Papers by Keyword: Disc Laser

Abstract: The UUltra -high -strength (UHS) steels are used in booms, transport vechicles and other light weight structures. It is well -known that it is possible to achieve a strong weld statically, as the base material, by using laser welding as a weld method [1]. The design strength of the light weight structure is often rather high. In the case of booms and transport vechilevehicles, there can be very high dynamic forces in the structure. Therefore it is necessary to study how much fatigue stress the weld seam can resist and at the same time find the optimal welding parameters. The 4 mm bainitic-martensitic UHS steel was welded with laser without filler material to lasercut seam edges by using different weld parameters. Argon gas was blown by pipe onr coaxial nozzle near the key hole and through a 60 mm gas nozzle after the keyhole. Also, the root side of the weld was shielded with argon. The welds were tested by using the bending fatigue test. The test stresses were 800 MPa and 700 MPa. The fatigue strength results showed that with the laser welded seams, the number of cycles wereas about three times lower than with the base material. The fatigue strength was slightly better in welds which were welded with lower energy input. In the case of the weld seam which was welded with lowest energy input by using 300 mm optics, there was some incomplete penetration due to tooexcessively high surface roughness ofat the weld seam edges.

Abstract: The laser weldability of austenitic stainless steel (ASS) is good because of the material’s high absorptivity and favourable microstructure. There can be a slight possibility of solidification cracking at high welding speeds and low Crekv/Niekv ratios. Test welds were welded with a Yb:YAG disc laser. The test material was 3.2 mm EN 1.4404 2H C700 type stainless steel plate which was work hardened by cold rolling. The test materials were welded with different heat inputs ranging from 0.024 kJ/mm to 0.12 kJ/mm and with 300 mm and 200 mm focal lengths. The weld seams were square-groove welded as butt weld without filler material. The edges of the groove were made by mechanical or laser cutting. The hardness profiles from cross-sections of the welds were measured with a Vickers microhardness tester using 200 g weight. The mechanical properties were tested with tensile tests. The welds were classified with radiographic verification by an accredited laboratory. A number of the welds were fatigue tested with a bending fatigue tester. The mechanical properties (Rp 0.2%, Rm) of the laser welds were almost the same as in the base material except at the highest heat input. In the radiographic classification, the welds which were welded to the laser-cut edge were classified as class B (accepted). The other welds were classified as class D or C (rejected). The main reasons for the rejection of welds made on mechanically cut edges were lack of penetration or undercut of the weld. A problem with mechanically cut edges, and hence the welds, is that they can be non-square and bent edge. Fatigue tests and tensile tests gave no evidence of solidification cracking in the microstructure of the solidified parts of the welds.