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.

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.

Study on the effect of welding current during laser beam-resistance seam welding of aluminum alloy 5052

The effect of welding current on the weld shape and tensile shear load during laser beam-resistance seam welding （LB-RSW） of aluminum alloy 5052 is studied. Experimental results show that the penetration depth, weld width ,tensile shear load and the ratio of penetration depth to weld width of LB-RSW are bigger than those of laser beam welding（ LBW） under the same conditions and the former three parameters increase as welding current rises. The weld shape of LB-RSW below 5 kA welding current is nearly the same as that of LBW. The weld morphology is protuberant under the condition of 5 kA welding current and 0. 8 m/min welding speed. Furthermore, the microstructure of the weld seam of LB-RSW is coarser than that of LBW.

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.

INVESTIGATION OF LASER BEAM WELDING PROCESS OF AZ61 MAGNESIUM-BASED ALLOY

Laser welling process of AZ61 magnesium alloys is investigated using a special CO2 laser experimental system. The effect of processing parameters including laser power, welling speed, and protection gas flow at the top and bottom is researched. The results show that an ideal well bead can be formed by choosing the processing parameters properly. An optimized parameter range is obtained by a large number of experiments. Among them, laser power and welling speed are the two main parameters that determine the well width and dimensions. The protect gas flow rate has a slight effect on the well width, but it directly effects the surface color of the well. The test results for typical welds indicate that the microhardness and tensile strength of the well zone are better than that of the base metal A fine-grained well region has been observed and no obvious heat-affected zone is found. The well zone mainly consists of small α-Mg phase, （α ＋ Al12Mg17）, and other eutectic phases. The small grains and the eutectic phases in the joint are believed to play an important role in the increase of the strength of wells for AZ61 magnesium alloys.

Effect of shielding gas and defocusing on porosity during laser beam welding of 7A52 alloy

Laser beam welding is used to fabricate the 7A52 aluminum alloy plates.Effects of shielding gas and defocusing on porosities are investigated.Porosities are divided into hydrogen porosities and keyhole-induced porosities.With the increasing flow rate of the front shielding gas,the porosity ratio firstly decreases,then increases.The porosity ratio is lowest under the flow rate of 25 L/min.When the flow rate is 30 L/min,the porosity ratio is higher because the large flow rate can affect the stability of the keyhole.The porosity ratio is also higher when the flow rate is less than 25 L/min because the protection is weakened.With the increase of the defocusing,the porosity ratio firstly decreases,then increases.When the defocusing is-2 mm,the porosity ratio is lowest.When the defocusing is more than 0 mm or less than-4 mm,the porosity ratio is higher due to the movement of the instable keyhole.

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,properties and first principles calculation of titanium alloy/steel by Nd: YAG laser self-fluxing welding

The experiment of Nd： YAG pulsed laser self-fluxing welding for 304 stainless steel/Ti6Al4V titanium alloy dissimilar metal was carried out. The microstructure properties of welded joint were analyzed by SEM, EDS and XRD. The equilibrium lattice constants, enthalpies of formation, cohesive energies, mechanical properties, Debye temperatures and valence electron structures of Ti-Fe intermetallic compounds （IMCs） were calculated by the first principle pseudopotential plane wave method based on density functional theory （DFT）. According to the thermodynamic data of Ti-Fe-Cr compounds, the Gibbs free energy per mole of compound at different temperatures was calculated and their thermal stability was compared. The results show that there are no macroscopic cracks in the welded joints, and the IMCs distributed evenly along the welding interface exhibits 3 distinct layers of microstructure with different colors. The welds interface generates IMCs of TiFe, TiFe 2 and a small amount of Ti 5Cr 7Fe 17 IMCs. Ti-Fe IMCs with high thermodynamic stability and easy alloying formation. The results of Gibbs free energies show that the sequence of precipitates in the interface is Ti 5Cr 7Fe 17 , TiFe 2 and TiFe in high temperature during the metallurgical reaction. The G/B values of Ti-Fe IMCs are greater than the critical value of 0.5, indicating that it is an intrinsic brittleness.

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.

The comparison of multi-layer narrow-gap laser and arc welding of S32101 duplex stainless steel

Multi-layer narrow-gap welding of thick S32101 duplex stainless steel was conducted using laser welding with beam wobble process.The phase transition,grain size,phase proportion and crystal texture of welded joint were also studied and compared with gas metal arc welding process.The microhardness and tensile strength were measured and fracture surface was analyzed to evaluate the mechanical properties of welded joints.The results showed that beam wobble technology improved the misalignment of laser beam and filler wire in narrow groove and helped to avoid incomplete fusion defects.Compared to arc welding process,the groove size and heat input were reduced,while welding efficiency was increased.The faster cooling rate and lower temperature gradient of laser wobble welding favored grain refinement,while the austenite content in weld zone decreased.Both the beam wobble and swing arc were conducive to stir weld pool,optimizing the weld microstructure and joint formation.The microstructural variance in various weld passes was caused by the heat input and heat dissipation ability.The microhardness of laser welded joint was lower,while the tensile strength and elongation percentage were higher.The fracture surface of arc welded joint was featured with shallower dimples and cleavage steps.

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.

Behavior of vapor/plasma within the keyhole and above the workpiece during CO_2 laser penetration welding

In this paper, a high-speed camera and an optical emission monitor were used to study the behavior of vapor/ plasma during CO2 laser welding of SUS304 stainless steel. Results of optical emission from vapor/plasma show that two characteristic frequency bands exist, 100 -500 Hz and 1 500 -3 500 Hz. At the same time, the changing images of vapor/ plasma and bottom pool also confirm that there are two different fluctuation frequency bands. One of the frequency bands represents the characteristic of vapor/plasma within the keyhole, and it is within 167 -500 Hz. Another frequency band is within 1 500 - 3 500 Hz, and it obviously derives from the shielding gas. Some factors may cause these frequency differences between the keyhole plasma and the shielding gas plasma. One of them is that the vapor/plasma pressure within the keyhole will increase slowly.