Study on the Effects of Helium-Argon Gas Mixture on the Laser Welding Performance of High Temperature Alloys

In order to solve the problem of porosity in laser deep penetration welding of GH3625 high-temperature alloy plates,five different ratios of high-purity helium gas and high-purity argon gas mixed gases were compared in welding experiments after various process parameter improvements and adjustments failed to achieve Class I welds.The experimental results show that using high-purity helium gas or a mixture of 50%high-purity helium gas and 50%high-purity argon gas can both achieve Class I welds.This indicates that using high-purity helium gas or an appropriate mixed gas instead of pure argon is one of the effective ways to solve the problem of porosity in laser deep penetration welding of high-temperature alloys.The mixture of 50%high-purity argon gas and 50%high-purity helium gas can reduce the consumption of high-purity helium gas,lower production costs,and is more suitable.

Microstructures and Toughness of Weld Metal of Ultrafine Grained Ferritic Steel by Laser Welding

3 mm thick 400 MPa grade ultrafine grained ferritic steel plates were bead-on-plate welded by CO2 laser with heat input of 120-480 J/mm. The microstructures of the weld metal mainly consist of bainite, which form is lower bainite plates or polygonal ferrite containing quantities of dispersed cementite particles, mixed with a few of low carbon martensite laths or ferrite, depending on the heat input. The hardness and the tensile strength of the weld metal are higher than those of the base metal, and monotonously increase as the heat input decreases. No softened zone exists in heat affected zone (HAZ). Compared with the base metal, although the grains of laser weld are much larger, the toughness of the weld metal is higher within a large range of heat input. Furthermore, as the heat input increases, the toughness of the weld metal rises to a maximum value, at which point the percentage of lower bainite is the highest, and then drops.

Underwater Laser Welding/Cladding for High-performance Repair of Marine Metal Materials:A Review

With the rapid developments of marine resource exploitation,mounts of marine engineering equipment are settled on the ocean.When it is not possible to move the damaged equipment into a dry dock,welding operations must be performed in underwater environments.The underwater laser welding/cladding technique is a promising and advanced technique which could be widely applied to the maintenance of the damaged equipment.The present review paper aims to present a critical analysis and engineering overview of the underwater laser welding/cladding technique.First,we elaborated recent advances and key issues of drainage nozzles all over the world.Next,we presented the underwater laser processing and microstructural-mechanical behavior of repaired marine materials.Then,the newly developed powder-feeding based and wire-feeding based underwater laser direct metal deposition techniques were reviewed.The differences between the convection,conduction,and the metallurgical kinetics in the melt pools during underwater laser direct metal deposition and in-air laser direct metal deposition were illustrated.After that,several challenges that need to be overcame to achieve the full potential of the underwater laser welding/cladding technique are proposed.Finally,suggestions for future directions to aid the development of underwater laser welding/cladding technology and underwater metallurgical theory are provided.The present review will not only enrich the knowledge in the underwater repair technology,but also provide important guidance for the potential applications of the technology on the marine engineering.

Effect of filler wire on the joint properties of AZ31 magnesium alloys using CO_2 laser welding

Laser welding with filler wire of AZ31 magnesium alloys is investigated using a CO2 laser experimental system. The effect of three different filler wires on the joint properties is researched. The results show that the weld appearance can be effectively improved when using laser welding with filler wire. The microhardness and tensile strength of joints are almost the same us those of the base metal when ER AZ31 or ER AZ61 wire is adopted. However, when the filler wire of ER 5356 aluminum alloy is used, the mechanical properties of flints become worse. For ER AZ31 and ER AZ61 filler wires, the microstructure of weld zone slws small dendrite grains. In comparison, for ER 5356 filler wire, the weld shows a structure of snowy dendrites and many intermetallic compounds and eutectic phases distribute in the dendrites. These intermetallic constituents with low melting point increase the tendency of hot crack and result in fiagile joint properties. Therefore, ER AZ31 and ER AZ61 wire are more suitable filler material than ER 5356 for CO2 laser welding of AZ31 magnesium alloys.

Study of Dynamic Features of Surface Plasma in High-Power Disk Laser Welding

High-speed photography was used to obtain the dynamic changes in the surface plasma during a high-power disk laser welding process. A color space clustering algorithm to extract the edge information of the surface plasma region was developed in order to improve the accuracy of image processing. With a comparative analysis of the plasma features, i.e., area and height, and the characteristics of the welded seam, the relationship between the surface plasma and the stability of the laser welding process was characterized, which provides a basic understanding for the real-time monitoring of laser welding.

