions, and traverse speed in a central composite design
with axial points. The levels of the factors employed are
indicated in Table 3. Further statistical details of this
experiment are given elsewhere [11]. The experiment
reviewed the influence of these process parameters over
the yield and the quality of the cut sections obtained. The
yield of the cutting process was related to the kerf depth
achieved, and the energy consumed. Whereas the quality
was measured by kerf width, the heat affected zone (HAZ)
and the section roughness.
The details of the interaction between laser beam and gas
jet with material during the cutting process were recorded
with a high speed camera Photron Ultima APX-RS. The
process parameters applied were the optimum found for
both gas jet conditions (i.e. power=479 W for single jet and
497 W for dual gas jet, f.p.p.=3 mm, speed=5.76 mm/s,
and gas pressure 500 kPa for single and 300 kPa for dual
gas jet) in the experimental window of the mentioned

Table 2 Properties of pine wood, air, argon, water vapour, wood combustion particles, and combustion gases (mainly CO) [34, 36]

Property Pine wood Air Argon Water vapour Wood volatiles CO

Density ( (kg/m3)) 550.00 1.22 1.62 0.55 1.00 1.12

Specific heat (Cp (J/kg K)) 2,310.00 1,006.43 520.64 2,014.00 1,500.00 1,043.00
Thermal conductivity (k (W/m K)) 0.173 0.024 0.016 0.026 0.045 0.025
Viscosity ( (kg/m s)) NA 1.7894e0.5 2.125e05 1.72e05 1.72e05 1.75e05
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2011) 56:539552 545

Table 3 Level of the process parameters employed in the experiment

Symbol Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5

Process parameters (statistical factors)

Power level (W) A 333 372.85 452.51 532.17 572
Focal plane position (mm) B 5.5 5 4 3 2.5
Traverse speed (mm/s) C 5.35 5.76 6.58 7.40 7.81
Gas pressure (kPa) D 250 300 400 500 550
Assisting gas jet (categorical factor) E Single/dual Single/dual Single/dual Single/dual Single/dual

multifactor experiment, details of the optimisation function
employed are provided elsewhere [20]. Figure 3a shows an
image of the process captured using the high speed camera.
From the image, fumes can be seen being ejected by the
action of the single gas jet after two seconds of laser beam
contact. The similar instant for dual gas jet effect can be
observed in Fig. 3b. As clearly observed in the figure, dual
gas jet removed fumes and combusted gasses from the kerf
more effectively, due to the larger flux of gases and the
higher intensity of the combined gas jets.
3.1 The velocity vectors of the assisting gas jets in the kerf
The flow of the coaxial gas jet impinging on the kerf at
500 kPa of pressure in the cutting process is observed in
Fig. 4a. The flow of both the coaxial and the angular gas jet
delivered with the same pressure is shown in Fig. 4b.
It is evident from the figure that the flux of the assisting
gas jet is considerably higher when two gas jets are
involved in the process. The magnitude of gas jet velocities
along the kerf for both gas jet conditions and both gas
pressures tested is presented graphically in Fig. 5. The gas
jet velocities are measured in three planes equally distrib-
uted along the generated kerf. The kerf front plane is
located at the incident point of the coaxial gas jet, the kerf
middle plane is at the middle of the kerf length, and the
kerf exit plane is at the exit point of the cutting kerf as
observed in the inserts of Fig. 5. The magnitude and
distribution of the gas jet velocities obtained at the kerf
front in both gas jet configurations are similar; however,
they vary at the middle and exit of the kerf. At the middle
section of the blind cut, in the dual gas jet condition, the
angular gas jet is delivered at the top of the generated
cutting kerf. The combined gas jets are also flowing along
wider sections of the cutting kerf (shallower positions) in
comparison with the single gas jet as observed in Fig. 5.
The same phenomenon is observed at the kerf exit plane.
A numerical quantification of the volumes of the gases
being delivered at the nozzle exit points for both gas jet
conditions and input pressures are given in Table 4. The
total forces exerted normal to the cutting front and the kerf
walls are also presented.
3.2 The shear stress contours at different input gas pressures
The effect of the gas pressure in the cutting process can be
related to the shear stresses produced by the gas jet on the
cutting front and the kerf walls. Figure 6 shows the stresses
generated by a single gas jet at 500 and 300 kPa. The
higher magnitude of these stresses contributed to increase

