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.     

Dissimilar autogenous full penetration welding of superalloy K418 and 42CrMo steel by a high power CW Nd:YAG laser

Experiments of autogenous laser full penetration welding between dissimilar cast Ni-based superalloy K418 and alloy steel 42CrMo flat plates with 3.5 mm thickness were conducted using a 3 kW continuous wave (CW) Nd:YAG laser. The influences of laser welding velocity, flow rate of side-blow shielding gas, defocusing distance were investigated. Microstructure of the welded seam was characterized by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). Mechanical properties of the welded seam were evaluated by microhardness and tensile strength testing. Results show that high quality full penetration laser-welded joint can be obtained by optimizing the welding velocity, flow rate of shielding gas and defocusing distance. The laser-welded seam have non-equilibrium solidified microstructures consisting of γ-FeCr_0.29Ni_0.16C_0.06 austenite solid solution dendrites as the dominant and very small amount of super-fine dispersed Ni₃Al γ′ phase and Laves particles as well as MC needle-like carbides distributed in the interdendritic regions. Although the microhardness of the laser-welded seam was lower than that of the base metal, the strength of the joint was equal to that of the base metal and the fracture mechanism showed fine ductility.     

Multi-response optimization of CO2 laser-welding process of austenitic stainless steel

Recently, laser welding of austenitic stainless steel has received great attention in industry. This is due to its widespread application in petroleum refinement stations, power plants, the pharmaceutical industry and also in households. Therefore, mechanical properties should be controlled to obtain good welded joints. The welding process should be optimized by the proper mathematical models. In this research, the tensile strength and impact strength along with the joint-operating cost of laser-welded butt joints made of AISI304 was investigated.Design-expert software was used to establish the design matrix and to analyze the experimental data. The relationships between the laser-welding parameters (laser power, welding speed and focal point position) and the three responses (tensile strength, impact strength and joint-operating cost) were established. Also, the optimization capabilities in design-expert software were used to optimize the welding process.The developed mathematical models were tested for adequacy using analysis of variance and other adequacy measures. In this investigation, the optimal welding conditions were identified in order to increase the productivity and minimize the total operating cost. Overlay graphs were plotted by superimposing the contours for the various response surfaces. The process parameters effect was determined and the optimal welding combinations were tabulated.     

Process Window for Nd:YAG Laser Welding of Super Duplex Stainless Steel

Super duplex stainless steel (SDSS), an advanced duplex stainless steel with higher alloying concentration, is employed widely in acidic atmospheres. In this study, we make an attempt to develop a process window for the pulsed mode Nd:YAG laser welding of SDSS, as reference maps, to identify the range of process parameters viz., laser power, welding speed, defocusing distance, and pulse frequency for obtaining a defect free full penetration welds. The eminence of the welds, based on the macrostructure, microstructure, and tensile strength, is reported. We obtain a complete penetration weld devoid of undercut, crating at the top and minimum heat affected zone (HAZ) with a overlapping factor of 80–90% and heat input at 100–200 J/mm. The experimental settings prevailing inside the preferred region of the process window exhibit a higher tensile strength as well.     

Experimental study of temperature and clamping force during Nd:YAG laser butt welding

During welding, a high quality clamping device not only holds workpieces firmly together, but should also take the thermal strain of the welding heat without undermining the strength of the weld joint, inducing any excessive distortions, misalignment of workpieces or reducing the weld joint strength. This paper studies the clamping force during laser butt welding of steel workpieces. The clamping force and welding temperature for a butt welded joint during laser welding are measured simultaneously. The preset clamping force is varied during welding for different thicknesses of workpieces and weld joint strengths. The thermal expansion, cooling contraction, and workpiece width reduction during welding induce variations in the preset clamping force and consequently change the weld joint strength. Our study also reveals that there is an optimal preset clamping force that improves the weld joint strength significantly and the welding temperature during steady welding process remains unchanged for any preset clamping force.     

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.     

Study on Laser Welded Strength of Cemented Carbide

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Sheet metal welding using a pulsed Nd: YAG laser-robot

This paper presents a pulsed Nd: YAG laser-robot system for spot and seam welding of mild steel sheets. The study evaluates the laser beams behaviour for welding, and then investigates pulsed Nd: YAG laser spot and seam welding processes. High pulse power intensity is needed to initiate the key-hole welding process and a threshold pulse energy to reach full penetration. In seam welding, a weld consists of successive overlapping spots. Both high pulse energy and high average power are needed to keep the key-hole welding going. A 70% overlap is used to define overlapping spot welding as seam welding and to optimize process parameters because a high tensile strength joint compatible with the strength of the base material can be obtained when the overlap is ≥70%; at the same time a smooth seam with full penetration is obtained. In these cases, the joints in pulsed Nd: YAG laser welding are comparable in strength to those obtained with CO₂ laser welding. Robot positioning and motion accuracies can meet the demands of Nd: YAG laser sheet metal welding, but its cornering accuracy affects the welding processes. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the YAG laser-robot system for production in the automotive industry.     

