Influence of a Pronounced Pre-Deformation on the Attachment of Melt Droplets and the Fatigue Behavior of Laser-Cut AISI 304

Laser cutting is a suitable manufacturing method for generating complex geometries for sheet metal components. However, their cyclic load capacity is reduced compared to, for example, milled components. This is due to the influence of the laser-cut edge, whose characteristic features act as crack initiation sites, especially resolidified material in the form of burr and melt droplets. Since sheet metal components are often formed into their final geometry after cutting, another important factor influencing fatigue behavior is the effect of the forming process on the laser-cut edge. In particular, the effect of high degrees of deformation has not yet been researched in detail. Accordingly, sheets of AISI 304 were processed by laser cutting and pre-deformed. In the process, α’-martensite content was set to be comparable despite different degrees of deformation. It was found that deformation to high elongations caused a large part of the melt adhesions to fall off, but those still attaching were partially detached and thus formed an initial notch for crack initiation. This significantly lowered the fatigue strength.