Fig. 3 Fumes ejected by single gas jet (a) and by dual gas jet (b)
546
Fig. 4 Gas flow with single coaxial nozzle (a) and with coaxial and angular nozzles (b)
the amount of material removed from the kerf and hence
increase the kerf depth, in agreement with the findings of
Chen et al. [28]. The shear stresses present on the kerf wall
can also widen the cutting kerf. Therefore, the quality of the
cut edges obtained is affected by the gas pressure applied.
Figure 7 shows shear stresses obtained when dual gas
jets were used in the process. It is clear that shear stresses
are concentrated at the top surface of both the cutting front
and kerf walls in this case. The turbulence generated by the
angular gas jet disturbs the vertical gas flow of the coaxial
gas; which in turn modified the shear stresses pattern at the
kerf front (see Fig. 7). Furthermore, the turbulent flow also
increased the shear stresses in the side walls of the cutting
kerf as compared with the single gas jet. Also higher gas
pressures yielded shear stresses of higher magnitude. This
because higher pressure (Stagnation pressure (Pstagnation)) of
the assisting gas jet(s) generates higher speeds of the gas jet
as denoted by Eq. 10. In turn, a higher speed of the
assisting gas jet(s) produces a higher Reynolds number. It
represents the ratio between kinetic energy and the viscosity
of the fluids flow. This larger kinetic energy of the
assisting gas jet(s) is transferred to the cutting front and
kerf walls increasing the magnitude of shear stresses. The
calculated Reynolds number values for both pressures of
the assisting gas jet(s) are presented elsewhere [20].
3.3 The effect of the gas pressure magnitude
The experimental results showed that the gas jet pressure
was one of the significant factors affecting the yield of the
process. The kerf depth and energy consumption were
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2011) 56:539552
significantly affected by the gas pressure. The quality
responses in the cut process were also affected by the gas
jet pressure and the use of an additional jet. It was found
that high gas pressure produced on average 5.82% larger
HAZ in both gas jet conditions as the combusted materials
were cleared from the kerf more effectively for an improved
lasermaterial interaction. Conversely, a low gas pressure
reduced the extent of HAZ because more fumes and
combusted particles in the cutting kerf resulted in lower
impingement of the laser beam. The roughness was also
modified by the gas jet pressure applied which yielded, in
both gas jet conditions, on average 9.5% rougher surfaces
when high gas pressure was applied. Here, the total cutting
length in each treatment was divided in four sections. The
roughness of the cut sections was measured with an in-
house 3D non-contact surface profile system. It applies the
optical triangulation principle which enables to measure
short lengths with 1 m resolution. The measurements are
handled by custom written software which calculates the
roughness average Ra and the average maximum height
of the profile Rz. The system was calibrated to achieve
1 m resolution measurements. The Ra value reported in
each treatment corresponds to the average of the readings
taken in each of the four sections. The effect of gas jet
pressure on the cut edges roughness becomes clear by
comparing the magnitude of the shear stresses curves
obtained on the kerf walls for both gas jet conditions and
input pressures after 5.5 ms as shown in Fig. 8.
The experimental and modelling evidence highlights
that lower gas pressure improved the quality responses
analysed in the laser cutting process of pine wood.
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2011) 56:539552 547

Fig. 5 Gas jet velocities along

the cutting kerf for both gas
pressures modelled with single
gas jet (a) and with dual gas jet
(b). Velocities at the middle of
the XY planes (see inserts)

Table 4 Delivered fluxes of the gases involved in the cut process and the forces exerted onto the cutting front and kerf walls, at both gas jet
conditions and input pressures

