Effect of heat input on microstructure and properties of hybrid fiber laser-arc weld joints of the 800 MPa hot-rolled Nb-Ti-Mo microalloyed steels

Hybrid fiber laser-arc welding (HLAW) process was applied to a novel hot-rolled Nb-Ti-Mo microalloyed steels of 8 mm thickness. The steel is primarily used to manufacture automotive and construction machinery components, etc. To elucidate the effect of heat input on geometry, microstructure and mechanical properties, different heat inputs (3.90, 5.20 and 7.75 kJ/cm) were used by changing the welding speeds. With increased heat input, the depth/width of penetration was decreased, and the geometry of fusion zone (FZ) changed to “wine cup-like” shape. In regard to the microstructural constituents, the martensite content was decreased, but granular bainite (GB) content was increased. The main microstructural difference was in the FZ cross-section at 7.75 kJ/cm because of the effect of thermal source on the top and bottom. The microstructure of the top part consisted of GB, grain boundary ferrite, and acicular ferrite, while the bottom part was primarily lath martensite. The hardness distribution was similar for different heat inputs. Hardness in FZ, coarse-grained HAZ and mixed-grained HAZ was higher than the base metal (BM), but for the fine-grained HAZ was similar or marginally less than the base metal (BM). Tensile strain was concentrated in the BM such that the fracture occurred in this region. In summary, the geometry, microstructure, and mechanical properties of weld joints were superior at heat input of 5.20 kJ/cm.     

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A preliminary study of microstructure and properties of the welded joint of low activation CLF-1 steel used for fusion reactor and 316L dissimilar metal by tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding using W19123L as filler material, has been performed. The welded joint forming is proved well and without defect. The welded joint consists of CLF-1 zone [base metal (BM), heat affected zone (HAZ), fusion zone (FZ)], inside layer (IL), weld zone (WZ), and 316L zone (BM, HAZ, FZ). Tensile strength of the joint is better than the base metal minimum value in room temperature. Both surfaces of welded joint are without crack and with deformation uniformity under the bending test. The distribution of impact value of the joint is concave-like and satisfies the designed values for the welded joint, the WZ’s value is the lowest, the HAZ’s of both WZ zones is the second, the BM’s was the best, and the 316L steel zone’s is slightly larger than the CLF-1 zone’s. The hardness values of the point under the 1.6mm top surface of welded joint have a larger fluctuation range, and is slightly higher than those of 1/2T and above down surface 1.6mm position. The hardness distribution of 1/2T and above the down surface 1.6mm position is roughly uniform, and has a downward trend from the CLF-1 zone to 316L zone. Welding properties generally has remained stable and satisfy the requirement of dissimilar steel welding performance matching.     

聚变堆用CLF-1 钢与316L 钢TIG 焊接接头组织与性能初步研究

对用W19123L 为焊丝的聚变堆用低活化CLF-1 钢与316L 钢的钨极氩弧焊(TIG)焊接接头金相组织及性能进行了初步研究。结果表明：焊接接头成型良好、无缺陷;金相组织表明焊接接头由CLF-1 侧(母材区、热影响区、熔合区)、过渡层、焊缝区、316L 侧(母材区、热影响区、熔合区)组成;室温拉伸试验结果优于母材的最低要求值;弯曲试验后的焊接接头内外表面完好,无裂纹产生,变形均匀;焊接接头冲击值成凹型分布,焊缝区冲击值最低,焊缝两侧热影响区冲击值次之,母材冲击值最高,316L 侧冲击值略高于CLF-1 侧,均满足焊接接头设计值;焊接接头上表面1.6mm 硬度波动较大,略高于1/2T 和下表面1.6mm 处,焊接接头1/2T 和下表面1.6mm 硬度分布较均匀,从CLF-1 侧到316L 侧有下降趋势。整体焊接性能基本稳定,满足异种钢焊接性能匹配要求。     

Experimental investigation and metallographic characterization of fiber laser beam welding of Ti-6Al-4V alloy using response surface method

