The emission of ultrafine carbonaceous particles during the laser cutting of fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite materials was investigated. The study was based on characterization of air contaminants emitted during laser cutting of an epoxy-based CFRP material with respect to particle size distribution, particle morphology, and chemical composition. Results indicate that about 90% of the total particulate mass is present as fine particulate matter with an aerodynamic cut-off diameter of 0.25 μm, and considerable amounts of ultrafine carbonaceous particulate matter dominated by organic carbon are emitted during high-power laser cutting of CFRP.
Keywords: Aerosols/particulates; Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composite materials; Laser cutting; Nanoparticles/nanotechnology.