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.

PULSED Nd-YAG LASER WELDING OF AN AI-SiC_p METAL MATRIX COMPOSITE

A study is presented of the laser welding behaviour of an SiC particulate re-inforced Al-alloy comPOsite using a pulsed Nd-YAG laser. The influences of laser weldingparameters of laser intensity, pulse duration and the beamjs focus position on the depth ofweld penetration as well as the size of weld bead width were investigated. A typical mi-crostructure of a weld section reveals that the three distinct zones are present. Cracks andporosity were fOund to be two major defects in laser welded metal matrix composites(MMC). These investigations have led to an optimum welding condition proposed forlaser welding of SiC partiulate reinforced aluminium alloy comPosites with minimum de-fects.

Effects of Metal Absorber Thermal Conductivity on Clear Plastic Laser Transmission Welding

In our previous study, metals have been used as absorbers in the clear plastic laser transmission welding. The effects of metal thermal conductivity on the welding quality are investigated in the present work. Four metals with distinctly different thermal conductivities, i.e., titanium, nickel, molybdenum, and copper, are selected as light absorbers. The lap welding is conducted with an 808 nm diode laser and simulation experiments are also conducted. Nickel electroplating test is carried out to minimize the side-effects from different light absorptivities of different metals. The results show that the welding with an absorber of higher thermal conductivity can accommodate higher laser input power before smoking, which produces a wider and stronger welding seam.The positive role of the higher thermal conductivity can be attributed to the fact that a desirable thermal field distribution for the molecular diffusion and entanglement is produced from the case with a high thermal conductivity.

Laser Welding of Zr_(41)Ti_(14)Cu_(12)Ni_(10)Be_(23) Bulk Metallic Glass and Zirconium Metal

The laser bonding technology between the Zr41 Ti14 Cu12 Ni10 Be23 bulk metallic glass and zirconium metal was investigated under welding parameters of 1.3 kW and 7 m/min. The welded bead, microstructure, and micro-hardness of the welded joint were examined by Keyence, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Vickers hardness, respectively. The experimental results showed that the Zr41 Ti14 Cu12 Ni10 Be2 bulk metallic glass and zirconium metal were successfully bonded together. The Zr41 Ti14 Cu12 Ni10 Be2 in the base material zone maintained amorphous structure, and the welding fusion zone kept the hardness as high as as-received BMG. Therefore, the laser welding technology can be used to achieve successful bonding of bulk metallic glasses and crystallization metal.

Elucidation of Metallic Plume and Spatter Characteristics Based on SVM During High-Power Disk Laser Welding

During deep penetration laser welding,there exist plume（weak plasma） and spatters,which are the results of weld material ejection due to strong laser heating.The characteristics of plume and spatters are related to welding stability and quality.Characteristics of metallic plume and spatters were investigated during high-power disk laser bead-on-plate welding of Type 304 austenitic stainless steel plates at a continuous wave laser power of 10 kW.An ultraviolet and visible sensitive high-speed camera was used to capture the metallic plume and spatter images.Plume area,laser beam path through the plume,swing angle,distance between laser beam focus and plume image centroid,abscissa of plume centroid and spatter numbers are defined as eigenvalues,and the weld bead width was used as a characteristic parameter that reflected welding stability.Welding status was distinguished by SVM（support vector machine） after data normalization and characteristic analysis.Also,PCA（principal components analysis） feature extraction was used to reduce the dimensions of feature space,and PSO（particle swarm optimization） was used to optimize the parameters of SVM.Finally a classification model based on SVM was established to estimate the weld bead width and welding stability.Experimental results show that the established algorithm based on SVM could effectively distinguish the variation of weld bead width,thus providing an experimental example of monitoring high-power disk laser welding quality.