In the present study, experimental investigations of fiber-laser-beam-welding of 5 mm thick Ti-6Al-4V alloy are carried out based on statistical design of experiments. The relationship between the process parameters such as welding power, welding speed, and defocused position of the laser beam with the output responses such as width of the fusion zone, size of the heat affected zone, and fusion zone area are established in terms of regression models. Also, the most significant process parameters and their optimum ranges are identified and their percentage contributions on output responses are calculated. It is observed that welding power and speed plays the major role for full penetration welding. Also, welding power shows direct effect whereas welding speed shows the inverse effect on the output responses. The bead geometry is influenced by the defocused position of the laser beam due to the change in power density on the workpiece surface. However, overall fusion zone area is unaffected. Mechanical characterization of the welded samples such as microstructural analysis, hardness, and tensile tests are conducted. It is noticed that the hardness value of the FZ is higher than the HAZ and BM zone due to the difference in cooling rate during welding which promotes the formation of α′ martensitic phase in the FZ. Also, an average hardness value in the FZ is compared for two different defocusing positions (i.e. 1 and 2 mm). It is found that hardness value is higher for 1 mm defocused position than 2 mm due the decrement in grain size below a critical range at 2 mm defocused position. The ultimate tensile strength and % elongation of the welded samples are degraded as compared to BM which can be further improved by post heat treatment.     

Effect of welding speed on butt joint quality of Ti–6Al–4V alloy welded using a high-power Nd:YAG laser

Annealed Ti–6Al–4V alloy sheets with 1 and 2 mm thickness are welded using a 4 kW Nd:YAG laser system. The effects of welding speed on surface morphology and shape, welding defects, microstructure, hardness and tensile properties are investigated. Weld joints without or with minor cracks, porosity and shape defects were obtained indicating that high-power Nd:YAG laser welding is a suitable method for Ti–6Al–4V alloy. The fusion zone consists mainly of acicular α′ martensite leading to an increase of approximately 20% in hardness compared with that in the base metal. The heat-affected zone consists of a mixture of α′ martensite and primary α phases. Significant gradients of microstructures and hardness are obtained over the narrow heat-affected zone. The laser welded joints have similar or slightly higher joint strength but there is a significant decrease in ductility. The loss of ductility is related to the presence of micropores and aluminum oxide inclusions.     

Welding of polymers using a 2 μm thulium fiber laser

Absorber-free transmission and butt-welding of different polymers were performed using thulium fiber laser radiation at the wavelength 2 μm. The relations between the laser process conditions and the dimensions and quality of the seam were investigated by means of optical and phase-contrast microscopy. Mechanical properties of the weld joints were studied in tensile strength tests. Laser-welded polyethylene samples revealed a tensile strength of greater than 80% of the bulk material strength. Transmission welding of different polymer combinations featured the formation of different joint classes depending on the spectral properties. The experiments demonstrate new application areas of mid-IR fiber laser sources for materials processing.     

Research on laser welding of high-strength galvanized automobile steel sheets

The paper presented some useful results of deep-penetration laser welding of high-strength galvanized steel sheets, which had been carried out by a self-made CO₂ laser unit with maximum power output of 1.5 kW. The workpieces of high-strength galvanized automobile steels with thickness of 1.5 mm were butt-welded with argon as the shielding gas. The effects of such factors as laser power, welding speed, focal position, shielding gas and zinc vaporization on the quality of welds are investigated. With the processing parameters optimized and the proper shielding gas used in both coaxial and side-blow direction, most of the defects, such as pores, cracks and softening in HAZ, can be avoided in laser welding joints. The microstructure, the hardness distribution and the elemental distribution in the welding joints can be changed due to laser heating and recrystallization. In order to determine the mechanical properties of the welding joints, the static tensile strength was tested. Experimental results indicated that both the strength and microhardness of welding joints were higher than those of the base metal. Consequently, the welding quality is reliable for manufacturing of automobile bodies.     

