Effect of plasma cutting on the fatigue resistance of Fe510 D1 steel

The paper describes the results of a research programme, carried out at the Department of Aerospace Engineering of the University of Pisa, for the ass essment of the influence of plasma cutting oil the physical and mechanical properties of Fe510 D1, a low carbon steel widely used in carpentry. The ac tivity started by observing that several industries rework plasma cut edges , particularly in the case of fatigue structures, in spite of the good qual ity of the plasma art edges in a fully automatic process. Obviously, rework ing is very, expensive and time-consuming. Comparative fatigue rests demons trated that the fatigue resistance of plasma cut specimens in Fe510 steel w as fully comparable to that of milled specimens, as the consequence of the beneficial residual stresses which formed in the plasma cut edges.