Reference parameter Single gas jet Dual gas jet

300 kPa 500 kPa 300 kPa 500 kPa

Mass flow rate (kg/s) 0.0001733 0.0002043 0.0002183 0.0002572

Total force exerted on cutting front 0.0017021 0.0027515 0.0204360 0.0284201
by force vector in z (N)
Total force exerted on kerf wall by 0.0713753 0.0967858 0.2099534 0.2863968
force vector in x (N)
548 Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2011) 56:539552

Fig. 6 Shear stresses produced by single gas jet at 500 and 300 kPa during the laser cutting process of dry wood

Smaller HAZ and smother cut surfaces, in the range of
process parameters tested, were obtained at low gas
pressure (300 kPa).
The experimental and modelling evidence highlights that
lower gas pressure improved the quality responses analysed
in the laser cutting process of pine wood. For the range of
process parameters tested low gas pressure (300 kPa)
yielded smaller HAZ and smother cut surfaces.
3.4 The effect of single and dual gas jets
The use of a single or dual gas jet in the cutting process
modified the quality of the cut sections obtained as reported
in a cited work by the authors [20]. For example, kerf
widths were on average 2.5% wider when cutting with two
gas jets. This can be explained by the turbulence generated
by the angular gas jet which yielded higher intensity shear
stresses on the kerf walls than those produced with a single
gas jet as observed in Figs. 6 and 7. This because of the
higher kinetic energy applied by the combined dual gas jet.
Furthermore, dual gas jet cutting gave surfaces 4.70%
rougher than those obtained when using a single gas jet.
Similarly, this could be explained by the higher mechanical
force exerted on the walls in the dual gas jet cutting process
(see Table 3). This effect is graphically presented in Fig. 9,
showing the dynamic pressure contours obtained with

Fig. 7 Shear stresses produced by single gas jet at 500 and 300 kPa during the laser cutting process of dry wood
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2011) 56:539552 549

Fig. 8 Magnitude of shear

stresses along the kerf wall for
single (a) and dual gas jets (b)

Fig. 9 Dynamic pressures produced by single and dual gas jets at 500 and 300 kPa during the laser cutting process of dry wood
550 Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2011) 56:539552

Moreover, in both gas jet conditions, high intensity

Fig. 10 Cut edges roughness obtained in a multifactor experiment
with single and dual gas jets
single and dual gas jets at both gas jet pressure levels
modelled. Clearly from the figure, in the kerf walls, higher
dynamic pressure and wider contours were obtained with
dual gas jets in comparison with the single gas jet.
dynamic pressure contours were observed for higher input
gas pressure. Figure 10 presents the distribution of the
roughness obtained in the experiment for both single and
dual gas jets conditions. It is important to bear in mind that
these results come from a multifactor experiment which
tested besides the single and dual gas jet condition, the
effect of four numerical factors in the laser cutting process
of wood as listed in Table 4.
The magnitudes of the shear stresses acting on the kerf
walls are considerably higher in dual gas jet than in single
gas jet condition (see Fig. 8). This because of the larger
kinetic energy of the dual gas jets given by the higher flux
of fluid as well as the turbulence developing when both gas
jets converge. In both gas pressures applied, the area-
weighted average shear stresses on the kerfs walls were
40% higher when dual gas jets were used. As expected the
intensity of the shear stresses acting on the kerf wall
increased with the pressure of the gas jet. This is related to
the larger Reynolds number of the assisting gas jet as
previously indicated. In this case, the area-weighted
average shear stresses obtained at 500 kPa were on average