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利用单轴热扩散焊设备对中国固态包层模块结构材料CLF-1钢进行了初步的实验研究。实验结果表明,在焊缝界面结合率达到一定程度时,焊件接头的拉伸强度与塑性性能可以达到母材的水平;但焊件接头的冲击韧性则很敏感,其中最好的实验测试值只达到了母材相应值的48%,这与焊缝界面上残留污染物所导致的接头空隙缺陷有关。     

不锈钢焊接件不等强度激光冲击与应力腐蚀试验研究

针对不锈钢焊接接头应力及组织分布不均匀,容易导致应力腐蚀开裂的问题,采用不等强度激光冲击波对316奥氏体不锈钢焊接接头进行处理。通过应力腐蚀试验、残余应力测试及微观组织分析,研究了激光冲击强化对焊接接头应力腐蚀抗性的影响及其作用机理。试验结果表明:激光冲击强化将焊接件的应力腐蚀断裂时间提高了33.48%。激光冲击波的作用,在焊接接头部位引入了高数值的残余压应力,一方面消除了热影响导致的残余拉应力,同时抵消了拉伸工作载荷的作用,降低局部应力梯度,从而延缓表面钝化膜的破裂;另一方面,激光冲击使焊接接头不同区域之间的微观组织均匀和细化,提高了微裂纹萌生的条件,降低了金属发生阳极溶解的可能性。两种因素的共同作用,使得不锈钢焊接接头的抗应力腐蚀性能显著增强。     

Effects of relative positioning of energy sources on weld integrity for hybrid laser arc welding

This study is concerned with the effects of laser and arc arrangement on weld integrity for the hybrid laser arc welding processes. Experiments were conducted for a high-strength steel using a 4 kW Nd: YAG laser and a metal active gas (MAG) welding facility under two configurations of arc–laser hybrid welding (ALHW) and laser–arc hybrid welding (LAHW). Metallographic analysis and mechanical testing were performed to evaluate the weld integrity in terms of weld bead geometry, microstructure and mechanical properties. The morphology of the weld bead cross-section was studied and the typical macrostructure of the weld beads appeared to be cone-shaped and cocktail cup-shaped under ALHW and LAHW configurations, respectively. The weld integrity attributes of microstructure, phase constituents and microhardness were analyzed for different weld regions. The tensile and impact tests were performed and fracture surface morphology was analyzed by scanning electron microscope. The study showed that ALHW produced joints with a better weld shape and a more uniform microstructure of lath martensite, while LAHW weld had a heterogeneous structure of lath martensite and austenite.     

Microstructure evolution and mechanical property of pulsed laser welded Ni-based superalloy

For evaluating the microstructure evolution and mechanical property of Ni-based Hastelloy C-276 weld joint by the pulsed laser welding, the influence of pulsed laser welding on the microstructure and mechanical property of the weld joint is investigated by the analysis of the microstructure morphology, microhardness, phase structure and tensile property. The results indicate that, in the fusion zone three sections are divided on the basis of the patterns of grain structures. In the weld joint, the element segregation is found, but the trend of brittle phase׳s formation is weakened. The weld microhardness presents just a little higher than that of base metal, and there is no obvious the softened heat affected zone. Meanwhile in the weld joint, the phase structure is still the face-center cubic with the tiny shift of peak positions and widened Full Width at Half-Maximum. The yield strength of weld joint is the same as that of base metal, and the tensile strength is nearly 90% of that of base metal. The decreased tensile strength is mainly attributed to the dislocation piling-up.     

