According to foreign media reports, after realizing that underwater work consumes a lot of manpower and time, researchers at the Hannover Laser Center (LZH) in Germany collaborated with the Institute of Materials Science at the University of Leipzig in Hannover, Germany, to jointly develop laser pointer underwater cutting sheet pile automation Craftsmanship. Steel sheet piles are used to strengthen coastal areas, and in the case of repairs, they can be used to drain these areas. If these steel sheet piles must be disassembled, divers will need to use a torch to cut the sheet pile walls into smaller pieces.
Usually, a diver can cut about 20 meters per day, at a speed of about 0.07 meters/minute. In the high-productivity project of underwater laser cutting to improve productivity, scientists at LZH’s underwater technology team have developed a process that uses disk lasers for cutting, and divers only need to supervise. This method can be used to separate metal sheets, usually 10 mm thick, at speeds up to 0.9 m/min.
Visibility, water flow, or uneven surfaces make working under water more difficult. Scientists achieved a tolerance of about 2 mm in the process, allowing the system to respond appropriately to possible impacts during underwater operations. The process was tested in two scenarios: the cutting of individual metal plates underwater and the backfilling of concrete plates. In the second case, this is achieved by tilting the laser head at an angle of 20°.
Compared with the manual guidance process, another advantage is the possibility of monitoring the process. The sensor determines whether the cutting is complete. In the past, due to poor underwater visibility, divers were often unable to determine whether the cut was complete. If the diver wears conventional safety goggles, the green laser pointer required for this process can be kept safe.