Research on microstructure and properties of boron/Q235 steel laser welded dissimilar joints under synchronous thermal field

The mechanical mismatch effect frequently occurs in the dissimilar materials welded joints, thus leading to plastic gradient at the interface between the weld and heat-affected zone(HAZ). In this work, the boron steel and Q235 steel were selected for laser tailor welding,which obtained boron/Q235 steel tailor-welded blanks(TWBs). The method of welding with synchronous thermal field(WSTF) was utilized to eliminate the mismatch effects in TWBs. The WSTF was employed to adjust cooling rates of welded joints, thereby intervening in the solidification behaviors and phase transition of the molten pool. Boron/Q235 steel was welded by laser under conventional and WSTF(300-600 ℃) conditions, respectively. The results show that the microstructure of weld and HAZ(boron) was adequately transitioned to ferrites and pearlites instead of abundant martensite by WSTF. Meanwhile, the discrepancy of microhardness and yield strength between various regions of welded joints was greatly reduced, and the overall plasticity of welded joints was enhanced by WSTF. It is indicated that WSTF can effectively contribute to reducing plastic gradient and achieving mechanical congruity in welded joints by restraining the generation of hardbrittle phase, which could significantly improve the formability of TWBs in subsequent hot stamping.

Fatigue Resistance and Failure Behavior of Penetration and Non-Penetration Laser Welded Lap Joints

Penetration and non-penetration lap laser welding is the joining method for assembling side facade panels of railway passenger cars,while their fatigue performances and the difference between them are not completely understood.In this study,the fatigue resistance and failure behavior of penetration 1.5+0.8-P and non-penetration 0.8+1.5-N laser welded lap joints prepared with 0.8 mm and 1.5 mm cold-rolled 301L plates were investigated.The weld beads showed a solidification microstructure of primary ferrite with good thermal cracking resistance,and their hardness was lower than that of the plates.The 1.5+0.8-P joint exhibited better fatigue resistance to low stress amplitudes,whereas the 0.8+1.5-N joint showed greater resistance to high stress amplitudes.The failure modes of 0.8+1.5-N and 1.5+0.8-P joints were 1.5 mm and 0.8 mm lower lap plate fracture,respectively,and the primary cracks were initiated at welding fusion lines on the lap surface.There were long plastic ribs on the penetration plate fracture,but not on the non-penetration plate fracture.The fatigue resistance stresses in the crack initiation area of the penetration and non-penetration plates calculated based on the mean fatigue limits are 408 MPa and 326 MPa,respectively,which can be used as reference stress for the fatigue design of the laser welded structures.The main reason for the difference in fatigue performance between the two laser welded joints was that the asymmetrical heating in the non-penetration plate thickness resulted in higher residual stress near the welding fusion line.

Effects of Laser Shock Processing on Mechanical Properties of Laser Welded ANSI 304 Stainless Steel Joint

With the rapid development of engineering component with integration,high-speed and multi-parameter,traditional techniques haven＇t met practical needs in extreme service environment.Laser welding,a new welding technology,has been widely used.However,it would generate the drop of mechanical properties for laser welded joint due to its thermal effect.Laser shock processing（LSP） is one of the most effective methods to improve the mechanical properties of laser welded ANSI 304 stainless steel joint.In this paper,the effects of LSP on the mechanical properties of laser welded ANSI 304 stainless steel joint have been investigated.The welded joint on the front of the tensile samples is treated by LSP impacts,and the overlapping rate of the laser spot is 50%.The tensile test of the laser welded joint with and without LSP impacts is carried out,and the fracture morphology of the tensile samples is analyzed by scanning electron microscope（SEM）.Compared with the yield strength of 11.70 kN,the tensile strength of 37.66 kN,the yield-to-tensile strength ratio of 0.310 7,the elongation of 25.20%,the area reduction of 32.68% and the elastic modulus of 13 063.876 MPa,the corresponding values after LSP impacts are 14.25 kN,38.74 kN,0.367 8,26.58%,42.29% and 14 754.394 MPa,respectively.Through LSP impacts,the increasing ratio of the yield strength and tensile strength are 121.79% and 102.87%,respectively;the elongation and area reduction are improved by 5.48% and 29.38%,respectively.By comparing with coarse fracture surface of the welded joint,the delamination splitting with some cracks in the sharp corner of the welded joint and asymmetric dimples,LSP can cause brighter fracture surface,and finer and more uniform dimples.Finally,the schematic illustration of dimple formation with LSP is clearly described.The proposed research ensures that the LSP technology can clearly improve the yield strength,tensile strength,yield-to-tensile strength ratio,elongation,area reduction and elastic modulus of the welded joint.The enhancement mechanism of LSP on laser welded ANSI 304 stainless steel joint is mainly due to the fact that the refined and uniform dimples effectively delay the fracture of laser welded joints.

