Experimental Study of Cutting Steel Hardox400 Using Plasma Arc Cutting

Abstract

:HARDOX 400 IS AN ABRASION AND WEAR RESISTANT STEEL PLATE WITH A HARDNESS OF 400 HBW. IT IS INTENDED FOR APPLICATIONS WHERE DEMANDS IMPOSED ON ABRADING AND WEAR ARE HIGH. NON-CONVENTIONAL CUTTING METHODS ARE USED TO CUT HARDOX TO AVOID DEFECTS WHICH OCCUR IN CONVENTIONAL CUTTING METHODS. HARDOX 400 OPENS FOR SMARTER, LIGHTER STRUCTURES WITH EXTREME PERFORMANCE AND EXTENDED SERVICE LIFE. The aim of this study is to evaluate the cutting parameters for cutting steel plates Hardox 400 using Plasma arc cutting technology. In plasma arc cutting, the parameters that were taken into consideration are arc gap, cutting speed, plasma gas pressure. The effect of these parameters on the quality of cut in terms of kerf width, surface roughness and heat affected zone studied. The experiment carried out using CNC plasma arc cutting machine. The results indicated that the minimum Kerf width is 4.658mm, the minimum Ra is 3.152 μm and the minimum HAZ is 0.886mm all of them were obtained at the maximum cutting speed 700mm/min.