Structure Character of M-A Constituent in CGHAZ of New Ultra-Low Carbon Bainitic Steel under Laser Welding Conditions

800 MPa grade new ultra-low carbon bainitic （NULCB） steel is the recently developed new generation steel. The microstructure in the coarse-grained heat affected zone （CGHAZ） of NULCB steel under laser welding conditions was investigated by thermal simulation. The influence of the cooling time from 800℃ to 500℃.t8/5 （0.3-30 s）, on the microstructure of the CGHAZ was discussed. The experimental results indicate that the microstructnre of the CGHAZ is only the granular bainite which consists of bainitic ferrite （BF） lath and M-A constituent while t8/5 is 0.3-30 s. The M-A constituent consists of twinned martensite and residual austenite, and the change of the volume fraction of the residual austenite in the M-A constituent is very small when t8/5 is between 0.3 and 30 s. The morphology of the M-A constituent obviously changes with the variation of t8/5.As t8/5 increases, tile average width, gross and shape parameter of the M-A constituent increase, while the line density of the M-A constituent decreases.

YAG laser welding with surface activating flux

YAG laser welding with surface activating flux has been investigated, and the influencing factors and mechanism are discussed. The results show that both surface activating flux and surface active element S have fantastic effects on the YAG laser weld shape, that is to obviously increase the weld penetration and D/W ratio in various welding conditions. The mechanism is thought to be the change of weld pool surface tension temperature coefficient, thus, the change of fluid flow pattern in weld pool due to the flux.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Aer Met 100 Ultra-high Strength Steel Joints by Laser Welding

AerMet100 ultra-high strength steel plates with a thickness of 2 mm were welded using a COz laser welding system. The influences of the welding process parameters on the morphology and microstructure of the welding joints were investigated, and the mechanical property of the welding joints was analyzed. The experimental results showed that the fusion zone of welding joint mainly consisted of columnar grains and a fine dendrite substructure grew epitaxially from the matrix. With the other conditions remaining unchanged, a finer weld microstructure was along with the scanning speed increase. The solidification microstructure gradually transformed from cellular crystal into dendrite crystal and the spaces of dendrite secondary arms rose from the fusion line to the center of the fusion zone. In the fusion zone of the weld, the rapid cooling caused the formation of martensite, which led the microhardness of the fusion zone higher than that of the matrix and the heat affected zone. The tensile strength of the welding joints was tested as 1 700 MPa, which was about 87% of the matrix. However, the tensile strength of the welding joints without defects existed was tested as 1832 MPa, which was about 94% of the matrix.

Influence of welding parameters on temperature field characteristics during laser welding of TA15 by infrared thermography

Using an infrared thermographic technique, the temperature field during laser welding of TA15 is quantitatively measured and investigated. The ilffluenee of two welding parameters on the weld temperature distribution is analyzed and the meehanisnl is discussed. New conclusions are drawn that are different from conventional weld temperature distributions. For the face of the weld, changes in welding speed induce changes in the temperature distribution because of different heat inputs and the cooling effect. Sinfilar temperature features in the welds are observed for all speeds, which exhibit a relatively low temperature area below 1 500 ℃ between the high temperature area in the position of laser incidence and the sub-high temperature area at the end of the molten pool. For the ilffluenee of laser power on the face of the weld, the temperature on the weld is higher for P = 2.8 kW compared to P = 2.0 kW, especially the temperature in the sub-high temperature area. However, for the temperature field of the back of the weld, the ilffluenee of welding speeds is quite different compared to the results for the face of the weld. The highest temperature does not locate in the keyhole area, but instead in the middle of the molten pool. And there are different temperature features at different speeds. When v = 6 m/min, the temperature field is like a uniform color belt and the temperature along the center of the weld fluctuates between 300 and 450 ℃. When v = 4 m/rain, the transient temperature distribution is not uniform and is unstable at different times. However, for v = 2.4 m/rain and lower speeds, the temperature field becomes stable. The ilffluenee of laser power on the back of the weld temperature field is more complex. The measured temperature does not increase with increasing laser power, which seems to eolffliet with the conventional thermal conduction theory-. This may be related with the characteristics of the keyhole area.