Effect of laser power on metal transfer in laser-double arcs P-MAG hybrid welding with single power source

The effect of laser power on metal transfer is studied under conditions of alternating combustion of double arcs in order to develop the welding process of the laser-double arcs pulsed metal active gas （P-MAG） hybrid welding with single power. Different laser power corresponds to different interactive mechanisms of laser and arc and to different methods of metal transfer in the hybrid welding. When the laser power ascends from 500 W to 1 500 W, the methods of metal transfer change from the complex transfer of one droplet per pulse, one droplet two pulses and one droplet much more pulses during the mixture of globular and projected transfer of the lead wire, and from one droplet two pulses and one droplet three pulses during globular transfer of the follow wire to the methods of the metal transfer of both lead wire and follow wire are stable one droplet two pulses and one droplet three pulses when the metal transfer is mainly globular. The arc sharps and pressure of droplet are altered with the laser power changing. The compression of the arcs is strengthened by the laser and the offset of the center of droplet mass is much more obvious with the increasing of the laser power.

Analysis of Laser Micro Welding of Copper-Aluminum Dissimilar Metals and Its Mechanism

Micro welding of dissimilar metals can meet many performance requirements for modern engineering structures. In this experiment, laser micro welding of copper-aluminum dissimilar metals was conducted with an HWLW-300A energy negative feedback Nd:YAG pulse laser. By using the overlap welding method with copper on aluminum, with the laser energy being distributed unevenly, good weld joints were obtained. In this paper, the welding mechanism was analyzed from aspects such as welding temperature and the specific heat capacity of the solid metal. Existing defects were identified, and a feasible improvement scheme was proposed.

Experimental study on gas metal arc welding and laser hybrid welding of WYS700 steel

Gas metal arc welding, laser welding, and laser-metal active gas welding(MAG) hybrid welding methods were applied to WYS700 steel.Different welding procedures were performed and different welding technologies were compared.Macro metallographs of the welded joints were obtained, and the mechanical properties(such as tensile strength, bending property, and hardness) of the joints formed using the different welding technologies were determined.The results revealed that the joint of the WYS700 steel could be formed well through gas metal arc welding, laser welding, and laser-MAG hybrid welding.Furthermore, the softening of the welding heat affected zone can be effectively reduced to obtain good strength and plasticity by using a suitable welding procedure.Laser-MAG hybrid welding allows the realization of high efficiency and deep penetration for the welding of thick plates with specifications above 3 mm.

Comparative Study on Microstructures of Zincalume Steel(G550)Welded Joint Between Metal Inert Gas and Laser Beam Welding

Zincalume steel(G550)is commonly used in various construction fields because of its high corrosion resistance and good mechanical properties.In recent years,a number of steel companies have massively produced zincalume steel(G550)with large volumes of waste.For the reduction of massive industrial wastes,the zincalume steel(G550)was welded in the lap joint configuration using different welding parameters in the metal inert gas(MIG)welding and laser beam welding(LBW)process in this study.The MIG welding and LBW are more welcomed welding methods due to their high efficiency and low cost.However,they are different as the LBW offers welding speed three to five times faster than MIG welding,while LBW’s heat transfer to workpieces is much less than MIG welding,which can avoid some distortions.The microstructure of zincalume steel(G550)was investigated using scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and the microstructure characterizations of welded specimens were analyzed.The experiment found the columnar dendrites extended under the heat flow direction during the MIG welding and LBW process.Thus,the columnar grains were formed in between the equiaxed zone and fusion zone(FZ)at high heat input and slow cooling rate.Moreover,the grain size of FZ was comparatively smaller than heat affected zone(HAZ)and base metal(BM).

Transient Thermal Modeling in Laser Welding of Metallic/Nonmetallic Joints Using SolidWorks^(█) Software

The purpose of this research is to develop a SolidWorks? model for transient temperature field of laser welding of PMMA/SS 304 materials for application in fabrication of the ultrasonic back-plate, with a view of optimizing the experimental conditions. The study is carried out on these materials because of the increasing application of both metals and non-metals. The work focuses specifically on these materials because they have been experimentally studied previously and as such, this study can be accepted as an assessment into feasibility of using SolidWorks? model to study the temperature field of the laser welding processes of metals and non-metals. The results of the SolidWorks? transient thermal model show that there is a concentration of high temperatures at the point of contact. It also shows that temperature decreases as we move in (between laser and the top face) to the thickness of the part. Additionally the maximum temperature occurs at the last point of the welding;this may be due to the accumulation of the temperature before arriving at the end. These findings are comparable to the previous simulated and experimental results on temperature field during laser welding of PMMA/SS 304 materials. However, SolidWorks? is shown to present a challenge in modeling a moving source of laser power.