Thermal cycle and its influence on the microstructure of laser welded butt joint of 8 mm thick Ti-6Al-4V alloy

Ti-6Al-4V alloy is extensively used in the manufacture of components in aviation.In the current study,the laser welding process is adopted to joint the Ti-6Al-4V alloy plate which has the thick of 8 mm.A three-dimensional finite element model is established to simulate the temperature distribution of laser welding process.The thermal cycle curves are produced on the strength of the simulation results.Meanwhile,the microstructure characteristics of the welded joint are investigated combined with simulation results.The results show that weld zone,heat affected zone and based metal experience similar thermal cycles process and the cooling rate has an important influence on the formation of microstructure.Moreover,the simulation results are well matched with experiment results.

HAZ Characterization and Mechanical Properties of QP980-DP980 Laser Welded Joints

The QP980-DP980 dissimilar steel joints were fabricated by fiber laser welding.The weld zone(WZ)was fully martensitic structure,and heat-affected zone(HAZ)contained newly-formed martensite and partially tempered martensite(TM)in both steels.The supercritical HAZ of the QP980 side had higher microhardness(~549.5 Hv)than that of the WZ due to the finer martensite.A softened zone was present in HAZ of QP980 and DP980,the dropped microhardness of softened zone of the QP980 and DP980 wasΔ21.8 Hv andΔ40.9 Hv,respectively.Dislocation walls and slip bands were likely formed at the grain boundaries with the increase of strain,leading to the formation of low angle grain boundaries(LAGBs).Dislocation accumulation more easily occurred in the LAGBs than that of the HAGBs,which led to significant dislocation interaction and formation of cracks.The electron back-scattered diffraction(EBSD)results showed the fraction of LAGBs in sub-critical HAZ of DP980 side was the highest under different deformation conditions during tensile testing,resulting in the failure of joints located at the sub-critical HAZ of DP980 side.The QP980-DP980 dissimilar steel joints presented higher elongation(~11.21%)and ultimate tensile strength(~1011.53 MPa)than that of DP980-DP980 similar steel joints,because during the tensile process of the QP980-DP980 dissimilar steel joint(~8.2%and 991.38 MPa),the strain concentration firstly occurred on the excellent QP980 BM.Moreover,Erichsen cupping tests showed that the dissimilar welded joints had the lowest Erichsen value(~5.92 mm)and the peak punch force(~28.4 kN)due to the presence of large amount of brittle martensite in WZ and inhomogeneous deformation.

Research on the properties of laser welded joints of aluminum killed cold rolled steel

Aluminum killed cold rolled steel used for automobiles was welded in this paper by using CO 2 laser with wavelength 10.6μm.The experiment shows that high quality of welding can be realized at welding speed of 4 500mm/min by optimizing the parameters.The strength and hardness of laser welded joints for aluminum killed cold rolled steel increased compared to those of the base metal while the formability decreased.Forming limit diagram of joint material indicated that the laser weld seam should avoid the maximum deformation area of automobile parts during the designing period for the position of weld seam.

Effect of W/Cu composite filler metals on the microstructure and mechanical properties of laser welded pure niobium/304 stainless steel joint

Cracking in a laser weld of niobium to stainless steel occurred due to the formation of brittle,continuously distributed Nb-Fe intermetallic compounds.A crack-free joint,which had a tensile strength of 147 MPa,was obtained by using the W/Cu composite filler metals.To determine the reasons for cracking in the Nb/SS joint and the function of the W/Cu composite filler metals on the improvement of the cracking resistance of the Nb/W/Cu/SS joint,the microstructures of the joints were studied by optical microscopy,scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction.The cracking susceptibilities of the joints were evaluated with microhardness test on the cross section of the Nb/W/Cu/SS joint.The results showed that the Nb/W/Cu/SS joint was characterized by various solid solution.The formation of solid solution reduced the cracking susceptibility of the joint.