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.     

激光扫描阵列结构增强不锈钢与塑料的连接强度

本文采用光纤激光器在不锈钢表面上制备圆形阵列结构来增强不锈钢与塑料的连接强度。研究了激光制备的圆形阵列结构参数以及连接参数对不锈钢与塑料连接强度的影响。结果表明,不锈钢表面经过激光扫描构形处理后能显著提高不锈钢与塑料的连接强度,在压力作用下,熔融塑料渗入激光构造微孔形成的机械互锁是增强不锈钢与塑料连接强度的主要机制。激光构形后不锈钢表面上的毛刺高度、数量以及覆盖率对连接接头的连接强度有重要影响。毛刺高度为10~20μm,毛刺数量占比Tm小于14.82%时,不锈钢与塑料在连接面处断裂,剪切力随着Tm的增加而增加;当Tm值高于14.82%时,在塑料处断裂,且剪切力数值在塑料的平均拉伸断裂力(950 N)上下浮动。不锈钢与塑料连接接头断裂于塑料处时所对应的最小覆盖率为38.5%,此时剪切力为900 N。此外,激光扫描处理过程中不锈钢与塑料连接的温度与压力对连接强度有重要影响,在加热温度为400℃时,不锈钢与塑料连接接头的剪切力最强;当压力为75 kN时,不锈钢与塑料连接接头的剪切力最强。     

低活化铁素体/马氏体钢CLF-1激光焊接模式转变研究

为研究低活化铁素体/马氏体钢(RAFM) CLF-1激光焊接模式转变规律,对其焊缝横截面形貌及尺寸进行了宏观表征和定量分析。结果表明,在一定条件下,随着焊接功率的增大,焊接模式从热传导焊模式向小孔深熔焊模式转变,焊缝横截面表现为“圆弧形”、“V字形”和“钉头形”三种类型形貌。CLF-1钢激光焊接模式不受焊接速度、离焦量变化的影响。激光焊接模式转变的临界值为深熔焊阈值,CLF-1钢深熔焊阈值由材料自身特性决定,当焊接速度为10mm·s^-1时,CLF-1钢深熔焊阈值约为1.20kW·mm^-1。     

Spall Strength of Resistance Spot Weld for QP Steel

The spall tests under the plane tensile pulses for resistance spot weld(RSW) of QP980 steel are performed by using a gun system.The velocity histories of free surfaces of the RSW are measured with the laser velocity interferometer system for any reflector.The recovered specimens are investigated with an Olympus GX71 metallographic microscope and a scanning electron microscope(SEM).The measured velocity histories are explained and used to evaluate the tension stresses in the RSW applying the characteristic theory and the assumption of Gathers.The spall strength(1977-2784 MPa) of the RSW for QP980 steel is determined based on the measured and simulated velocity histories.The spall mechanism of the RSW is brittle fracture in view of the SEM investigation of the recovered specimen.The micrographs of the as-received QP980 steel,the initial and recovered RSW of this steel for the spall test are compared to reveal the microstructure evolution during the welding and spall process.It is indicated that during the welding thermal cycle,the local martensitic phase transformation is dependent on the location within the fusion zone and the heat affected zone.It is presented that the transformation at high strain rate may be cancelled by other phenomenon while the evolution of weld defects is obvious during the spall process.It may be the stress triaxiality and strain rate effect of the RSW strength or the dynamic load-carrying capacity of the RSW structure that the spall strength of the RSW for QP980 steel is much higher than the uniaxial compression yield strength(1200 MPa) of the martensite phase in QP980 steel.Due to the weld defects in the center of the RSW,the spall strength of the RSW should be less than the conventional spall strength or the dynamic load-carrying capacity of condensed structure.     

Laser welding of low-thickness zinc-coated and uncoated carbon steel sheets

Laser welding is a competitive joining process for low-thickness plates. The speeds achieved with laser welding using a CO₂ laser and the low heat input introduced to the base material are the main advantages of this process. The widespread use of laser welding will increase the productivity and accuracy of welding operations. Nevertheless, there are still important developments to be made.The results of laser welding of thin sheets (below 1.25 mm) of uncoated and zinc-coated carbon steels are presented. A CO₂ laser was used for the welding of sheets of different thicknesses and to make dissimilar welds (carbon steel to zinc-coated steel). The bead dimensions and the distortions of the welded sheets are analysed.     