Geometrical, microstructural and mechanical characterization of pulse laser welded thin sheet 5052-H32 aluminium alloy for aerospace applications

Pulse laser welding of 0.6 mm-thick AA5052-H32 was performed to determine the optimum set of parameters including laser pulse current,pulse frequency and pulse duration that meets the AWS D17.1 specifications for aerospace industry.The microstructure and mechanical properties of the weldments were also investigated.Relationships between the parameters and weld bead geometry were found.High quality weld joints without solidification crack that met AWS D17.1 requirements were obtained at(I)high pulse energy(25 J)and high average peak power(4.2 kW)and(II)low pulse energy(17.6 J)and low average peak power(2.8 kW).The weld joint formed at lower heat energy input exhibited finer dendritic grain structure.Mg vapourisation and hard phase compound(Al0.5Fe3Si0.5)formation decreased in the weld joint formed at lower heat energy input.Consequently,the tensile strength of the weldment formed at lower heat energy input(168 MPa)is by a factor of 1.15 higher but showed^29%decrease in hardness(111 HV0.1)at the joint when being compared with the weldment formed at higher heat energy input.Appropriate parameters selection is critical to obtaining 0.6 mm-thick AA5052-H32 pulse laser weld joints that meet AWS D17.1 requirements for aircraft structures.

Transformation mechanism of secondary phase and its effect on intergranular corrosion in laser wire filling welding Ni-based alloy/304 stainless steel

To clarify the transformation mechanism of secondary phase and the mechanism of intergranular corrosion in laser welding Ni-based alloy (Hastelloy C-276)/304 stainless steel with filler wire,the secondary phase was analyzed by electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).The evaluation of intergranular corrosion resistance of the welded joints was conducted by double-loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation(DL-EPR) method,and at the same time the chemical compositions of the corrosion surface were analyzed by energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS).The results show that p phase has complete coherence relationship withμphase,and the coherent relationship is described as[001]p//■and[430]p//[0001]μ.Theμphase is rapidly transformed from p phase,which is the inhomogeneous phase transformation.The transformation of secondary phase will increase the susceptibility to intergranular corrosion.Therefore,the transformation of secondary phase should be avoided in the welding process.

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.

Effect of pulse parameters on microstructure of joint in laser beam welding for SiC_p/6063 composite

The restraint effects of pulse frequency and pulse duty cycle on the precipitates of harmful needle like Al 4C 3 phase were studied in CO 2 impulsed laser welding through the experiment on the SiC p/6063 composite, and the microstructures of the weld under the different process parameters (pulse time from 1 ms to 20 ms,duty cycle from 50% to 91%) were analyzed. In order to compare, CO 2 continuous laser was conducted under the same efficiency. The results demonstrate that the proper laser pulse frequency and duty cycle can restrain the formation of Al 4C 3 effectively. However, the burning loss of SiC is more serious and the fluidity of molten pool is less in continuous laser welding than in impulsed laser welding.

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.

Effect of the Welding Parameters on the Structural and Mechanical Properties of Aluminium and Copper Sheet Joints by Electromagnetic Pulse Welding