Characteristics of Nd： YAG laser welded 600 MPa grade TRIP steel

Microstructures and mechanical properties of Nd ： YAG laser welded transformation induced plasticity （TRIP） steel with tensile strength of 645 MPa were studied. Due to high cooling speed of laser welding, the weld metal mainly consists of martensite different from the base metal, which is composed of ferrite matrix with bainite and a little retained austenite. Therefore, the weld metal has maximum hardness at welded joint. The yield strength and tensile strength of welded specimens tested perpendicular to weld line were almost equal to those of the base metal. But the yield strength and tensile strength of welded specimens tested parallel with weld line were a little higher than those of the base metal. The formability of laser welded TRIP steel was decreased compared with that of the base metal.

Mechanical Properties of Laser Welded Joints of High Volume Fraction SiCp/Al Aluminum Matrix Composite

High volume fraction SiCp/Al aluminum matrix composite possesses a variety of outstanding properties,such as high thermal conductivity and low coefficient of thermal expansion.It is widely applied in many fields,especially in automotive and aerospace.An orthogonal experiment is conducted to study the effects of relevant parameters on the mechanical properties by CO2 laser.Then the micro-hardness in different regions is measured.The effects of such parameters as laser power,middle layer thickness and welding speed on the tensile strength of the welded joints are discussed.The experimental results indicate that the maximum of the tensile strength of the welded joints is attained at the laser power of 1 200 W,the welding speed of 1.5 m/min and the middle layer thickness of 0.3 mm.In addition,the mechanism of the improvement of micro-hardness on the weld bead is also analyzed.

High-temperature Tensile Behavior of Laser Welded Ti-22Al-25Nb Joints at Different Temperatures

The high-temperature tensile behavior of laser welded Ti-22Al-25Nb (at%) joints was investigated at 500,650,800,and 1 000 ℃.The temperatures for tensile tests were selected according to the phase transformation sequence of Ti2AlNb-based alloys.At temperatures lower than the B2+O phase field (500 ℃) and higher than the B2+O phase field (1 000 ℃),the joints fracture in the base metal in ductile fracture mode.By contrast,the joints exhibit obvious high-temperature brittleness in the B2+O phase field (650 °C and 800 ℃).Heat treatments were conducted with respect to the thermal history of tensile specimens.Intergranular microcracks along the grain boundary of B2 phase are found in the fusion zone after the heat treatments at 650 ℃ and 800 ℃.The high-temperature brittleness at 650 ℃ and 800 ℃ is attributed to the B2→O transformation along the grain boundary.The stress concentration caused by the volume change of B2→O transformation also contributes to the high-temperature brittleness of laser welded Ti-22Al-25Nb joints.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of laser welded joints of pure copper and 304 stainless steels

A continuous wave diode laser with an output power of 2.8 kW was used to join pure copper and 304 stainless steel with a thickness of 1 mm. The focused laser beam with a diameter of O. 8 mm was irradiated on the copper side of the butt joints. In process of laser welding, effects of processing primary parameters on tensile strength of the joints were investigated. The interfacial characterizations of the joints were investigated by metallographic microscope, scanning electron microscope （SEM） and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscope （EDS）. The results showed that the element diffusion and solution occur and metallurgical bonding was achieved between pure copper and 304 stainless steel. The maximum tensile strength of the joints was 209 MPa when the laser power of welding was 2. 4 kW and welding speed was 12 mm/s.

PRESS FORMABILITY OF YAG LASER WELDED TRIP STEEL SHEETS

The effects of YAG laser welding conditions on mechanical properties andpress formability (bendability, stretch-formability and deep drawability) of high-strengthtransformation-induced plasticity-aided dual-phase (TDP) steel were investigated. Tensile tests andpress forming tests have been conducted for laser butt welded joints between two pieces of the samesteel. The tensile property and press formability were affected by the welding speed of 100 to1100mm/min and the energy of 6 to 9J/pulse. Excellent press formability was obtained with the energyof 6J/pulse and the welding speed of 300mm/min. It was concluded that the excellent weldability ofthe TDP steel can be ascribed to the weld joint formation.

