Double-sided Hybrid Laser-Arc Welding of 25 mm S690QL High Strength Steel

Hybrid Laser-Arc Welding (HLAW) technique is an enabler for the next generation high efficiency we lding, bu t in dustrial ad option ha s be en li mited du e to pr ocess complexity. Previously documented challenges with root cracks posed by incomplete penetration were significant; h owever, t his w ork p resents s uccessful w eld s amples p repared f rom S 690QL steel welded from two sides with a 16 kW disc laser. Weld travel speeds below 500 mm/min and weld line energies between 1.7 and 1.9 kJ/mm gave sound weld samples, evaluated for yield strength, elongation, hardness and Charpy-V toughness according to DS/EN ISO 10025-6:2004+A1. The results shown here indicate a significant i ncrease i n t he overall e fficiency of but t wel ds in high strength steels and further cement the HLAW process for high strength steels. It is shown that the consecutive nature of the weld procedure led to non-negligible interpass temperatures for the second weld.

Microstructural Characterization of Laser Weld of Hot-Stamped Al-Si Coated 22MnB5 and Modification of Weld Properties by Hybrid Welding

The presence of Al-Si coating on 22MnB5 leads to the formation of large ferritic bands in the dominantly martensitic microstructure of butt laser welds. Rapid cooling of laser weld metal is responsible for insufficient diffusion of coating elements into the steel and incomplete homogenization of weld fusion zone. The Al-rich regions promote the formation of ferritic solid solution. Soft ferritic bands cause weld joint weakening. Laser welds reached only 64% of base metal's ultimate tensile strength, and they always fractured in the fusion zone during the tensile tests. We implemented hybrid laser-TIG welding technology to reduce weld cooling rate by the addition of heat of the arc. The effect of arc current on weld microstructure and mechanical properties was investigated. Thanks to the slower cooling, the large ferritic bands were eliminated. The hybrid welds reached greater ultimate tensile strength compared to laser welds. The location of the fracture moved from the fusion zone to a tempered heat-affected zone characterized by a drop in microhardness. The minimum of microhardness was independent of heat input in this region.

Macro-Modelling of Laser Micro-Joints for Understanding Joint Strength in Electric Vehicle Battery Interconnects

Laser micro-welding is increasingly being used to produce electrically conductive joints within a battery module of an automotive battery pack. To understand the joint strength of these laser welds at an early design stage, micro-joints are required to be modelled. Additionally, structural modelling of the battery module along with the electrical interconnects is important for understanding the crash safety of electric vehicles. Fusion zone based micro-modelling of laser welding is not a suitable approach for structural modelling due to the computational inefficiency and the difficulty of integrating with the module model. Instead, a macro-model which computationally efficient and easy to integrate with the structural model can be useful to replicate the behaviour of the laser weld. A macro-modelling approach was adopted in this paper to model the mechanical behaviour of laser micro-weld. The simulations were based on 5 mm diameter circular laser weld and developed from the experimental data for both the lap shear and T-peel tests. This modelling approach was extended to obtain the joint strengths for 3 mm diameter circular seams, 5 mm and 10 mm linear seams. The predicted load–displacement curves showed a close agreement with the test data.

Laser Welding Influence on Corrosion Rate of Galvanized Sheets of DP600 Automobilistic Alloy

Corrosion rate behavior of laser welded dual-phase galvanized steel, DP 600, has been assessed in comparison with the material without the laser weld, in 3.5% NaCl solution. Three combinations of both scanning speed and laser power parameters were selected, maintaining the thermal input of 30 J mm-1, calculated as the ratio between the laser beam power [W] and the scanning speed [mm s-1]. The corrosion studies included measurements of open circuit potential, micro and macro polarization, showing higher corrosion rates as scanning speed decreased. Optical microscopy showed the formation of a grain size refined morphology in the heat affected zone and fusion zone. A mechanism has been proposed to explain the corrosion behavior as a function of the laser parameters, which dictated the galvanized coating vaporization.

The Effect of the Shielding Gas Flow Rate on the Geometry, Porosity, Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Laser Weld Joints

In this research, studied was the microstructure of AW5083 aluminium alloy butt laser weld joint fabricated under the Ar + 30 vol. % He shielding gas. The light and electron microscopy, computed tomography, microhardness measurements and tensile testing were used for evaluation of the weld joint properties. Porosity volume in the weld metal (WM) was observed by the computed tomography (CT). The volume of porosity in the weld No. 1 was 0.05 mm3, while that in the weld No. 2 was 1.45 mm3. The width of the weld No. 1 was 4.69 mm, the average tensile strength was 309 MPa, and the average microhardness was 55.7 HV0.1. Polyhedral grains with an average grain size diameter of 48 μm were present in the heat-affected zone. The fusion zone (FZ) was of a dendritic structure with an average grain size of 20 μm. Three intermetallic compounds β-Al3Mg2, γ-Al12Mg17 and Al49Mg32, which were identified by transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis, were present in inter-dendritic areas of the WM. The weld joint was characterized by ductile fracture in the base metal (BM). In the FZ, a small number of Al2O3 particles of irregular shapes were observed.