高温合金活性剂激光微焊接接头的组织性能研究

采用配方均匀设计法,配制了SiO2-MnO2-CaO-TiO2-CaF2-NaF多组元活性剂,利用微型脉冲激光器对500 m厚GH4169高温合金进行了活性剂激光焊接试验。分析并讨论了焊接接头的显微组织和力学性能。试验结果表明,与传统激光焊相比,所配制的20种活性剂均增加了焊缝熔深,并且其中F12系混合活性剂增加熔深能力最为显著,使焊缝深宽比增加了159%,证明通过使用活性剂来增加微激光焊焊缝熔深,降低高温合金板激光焊接的成本是可行的。在活性剂作用下,焊缝显微组织仍由柱状晶和等轴晶组成,接头抗拉强度达到927 MPa,为母材强度的92.7%。     

5083铝合金光纤激光-TIG复合焊接工艺研究

采用IPG YLS-6000光纤激光器和Fronius MagicWave3000job数字化焊机,对4mm厚5083H116铝合金进行了复合焊接试验。研究了电源特性、电流大小和热源间距等工艺参数对光纤激光-钨极惰性气体保护焊(TIG)复合焊接焊缝成形的影响规律,并分析了焊接接头的缺陷、显微硬度及力学性能。结果表明,光纤激光-TIG复合焊接5083铝合金,能够明显改善焊缝成形,提高焊接过程稳定性,特别是与变极性TIG电弧复合效果更为显著;光纤激光与变极性TIG电弧复合焊接,采用激光在前的方式,电弧电流150A,且热源间距不大于4mm,可以得到具有明亮金属光泽和均匀鱼鳞纹的焊缝,焊缝无气孔和裂纹缺陷,其表面有少量的下凹;复合焊接接头抗拉强度为318MPa,达到母材强度的93%,延伸率为7.6%,高于单光纤激光焊接,断口分析为韧性断裂。     

CW/PW dual-beam YAG laser welding of steel/aluminum alloy sheets

The lap welding of JSC270CC steel and A6111-T4 aluminum alloys were carried out by a dual-beam YAG laser with the continuous wave (CW) and pulse wave (PW) modes. The microstructure of the welded joints were examined with SEM, EPMA while the properties were checked with microhardness tester and tensile testing machine. It was shown that the dual-beam laser welding can effectively reduce or avoid the formation of the blowholes in the welded joints. The PW laser beam penetrated the welding pool, leading to the root-shape structures with enhanced bonding strength at the weld interface. A 10 μm intermetallic compound (IMC) layer was generated at the interface. The shearing strength of lap joint was measured to be 128 MPa.     

Improving Epoxy Adhesives with Zirconia Nanoparticles

Zirconia nanoparticles were synthesized by a sol–gel route and dispersed into an epoxy base for structural adhesives. Nanoparticles were used as-synthesized or after calcination. Moreover, the effect of silane functionalization was also investigated. According to preliminary tensile mechanical tests on bulk nanocomposite samples, calcined and untreated zirconia nanoparticles were selected for the preparation of adhesives with various filler contents. The glass transition temperature increased up to a filler content of 1 vol% and then decreased, probably due to the concurrent and contrasting effects of chain blocking and reduction of the crosslinking degree. Also tensile modulus, stress at break and fracture toughness of bulk adhesives samples were positively affected by the presence of an optimal amount of zirconia nanoparticles. Mechanical tests on single lap aluminium bonded joints indicated that zirconia nanoparticles led to relevant enhancements of the shear strength of the joints. In particular, the shear strength increased by about 60% for an optimal filler content of 1 vol%, and an adhesive failure mechanism was evidenced for all the tested specimens. Concurrently, a significant decrease of the equilibrium contact angle with water was observed for adhesives containing zirconia nanoparticles. It can therefore be concluded that the addition of zirconia nanoparticles can effectively improve epoxy adhesives, both by increasing their mechanical properties and by enhancing the interfacial wettability with an aluminium substrate.     

