Job Knowledge 51

Cutting and Gouging
Job knowledge 51:

Cutting Processes
Plasma Arc Cutting - Process and Equipment
Considerations
The plasma arc process has always been seen as an alternative to the oxy-fuel
process. In this part of the series the process
fundamentals are described with emphasis being
placed on the operating features and the
advantages of the many process variants.
Process fundamentals
The plasma arc cutting process is illustrated in Fig.
1. The basic principle is that the arc formed
between the electrode and the workpiece is
constricted by a fine bore, copper nozzle. This
increases the temperature and velocity of the
plasma emanating from the nozzle. The
temperature of the plasma is in excess of 20 000C
and the velocity can approach the speed of sound. When used for cutting, the plasma
gas flow is increased so that the deeply penetrating plasma jet cuts through the
material and molten material is removed in the efflux plasma.

Fig.1. The plasma arc cutting
process
The process differs from the oxy-fuel process in that the plasma process operates
by using the arc to melt the metal whereas in the oxy-fuel process, the oxygen
oxidises the metal and the heat from the exothermic reaction melts the metal.
Thus, unlike the oxy-fuel process, the plasma process can be applied to cutting
metals which form refractory oxides such as stainless steel, aluminium, cast iron
and non-ferrous alloys.

Photo courtesy: Goodwin Plasma

Power source
The power source required for the plasma arc process must have a drooping
characteristic and a high voltage. Although the operating voltage to sustain the
plasma is typically 50 to 60V, the open circuit voltage needed to initiate the arc can
be up to 400V DC.
On initiation, the pilot arc is formed within the body of the torch between the
electrode and the nozzle. For cutting, the arc must be transferred to the workpiece
in the so-called 'transferred' arc mode. The electrode has a negative polarity and
the workpiece a positive polarity so that the majority of the arc energy
(approximately two thirds) is used for cutting.
Gas composition
In the conventional system using a tungsten electrode, the plasma is inert, formed
using either argon, argon-H
2
or nitrogen. However, as described in Process variants,
oxidising gases, such as air or oxygen, can be used but the electrode must be copper
with hafnium.
The plasma gas flow is critical and must be set according to the current level and
the nozzle bore diameter. If the gas flow is too low for the current level, or the
current level too high for the nozzle bore diameter, the arc will break down
forming two arcs in series, electrode to nozzle and nozzle to workpiece. The effect
of 'double arcing' is usually catastrophic with the nozzle melting.
Cut quality
The quality of the plasma cut edge is similar to that achieved with the oxy-fuel
process. However, as the plasma process cuts by melting, a characteristic feature is
the greater degree of melting towards the top of the metal resulting in top edge
rounding, poor edge squareness or a bevel on the cut edge. As these limitations are
associated with the degree of constriction of the arc, several torch designs are
available to improve arc constriction to produce more uniform heating at the top and
bottom of the cut.
Process variants
The process variants, Figs. 2a to 2e, have principally been designed to improve cut
quality and arc stability, reduce the noise and fume or to increase cutting speed.

Dual gas
The process operates basically in the same manner
as the conventional system but a secondary gas
shield is introduced around the nozzle, Fig. 2a. The
beneficial effects of the secondary gas are
increased arc constriction and more effective
'blowing away' of the dross. The plasma forming
gas is normally argon, argon-H2 or nitrogen and
the secondary gas is selected according to the
metal being cut.
Steel
air, oxygen, nitrogen
Stainless steel
nitrogen, argon-H
2
, CO
2

Aluminium
argon-H2, nitrogen / CO
2

The advantages compared with conventional plasma are:
Reduced risk of 'double arcing'
Higher cutting speeds
Reduction in top edge rounding
Water injection
Nitrogen is normally used as the plasma gas. Water
is injected radially into the plasma arc, Fig. 2b, to
induce a greater degree of constriction. The
temperature is also considerably increased, to as
high as 30,000C.
The advantages compared with conventional
plasma are:
Improvement in cut quality and squareness
of cut
Increased cutting speeds
Less risk of 'double arcing'
Reduction in nozzle erosion

Fig.2a. dual gas

Fig.2b. water injection

Water shroud
The plasma can be operated either with a water
shroud, Fig. 2c, or even with the workpiece
submerged some 50 to 75mm below the surface of
the water. Compared with conventional plasma, the
water acts as a barrier to provide the following
advantages:
Fume reduction
Reduction in noise levels
Improved nozzle life
In a typical example of noise levels at high current
levels of 115dB for conventional plasma, a water
shroud was effective in reducing the noise level to
about 96dB and cutting under water down to 52 to 85dB.
As the water shroud does not increase the degree of constriction, squareness of
the cut edge and the cutting speed are not noticeably improved.
Air plasma
The inert or unreactive plasma forming gas (argon
or nitrogen) can be replaced with air but this
requires a special electrode of hafnium or zirconium
mounted in a copper holder, Fig. 2d. The air can
also replace water for cooling the torch. The
advantage of an air plasma torch is that it uses air
instead of expensive gases.
It should be noted that although the electrode and
nozzle are the only consumables, hafnium tipped
electrodes can be expensive compared with
tungsten electrodes.
High tolerance plasma
In an attempt to improve cut quality and to
compete with the superior cut quality of laser
systems, High Tolerance Plasma Arc cutting
(HTPAC) systems are available which operate with
a highly constricted plasma. Focusing of the plasma
is effected by forcing the oxygen generated plasma
to swirl as it enters the plasma orifice and a
secondary flow of gas is injected downstream of the
plasma nozzle, Fig. 2e. Some systems have a
separate magnetic field surrounding the arc. This
stabilises the plasma jet by maintaining the
rotation induced by the swirling gas. The
advantages of HTPAC systems are:
Cut quality lies between a conventional
plasma arc cut and laser beam cut
Fig.2c. water shrouded

Fig.2d. air plasma

Fig.2e. high tolerance

Narrow kerf width
Less distortion due to smaller heat affected zone
HTPAC is a mechanised technique requiring precision, high-speed equipment. The
main disadvantages are that the maximum thickness is limited to about 6mm and
the cutting speed is generally lower than conventional plasma processes and
approximately 60 to 80% the speed of laser cutting.

This article was prepared by Bill Lucas in collaboration with Derrick Hilton, BOC
Copyright 2003 TWI Ltd
Information and advice from TWI and its partners are provided in good faith and based, where appropriate,
on the best engineering knowledge available at the time and incorporated into TWI's website in
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Cutting and Gouging

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