Study on behavior of reinforcement in molten pool for submicron composite Al_2O_3p/6061 Al during laser welding

The behavior of the reinforcement of submicron composite Al_ 2 O_ 3 p/6061Al in molten pool during laser welding was studied. It was indicated that because there were the remarkable differences in thermal physical properties between matrix and reinforcement particulate, the reinforced particulate was pushed forward during molten pool solidification by the liquid-solid interface in matrix and the reinforced particulate segregated in the weld. It resulted in noticeable degradation in properties of the welded joint. The technology methods to improve the behavior of reinforcement were also investigated. It was pointed out that the laser pulse frequency is the main welding parameter affecting the distributive state of reinforcement, and the theory basis was established for welding the material by laser beam.

Laser welding of AZ61 magnesium-based alloys Laser welding of AZ61 magnesium-based alloys

Laser welding of AZ61 magnesium alloys was carried out using a CO2 laser welding experimental system. The welding properties of AZ61 sheets with different thickness were investigated. The effect of processing parameters including laser power, welding speed and protection gas flow was researched. The results show that laser power and welding speed have large effect on the weld width and joint dimensions. Protection gas flow has relatively slight effect on the weld width. The property test of three typical joints indicates that microhardness and tensile strength in weld zone are higher than that of AZ61 base metal, Joints with good appearance and excellent mechanical properties can be produced using CO2 laser welding method. The microstructure with small grains in weld zone is believed to be respoasible for the excellent mechanical properties of AZ61 joints.

A study on the porosity of CO_2 laser welding of titanium alloy

The CO2 laser welding of BT20 titanium alloy and Ti-23Al-17Nb titanium aluminide was conducted to investigate into the porosity in titanium alloy weld. The results show that there are two sorts of porosities observed in welds of titanium alloy laser welding based on the microscopic characteristics of the porosities. One is the metallurgical porosity with round and smooth inner wall, which results from the surface contamination. The other is the processing porosity with irregular and rough inner wall that displays the trace of the pool flowing, which results from the ruffle on the keyhole wall gathering together locally and closing down the gas in the keyhole into bubbles because of the keyhole fluctuating. The CO2 laser welding could break down easily the surface oxide film and produce little metallurgical porosity, but produces easily processing porosity when partial penetration or unstable-full penetration laser welding is conducted, which always occurs in the center of weld.

Macrostructural and microstructural features of 1000 MPa grade TRIP steel joint by CO_2 laser welding

Bead-on-plate CO2 laser welding of 1 000 MPa grade transformation induced plasticity （TRIP） steel was conducted under different welding powers, welding speeds and shield gases. The macrostructural and microstructural features of the welded joint were investigated. The increase of welding speed reduced the width of the weld bead and the porosities in the weld bead resulting from the different flow mode of melted metal in weld pool. The decrease of welding power or use of shield gas of helium also contributed to the reduction of porosity in the weld bead due to the alleviation of induced plasma formation, thus stabilizing the keyhole. The porosity formation intimately correlated with the evaporation of alloy element Mn in the base metal. The laser welded metal had same martensite microstructure as that of water-quenched base metal. The welding parameters which increased cooling rate all led to fine microstructures of the weld bead.

Acquisition and processing of coaxial image of molten pool and keyhole in Nd:YAG laser welding with high power

An experimental setup of acquiring the coaxial visual image of the molten pool and keyhole in high power Nd:YAG laser welding is introduced in this paper. It is one of the most difficult problems in acquiring coaxial image that the coaxial imaging signal of molten pool and keyhole must be separated from the laser beam with high power. This problem was resolved by designing a dichroitic spectroscope. The characteristics of imaging signal were analyzed and the coaxial image of molten pool and keyhole was acquired. A smoothing filter and a homomorphic filter were designed to remove the low frequency noise and to enhance the image according to the characteristics of imaging signal. At last, edges of molten pool and keyhole were detected and extracted based on image segmentation with threshold.

Laser Welding of TC-1 Titanium Alloy

The technology of CO2 laser welding and joint properties of titanium alloy were investigated. The problem of molten pool protection was resolved by designing a shielding trailer and a special clamp. Joints with silvery appearance were obtained, which have no pore and crack. In addition, the welding speed could reach 3 m/min for the plate of 1.5 mm thickness being penetrated. The reason of the porosity formation in partial penetration joints is that the keyholes can be easily cut apart in the radial direction, which makes the gas enclosed in the molten pool. The surface oxide of specimens can not affect the porosity formation in welds directly.