Microstructure and properties of Nd：YAG laser welded AZ31B magnesium alloy

Biodegradable magnesium-based alloys are very promising materials for temporary implants. Laser welding is an important joining method in such application. In this study, the as-rolled AZ31B magnesium alloy sheets of 1 mm in thickness were successfully joined by Nd ： YAG laser welding. The microstructure and properties of the welded joint were investigated. The result shows that the welded joint is characterized by a narrow heat-affected zone, finer grains and a large number of precipitates distribute in the matrix in the weld. Microhardness of the weld is significantly improved to 72 HV 0. 05 as compared to 55 HV 0. 05 of the base metal. Tensile strength of butt-welded joint is 180. 24 MPa, which is 76. 8% that of the base metal. The electrochemical corrosion experiment shows that the corrosion resistance of laser welded joint is significantly improved in a 3.5 wt. % NaCl solution.

Ultrasonic testing for laser welded joint of stainless steel

Two dimensional scan for laser welded joint of stainless steel was implemented according to the reflection characteristics of ultrasonic. B-scan imaging technique was applied to characterize the fusion state in the joint and distinguish welding detects such as incomplete penetration. Calculation of weld width at the interface of the two plates and imaging of the weld cross section were accomplished. Experimental results show that rapid nondestructive testing can be achieved by this method with threshold value of 30% attenuation degree. The calculation error is less than 0. 25 mm.

Study on laser welded heat-affected zone in new ultralow carbon bainitic steel

800 MPa grade ultralow carbon bainitic （NULCB） steel is the recently developed new generation steel, which was produced by thermo mechanical controlled processing ＆ relaxation-precipitation controlling transformation （TMCP＆RPC） tech- nique. The microstructure and the mechanical properties of the heat-affected zone （HAZ） in NULCB steel under laser welding conditions were investigated by using a Gleeble-1500 thermal simulator. The experimental results indicate that the simplex microstructure in the HAZ is granular bainite that consists of bainite-ferrite （BF） lath and M-A constituent when the cooling time from 800 to 500℃ （t8/5） is 0.3-30 s, and the M-A constituent consists of twinned martensite and residual austenite. As t8/5 increases, the hardness and tensile strength of HAZ decreases, but they are higher than that of the base metal, indicating the absence of softened zone after laser welding. The impact toughness of HAZ increases at first and then decreases when t8/5 increases. The impact energy of HAZ is much higher than that of the base metal when t8/5 is between 3 and 15 s. It indicates that excellent low temperature toughness can be obtained under appropriate laser welding conditions.

Fatigue Strength of Laser Welded Joints of PP and PC Components

The paper describes research of fatigue properties of laser welded joints of PP and PC reinforced composites. Welded specimens were tested on dynamic testing machine to obtain data for fatigue strength and fatigue life evaluation. Materials used for testing were PP and PC plastics filled with various amounts of glass fibers. Nine combinations of PP specimens and 6 combinations of PC specimens were welded and loaded on testing machine by fluctuating stress with constant stress ratio. Presented results include fatigue strength of welded joints and also the S-N curves based on experimental data and theory are derived.

Estimation of Fatigue Life of Laser Welded AISI304 Stainless Steel T-Joint Based on Experiments and Recommendations in Design Codes

In this paper the fatigue behavior of laser welded T-joints of stainless steel AISI304 is investigated experimentally. In the fatigue experiments 36 specimens with a sheet thickness of 1 mm are exposed to one-dimensional cyclic loading. Three different types of specimens are adopted. Three groups of specimens are used, two of these are non-welded and the third is welded with a transverse welding (T-Joint). The 13 laser welded specimens are cut out with a milling cutter. The non-welded specimens are divided in 13 specimens cut out with a milling cutter and 10 specimens cut out by a plasma cutter. The non-welded specimens are used to study the influence of heat and surface effects on the fatigue life. The fatigue life from the experiments is compared to fatigue life calculated from the guidelines in the standards DNV-RP-C203 and EUROCODE 3 EN-1993-1-9. Insignificant differences in fatigue life of the welded and non-welded specimens are observed in the experiments and the largest difference is found in the High Cycle Fatigue (HCF) area. The specimens show a lower fatigue life compared to DNV-RP-C203 and EUROCODE 3 EN-1993-1-9 when the specimens are exposed to less than 4.0 1E06 cycles. Therefore, we conclude that the fatigue life assessment according to the mentioned standards is not satisfactory and reliable.