Interface microstructure and mechanical properties of laser welding copper–steel dissimilar joint

Relatively the high reflectivity of copper to CO₂ laser led to the difficulty in joining copper to steel using laser welding. In this paper, a new method was proposed to complete the copper–steel laser butt welding. The scarf joint geometry was used, i.e., the sides of the copper and steel were in obtuse and acute angles, respectively. During the welding process, the laser beam was fixed on the steel side and the dilution ratio of copper to steel was controlled by properly selecting the deviation of the laser beam. The offset of laser beam depended on the scarf angle between the copper and steel, the thickness of plate and the processing parameters used in the laser welding. The microstructure near the interface between Cu plate and the intermixing zone was investigated. Experimental results showed that for the welded joint with high dilution ratio of copper, there was a transition zone with numerous filler particles near the interface. However, if the dilution ratio of copper is low, the transition zone is only generated near the upper side of the interface. At the lower side of the interface, the turbulent bursting behavior in the welding pool led to the penetration of liquid metal into Cu. The welded joint with lower dilution ratio of copper in the fusion zone exhibited higher tensile strength. On the bases of the microstructural evaluation at the interface of the welded joint, a physical model was proposed to describe the formation mechanism of the dissimilar joint with low dilution ratio of copper.     

大功率盘形激光焊飞溅特征分析

焊接过程的在线监控是保证激光焊接质量的关键, 为此, 首先要找到焊接过程传感特征量变化规律以及与焊缝质量间的关系. 飞溅是大功率盘型激光焊接过程中的一个重要现象, 其特征与焊接质量、焊接过程稳定性以及能量利用率等有着密切的联系. 以大功率盘形激光焊接304不锈钢为试验对象, 研究焊接过程中的飞溅特征. 在紫外波段和可见光波段应用高速摄像机摄取焊接过程中产生飞溅的瞬态特征, 通过计算机图像处理技术分析飞溅的数量、面积、行程和质心高度特征参量. 以焊件熔宽作为衡量焊接质量与焊接过程稳定性的因素, 对飞溅特征量进行线性和高次拟合, 研究飞溅特征参量的波动规律, 并与焊件熔宽的变化对比, 探索焊接过程的飞溅特征参量变化规律. 试验结果表明, 根据飞溅特征量变化规律能够对大功率盘形激光焊接304不锈钢板焊接质量做出动态评估, 为实现焊接质量的在线监控提供了试验依据.     

First samples of Ti and Nb tubes explosion welding joint with stainless steel for ILC 1.8 K cryomodule

The world first samples of Ti and Nb tubes joint with stainless steel ones by an explosion welding by the JINR-VNIIEF-FNAL-INFN cooperation were manufactured in the frame of ILC R&D programe. An applying methods of relaxation of residual tensions (after explosion and electron beam welding), macro- and microanalyses of welding seam and cryogenic tests of the samples produced manifest the achievement of high mechanic strength (≈250 MPa/share) of welding seam, solidity and leak absence on 10^?10 l atm/s level at 1.8 K. The explosion welding technology and methods introducing to industrial manufacturing of the 4-th generation of cryomodule of TESLA TYPE DESIGN can exclude the Ti—communications, connect the Nb—cavity with stainless steel vessel and reduce significantly the accelerator cost.     

Dissimilar material joining using laser (aluminum to steel using zinc-based filler wire)

Joining steel with aluminum involving the fusion of one or both materials is possible by laser beam welding technique. This paper describes a method, called laser braze welding, which is a suitable process to realize this structure. The main problem with thermal joining of steel/aluminum assembly with processes such as TIG or MIG is the formation of fragile intermetallic phases, which are detrimental to the mechanical performances of such joints. Braze welding permits a localized fusion of the materials resulting in a limitation on the growth of fragile phases. This article presents the results of a statistical approach for an overlap assembly configuration using a filler wire composed of 85% Zn and 15% Al. Tensile tests carried on these assemblies demonstrate a good performance of the joints. The fracture mechanisms of the joints are analyzed by a detailed characterization of the seams.     

光纤布拉格光栅及其应用

近年来新型的紫外激光写入的光纤布拉格光栅元件（ＦＢＧ）以其具有直接写人光纤芯区、插入损耗小、易于全光集成及波长选择性好、传感信息对波长绝对编码等优点,成为国内外光纤技术领域的研究热点。该论文综述了ＦＢＧ制作技术的进展,介绍和比较了各种制作方法的优缺点,对ＦＢＧ在光纤通讯、光纤传感器等方面的应用前景进行了分析和说明,结果表明ＦＢＧ将对整个光纤技术领域产生重要的影响。     

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.     

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。