A Study on the Application of Laser Cleaning on the Weld of the Gas Fuel Supply Pipe for DF Engine

Abstract

While producing gas fuel supply pipes for duel fuel (DF) engines, a welding process is essential. Accordingly, specimen management before and after welding is crucial to obtain highly reliable weldments. In this study, we developed an environmentally friendly laser cleaning technology to address a toxic work environment and environmental pollution problems caused by chemical cleaning technology utilized in post-welding treatment of gas fuel supply for DF engines. An experiment was conducted by implementing surface laser cleaning of the butt and fillet weldment specimens according to process parameters. Conditions of process parameters were identified for facilitating laser cleaning and used in prototype production. The prototypes were processed through laser and chemical cleaning, and the quality of the end products was compared. The results indicated that the proposed method satisfactorily cleans the prototype surface without generating a toxic work environment and environmental pollution problems. Moreover, the roughness of approximately 5 μm was achieved on the laser cleaned surface. This is considered to be able to increase the adhesion of the paint compared to the smooth chemical cleaned surface during the painting for anticorrosion of the product.