Influence of CO_2 laser welding parameters on the microstructure, metallurgy, and mechanical properties of Mg-Al alloys

This study investigated the microstructural characteristics, metallurgy, microhardness, and tensile strength of AZ31 and AZ61 magnesium alloy weldments, fabricated in a CO2 laser welding process with the adjustment of various parameters. The results show that the AZ31 weldment contains equiaxed grains within the fusion zone （FZ）. By contrast, the FZ of the AZ61 weldment contains refined cellular grains and the partially melted zone （PMZ） contains bulk grains. We infer that the difference in aluminum content between the two magne-sium alloys results in different supercooling rates and solid grain structures. For both weldments, the ultimate tensile strength （UTS） de-creases following the CO2 laser welding process. However, no significant difference is noted between the UTS of the two weldments, sug-gesting that tensile strength is insensitive to the Al content of the magnesium alloy. The CO2 laser welding process is shown to increase the microhardness of both magnesium alloys. Furthermore, grain refinement is responsible for the maximum hardness in the FZ of both weld-ments. The AZ61 weldment has a higher content of Al, resulting in a greater grain refinement.

Analysis of Laser-Induced Plume During Disk Laser Welding at Different Speeds

During high power disk laser welding, the high-speed photography was used to measure the dynamic images of the laser-induced plume at different laser welding speeds. Various plume features （area, height and brightness） were extracted from the images by the color space clustering algorithm. Combined with observation on the surface and the cross sections of welding samples, the effect of welding speed on welding stability was analyzed. From the experimental results, it was found that these features of plume could reflect the welding state. Thus changes of the plume features corresponded to different welding speeds, which was helpful for monitoring the laser welding stability.

Effects of output waveforms on penetration for Nd :YAG laser welding

By using a Nd: YAG laser welding system devised for transmitting continuous, rectangular and pulsed waveforms, comprehensive and deep investigation is focused on the effects of several parameters of rectangular waveform and pulsed output wave superimposed on a rectangular waveform on the penetration depth of weld. Research results indicate that the average power, duty cycle, frequency and peak power of rectangular wave affect the weld penetration depth to different extent. Results of experiments and analysis also indicate that the pulse delay time, pulse width and the power ratio of pulse to rectangular waveform seriously influence the penetration when the pulsed wave is superimposed on a rectangular waveform.

Multipass welding of thick section steels using autogenous CO2 laser welding and CO2 laser-MIG hybrid welding

Laser multipass welding techniques for thick section steels have been developed using a new type of UV combined narrow groove. The shape and sizes at the bottom of groove are determined by analyzing the plasma behavior using high speed photographic equipment. A stable autogenous CO2 laser welding process and greater penetration are generated at the root pass because of strong reduction of the plasma volume. According to the waveforms of welding current and arc voltage, and the interaction between the arc and the laser induced plasma, a suitable groove angle is obtained. Laser-double MIG hybrid welding process is studied and the optimum distances between the laser and two arcs are determined. By using autogenous CO2 laser welding, CO2 laser-MIG hybrid welding and laser-double MIG hybrid welding, 28 mm thick steel plates are welded with four passes. The welds produced are assessed by X-ray. No crack is found and there is only a small amount of pores. The experimental results show that the multipuss welding procedures proposed can realize the joining of thick section steels with high efficiency and good quality.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PLASMA OPTIC SIGNAL AND PENETRATION DEPTH FOR PARTIAL-PENETRATION LASER WELDING

Through sampling and analyzing of plasma optic signals of 400-600 nm emitted from partial-penetration laser welding processes, how the penetration depth is related to the welding parameter and the plasma optic signal is studied, Under the experimental conditions, the plasma optic signal has good response to variety of the weld penetration, and the signal＇s RMS value increases with the penetration in a quadratic curve mode. The inherent relation between the plasma optic signal and the penetration depth is also analyzed. It is also found that, between the two common parameters of laser power and welding speed, laser power has more influence on penetration while welding speed has more influence on weld width. The research results provide theoretic and practical bases for penetration real-time monitoring or predicting in partial-penetration laser welding,