Fig. 11 Magnitude of shear

stresses along the cutting front
for single (a) and dual gas jets
(b)
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2011) 56:539552
48% higher than those from the 300 kPa pressure in both
gas get conditions. Furthermore, the distribution of the
shear stresses on the kerf walls surface presents variation
between the two gas jet conditions. Here, single gas jet
generates shear stresses uniformly distributed along the
cutting front and the kerf bottom. Whereas, the shear
stresses in dual gas jets present a rounded contour
immediately after the cutting front following the flow
pattern of the combined gas jets.
The shear stresses generated on the cutting front are
presented in Fig. 11. In this case, the magnitude of the shear
stresses was similar in both gas jet conditions as the area-
weighted average shear stresses varied less than 1%
between them. Similarly to the kerf side, in both gas jet
configurations, the high gas pressure yielded high intensity
shear stresses, and vice versa low pressure produced low
intensity shear stresses. Here, the area-weighted average
shear stresses at 500 kPa of pressure were on average 45%
higher than those obtained at 300 kPa (Fig. 11a, b). In both
gas jet conditions, the shear stresses are more intense at the
top of the cutting front where the gas jet(s) directly
impinges. As the depth of the kerf increases the gas jet
flux fades which reduces the intensity of the shear stresses
on the cutting front.
The HAZ was also affected by the action of single and
dual gas jets. On average 7.07% larger HAZ was recorded
experimentally with dual gas jet. The distribution of the
HAZs obtained in the referred multifactor experiment for
both gas jets conditions is shown in Fig. 12. An increase in
the influx of gas in the dual gas condition improves the
removal of fumes and combusted materials from the cutting
kerf. This enhanced the lasermaterial interaction, which
yielded larger HAZ.
Fig. 12 Heat affected zone obtained in a multifactor experiment with
single and dual gas jets
551
Regarding the application of either single or dual gas jet
in the laser cutting process of pine wood, the experimental
and modelling evidence indicates that the use of a single
gas jet improves the quality responses analysed. Narrower
cuts with smaller HAZ and smother cut edges, in the range
of parameters tested, were obtained in the single gas jet
condition.
4 Conclusions
A CFD model was used for analysis of the assisting gas
jet effects employed in a laser wood cutting process.
This represents the first of its kind and in an effort to
represent the flow of the gas jet as close as possible to
the real process a 3D model was developed. The initial
conditions as well as the boundary conditions were
directly collected from real process values. The model
results were then correlated to the results of a multifactor
experiment. The main outcomes from this modelling
exercise are as follows:
The use of single or dual gas jets in the fibre laser
cutting process of wood affected the distribution and
magnitude of the shear stresses exerted on the cutting
kerf. The turbulence generated with dual gas jets
yielded shear stresses located at the top of the cutting
front and kerf walls. Furthermore, in both gas pressures
modelled, dual gas jets increased the magnitude of
shear stresses applied on kerf walls on average 40%
when compared with single gas jet. This contributes
to widen the cutting kerf, in agreement with the
reported 2.5% kerf width increase in dual gas jet
condition. Therefore, for the conditions applied in
this modelling work, the use of a single gas jet
improved the quality of the cut edges in the cutting
process of wood.
The pressure of the assisting gas jet(s) clearly affected
the magnitude of the shear stresses developing in the
fibre laser wood cutting process. In both gas jet
configurations, the magnitude of shear stresses at
500 kPa were on average 48% higher at the cutting
front and 45% higher at the kerf walls when
compared with 300 kPa. The modelling and exper-
imental results presented herein indicate a quality
improvement of the cut edges when lower gas jet
pressure was applied.
The mechanical force exerted by the assisting gas jets
in the laser cutting process of pine wood modified
quality responses such as roughness and heat affected
zone. It was found that rougher cut surfaces and larger
HAZ were obtained with the dual gas jets and
especially when high gas pressure was applied.
552
Acknowledgements The authors acknowledge the Mexican National
Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) for the financial
support provided for one of the authors Ph.D. project. The authors
also acknowledge the following institutions for their support in this
research work. The Engineering and Physical Science Research
Council (EPSRC) for funding the acquisition of the IPG 1 kW
Ytterbium-doped fibre laser (Grant EP/CO14452). The EPSRC
Instrument Pool (EIP) for lending the high speed camera Photron
Ultima APX-RS employed in this experiment.
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