Aluminium-copper hybrid parts, as a substitution to copper parts, result in weight and cost reduction, and are relevant in applications related to the electronic, heating and cooling sector. However, aluminium to copper joined by thermal welding processes presents challenges in terms of achieving good joint quality. This is attributed to their dissimilar mechanical and thermal properties which result in large stress gradients during heating. This study investigated joining of aluminium to copper sheets by electromagnetic pulse welding, which is a solid-state process that uses electromagnetic forces for joining of dissimilar materials. Hybrid sheet welds were obtained for all parameters conditions, selected according to a Taguchi L18 design. The structural and mechanical characteristics were examined and related to the welding parameters by means of a Pareto analysis and response graphs. The welded zone started with a wavy interface with interfacial layers and defects and evolved to a flat interface without interfacial layers. The maximum transferable force depended on the minimum specimen thickness and the strength of the hybrid sheet weld. In case of aluminium sheet thickness reduction, the maximum transferable force was linearly correlated with the aluminium sheet thickness. High quality joints were obtained for no aluminium sheet thickness reduction and for a sheet weld strength which was at least as high as that of the base material. The most effective way to increase the transferable force was to lower the initial gap and to increase the free length, which resulted in no aluminium sheet thickness reduction. Alternatively, the use of a rounded spacer decreased the effect of the aluminium sheet thickness on the transferable force. An increase in weld width was achieved for an increase in capacitor charging energy and gap, whereas an increase in weld length was obtained for a decrease in gap. An increase in weld width did not necessarily result in an increase in the transferable force. In the regarded cases, a hybrid sheet with narrow weld width could therefore have higher quality.

Welding of shape memory alloy to stainless steel for medical occluder

Dissimilar metal joining between NiTi shape memory alloy（SMA） and stainless steel was conducted.A cluster of NiTi SMA wires were first joined with tungsten inert gas（TIG） welding process,then the NiTi SMA TIG weld was welded to a stainless steel pipe with laser spot welding process.The microstructure of the welds was examined with an optical microscope and the elemental distribution in the welds was measured by electron probe microanalysis（EPMA）.The results show that TiC compounds dispersively distribute in the NiTi SMA TIG weld.However,the amount of TiC compounds greatly decreases around the fusion boundary of the laser spot weld between the NiTi SMA and stainless steel.Mutual diffusion between NiTi shape memory alloy and stainless steel happen within a short distance near the fusion boundary,and intermetallic compounds such as Ni3Ti＋（Fe,Ni）Ti appear around the fusion boundary.

Cold metal transfer(CMT) technology-An overview

Cold Metal Transfer technology has revolutionized the welding of dissimilar metals and thicker materials by producing improved weld bead aesthetics with controlled metal deposition and low heat-input. In this study, the process, weld combinations, laser-CMT hybrid welding and applications of CMT welding are critically reviewed. Microstructure and other weld characteristics have been discussed at length for various base metal combinations. Particularly, the welding of aluminium and steel with better results has been possible with CMT Welding. The results reviewed in this article indicate that the CMT-Laser hybrid welding is more preferable to Laser or Laser hybrid welding. CMT welding has found applications in automobile industries, defence sectors and power plants as a method of additive manufacturing.

Effect of Al coating conditions on laser weldability of Al coated steel sheet

Al coated steel sheets with excellent heat resistance,thermal reflection,and corrosion resistance are widely used in various applications.The laser weldability of the Al coated steel sheet for full penetration welding was reported.The phenomenon caused by intermixed aluminum and behavior of aluminum in the weld were investigated.Al coated steel sheets that have various thickness and coating mass were prepared for laser welding.The effects of parameters such as welding conditions and Al coating conditions were investigated.Al content mixed in the weld after laser welding was evaluated,and then a correlation between the mixed Al and mechanical properties was investigated.The results show that the Al-rich zones which have Fe-Al intermetallic compounds are found in the weld.The intermetallic compounds cause the decreased strength of the weld.

Microstructure characteristics and liquation behavior of fiber laser welded joints of Mg-5Zn-1Mn-0.6Sn alloy sheets

Fine-grained Mg?5Zn?1Mn?0.6Sn alloy sheets of2mm in thickness were welded by fiber laser welding.The appearanceand microstructures of the welding joints and liquation behaviors in the partially melted zone(PMZ)were investigated.The resultsshow that,with the lower welding power and higher welding speed,the width and depth of the joints decrease.Moreover,some poresare detected at a very high welding speed.There are two kinds of liquation phenomena in the PMZ.One is the liquation networkalong grain boundaries associated with the liquation of substrate and segregation-induced liquation,the other is the molten poolinvolved with the liquation of the residual second phases at the boundaries.However,the liquation of substrate and thesegregation-induced liquation are the main liquation mechanism in the PMZ.