I tried searching and only found posts related to cleaning and edge prep but I was wondering if anyone could share some insight on the paragraph in D1.2 FABRICATION 4.12.3 "[for heat-treatable aluminum alloys, 1/8" of material shall be removed by machining from plasma arc and laser cut edges that will be welded]"
I'm assuming this is related to material metallurgy and the HAZ during the cutting process. Has anyone run into problems with laser cut parts? I totally could see issues from torch and plasma cuts, but a powerful fiber laser with modern tech and the cutting gasses they run at such fast cut speeds i doubt the material even has a chance to get warm.
EDIT:
further research shows this clause was added in the 2008 edition and also included 2 long paragraphs about surface roughness of the edges. this was subsequently removed in 2014.
My guess is back in early 2000's laser technology wasn't as advanced and Fiber lasers weren't a thing yet. several research papers discuss the differences and advantages specifically how the different wavelengths and optics play a part in minimizing haz and improving cut quality.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0030399222005527I guess the reason for my post was more about why its still in the code and if there's good cause to bring up the idea of modifying that clause.
thanks