Mechanical Properties of Laser Welded Joint of Copper and Steel Dissimilar Metals

In this research project,copper and stainless steel were connected by two laser welding methods:straight seam welding and swing welding.Then,electronic tensile test machine,X-ray diffractometer,scanning electron microscope and metallographic microscope were used to analyze the tensile properties,macroscopic and microscopic structure morphology and phase of the welded joint.Based on the experimental results,we determined that the strength of the straight seam welded joint was higher.Because of the intermetallic compound near the weld in the swing welding process,it leads to stress concentration,crack cracking and strength reduction.In addition,the oscillating laser beam also leads to the disorderly direction of columnar crystal and coarse structure,which makes the joint strength decrease.

Bulging Distortion of Austenitic Stainless Steel Sheet on the Partially Penetrated Side of Non-Penetration Lap Laser Welding Joint

Non-penetration laser welding of lap joints in austenitic stainless steel sheets is commonly preferred in fields where the surface quality is of utmost importance.However,the application of non-penetration welded austenitic stainless steel parts is limited owing to the micro bulging distortion that occurs on the back surface of the partial penetration side.In this paper,non-penetration lap laser welding experiments,were conducted on galvanized and SUS304 austenitic stainless steel plates using a fiber laser,to investigate the mechanism of bulging distortion.A comparative experiment of DC01 galvanized steel-Q235 carbon steel lap laser welding was carried out,and the deflection and distortion profile of partially penetrated side of the sheets were measured using a noncontact laser interferometer.In addition,the cold-rolled SUS304 was subjected to heat holding at different temperatures and water quenching after bending to characterize its microstructure under tensile and compressive stress.The results show that,during the heating stage of the thermal cycle of laser lap welding,the partial penetration side of the SUS304 steel sheet generates compressive stress,which extrudes the material in the heat-affected zone to the outside of the back of the SUS304 steel sheet,thereby forming a bulge.The findings of these experiments can be of great value for controlling the distortion of the partial penetrated side of austenitic stainless steel sheet during laser non-penetration lap welding.

Effect of process parameters on the morphology of aluminum/copper alloy lap joints by red and blue hybrid laser welding

In order to overcome the problems of many pores,large deformation and unstable weld quality of traditional laser welded aluminumcopper alloy joints,a red-blue dual-beam laser source and a swinging laser were introduced for welding.T2 copper and 6063 aluminum thin plates were lap welded by coaxial dual-beam laser welding.The morphology of weld cross section was compared to explore the influence of process parameters on the formation of lap joints.The microstructure characteristics of the weld zone were observed and compared by optical microscope.The results show that the addition of laser beam swing can eliminate the internal pores of the weld.With the increase of the swing width,the weld depth decreases,and the weld width increases first and then decreases.The influence of welding speed on the weld cross section morphology is similar to that of swing width.With the increase of welding speed,the weld width increases first and then decreases,while the weld depth decreases all the time.This is because that the red laser is used as the main heat source to melt the base metals,with the increase of red laser power,the weld depth increases.As an auxiliary laser source,blue laser reduces the total energy consumption,consequently,the effective heat input increases and the spatter is restrained effectively.As a result,the increase of red laser power has an enhancement effect on the weld width and weld depth.When the swing width is 1.2 mm,the red laser power is 550 W,the blue laser power is 500 W,and the welding speed is 35 mm/s,the weld forming is the best.The lap joint of T2 copper and 6063 aluminum alloy thin plate can be connected stably with the hybrid of blue laser.The effect rules of laser beam swing on the weld formation were obtained,which improved the quality of the joints.