低活化马氏体钢热等静压焊接接头性能初步研究

研究了低活化马氏体钢(CLF-1)热等静压(HIP)焊接接头的性能,经980℃/1h/空冷+740℃/2h/空冷的性能热处理后,接头组织保持着CLF-1钢母材回火马氏体组织;常温拉伸性能与母材相当,断口为韧窝状且有第二相粒子产生,为塑性断裂且断于焊缝;常温冲击功最高为母材的26.2%。初步分析认为焊接表面制备状态、表面污染物、表面清洗状态、表面氧化膜都会影响基体原子充分扩散,导致界面扩散层不均匀,焊缝裂纹敏感性增强,冲击功低,且不稳定。     

Optimization of laser butt welding parameters with multiple performance characteristics

This paper presents a study carried out on 3.5 kW cooled slab laser welding of 904 L super austenitic stainless steel. The joints have butts welded with different shielding gases, namely argon, helium and nitrogen, at a constant flow rate. Super austenitic stainless steel (SASS) normally contains high amount of Mo, Cr, Ni, N and Mn. The mechanical properties are controlled to obtain good welded joints. The quality of the joint is evaluated by studying the features of weld bead geometry, such as bead width (BW) and depth of penetration (DOP). In this paper, the tensile strength and bead profiles (BW and DOP) of laser welded butt joints made of AISI 904 L SASS are investigated. The Taguchi approach is used as a statistical design of experiment (DOE) technique for optimizing the selected welding parameters. Grey relational analysis and the desirability approach are applied to optimize the input parameters by considering multiple output variables simultaneously. Confirmation experiments have also been conducted for both of the analyses to validate the optimized parameters.     

Characterization of Kovar-to-Kovar laser welded joints and its mechanical strength

For the packaging of a pump laser in butterfly package, the most crucial assembly step is the fiber-to-laser diode coupling and attachment. The use of laser welding as the joining method offers several advantages if compared with the adhesive joints: strong joining strength, short process time and less contamination. This paper reports on laser welding process characteristics; weld strength and its fracture mode. The penetration depth and melt area of laser spot welds were found to be complicated functions of laser pulse energy, intensity, and beam diameter. Effects of pulse width, input power and size of the focal spot on the rate of energy input to the workpieces and consequently, the weld strength were reported. The weld strength was found to be dependent on the overlapping area between the two joining materials. Surface roughness, R_a, has influence on the fraction of energy absorbed, A, and therefore, affecting the penetration depth. Thermal analysis was carried out on the laser-welded joints and its heat-affected zone (HAZ) induced by various power densities was examined. These data are important in order to optimize and utilize the laser welding process as an effective manufacturing tool for fabrication of reliable pump laser.     

Parametric optimisation and microstructural analysis on high power Yb-fibre laser welding of Ti–6Al–4V

In this work thin sheets of Ti–6Al–4V were full penetration welded using a 5 kW fibre laser in order to evaluate the effectiveness of high power fibre laser as a welding processing tool for welding Ti–6Al–4V with the requirements of the aircraft industry and to determine the effect of welding parameters including laser power, welding speed and beam focal position on the weld microstructure, bead profile and weld quality. It involved establishing an understanding of the influence of welding parameters on microstructural change, welding defects, and the characteristics of heat affected zone (HAZ) and weld metal (WM) of fibre laser welded joints. The optimum range of welding parameters which produced welds without cracking and porosity were identified. The influence of the welding parameters on the weld joint heterogeneity was characterised by conducting detailed microstructural analysis.     

Computational and experimental study of a melt-hardened zone on a roller modified by wide-band laser treatment

A three-dimensional finite element model has been developed to simulate the wide-band laser remelting process and predict the thermal and mechanical properties in the melt-hardened zone. The simulation of the laser remelting process was performed using the nonlinear thermo-mechanical properties, based on a wide-band heat source model. The temperature fields, phase transformations, hardness and residual stress distributions in the melt-hardened zone were analyzed. In the remelting zone, the transformed volumetric percentage of martensite is beyond 80% and the excessive transformed martensitic structure greatly affects the mechanical properties in the melt-hardened zone with its volumetric expansion effect. After remelting, the hardness can be improved and the residual stress distributed within the melted zone is mainly of the compressive type, while the tensile stress in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) may cause the initiation of cracks. The computational results are in good agreement with experimental measurements.