Simulation and Experimental Validation of Orbital Laser Welding of Aluminum Alloy Tubes

Abstract:

This study focuses on the simulation and experimental validation of orbital laser welding for aluminum alloy tubes. The trials were conducted on the TRU LASER ROBOT 5020 system by TRUMPF, which features a 30 kg robotic arm, a diode-pumped disk laser with a beam quality of 8 mm*mrad, and a minimum output power of 4000W on the workpiece. Aluminium 6082 Tubes were mounted on a fixture attached to an integrated rotary table, and a series of tests were performed with varying levels of edge preparation accuracy and different laser beam parameters such as power and head linear speed. The simulation was carried out using Ansys Mechanical witch ACT toolkit heat source model. The thermocouple mesurments and metallographic tests was a key parameter used to validate the simulation results. The temperature distribution during welding was compared with simulation results to adjust the thermal properties of the material within the simulation model. The combined simulation and experimental analysis provide a framework for optimizing the laser welding process, enabling the reduction of costly experimental trials by simulating different parameter ranges.

• Periodical: Materials Science Forum (Volume 1151)
• Pages: 25-35
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-L4k1o0
• Online since: June 2025
• Authors: Karol Łysiak, Marcin Marciniak*, Tomasz Galek, Mirosław Tupaj
• Keywords: Aluminum Alloy, Heat-Affected Zone, Laser Parameters, Orbital Laser Welding, Simulation

References

[1] S. Cui, Y. Yu, R. Ma, F. Tian, & S. Pang, Study on morphology, microstructure and properties of 6063-T6 aluminum alloy joints in MIG welding, Materials 16 (2023) 4886.

DOI: 10.3390/ma16134886

[2] Q. Chu, R. Bai, H. Jian, Z. Lei, N. Hu, & C. Yan, Microstructure, texture and mechanical properties of 6061 aluminum laser beam welded joints, Materials Characterization 137 (2018) 269–276.

DOI: 10.1016/j.matchar.2018.01.030

[3] H. Ma, Q. Hou, Y. Jiang, & Z. Yu, Mechanical performance of 6082-T6 aluminum alloy columns under eccentric compression at elevated temperatures, Thin-Walled Structures 171 (2022) 108824.

DOI: 10.1016/j.tws.2021.108824

[4] Z. Wang, M. Gong, L. Zhou, & M. Gao, A review of numerical simulation of laser–arc hybrid welding, Materials 16 (2023) 3561.

DOI: 10.3390/ma16093561

[5] R. Zhang, X. Tang, L. Xu, F. Lu, & H. Cui, Mechanism study of thermal fluid flow and weld root hump suppression in full-penetration laser welding of Al alloy with alternating magnetic field support, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 166 (2020) 120759.

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2020.120759

[6] S. Xu, Y. Wang, M. Li, H. Zuo, & S. Yang, Microstructure evolution and prediction model of 6082-T6 aluminum alloy pulsed metal inert gas welded joint, Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance 33 (2024) 1165–1175.

DOI: 10.1007/s11665-024-10019-2

[7] H. Ramiarison, N. Barka, C. Pilcher, E. Stiles, G. Larrimore, & S. Amira, Weldability improvement by wobbling technique in high power density laser welding of two aluminum alloys: Al-5052 and Al-6061, Journal of Laser Applications 33 (2021) 032015.

DOI: 10.2351/7.0000353

[8] M. Vyskoč, M. Sahul, & M. Sahul, Effect of shielding gas on the properties of AW 5083 aluminum alloy laser weld joints, Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance 27 (2018) 2993–3006.

DOI: 10.1007/s11665-018-3383-x

[9] D. Vincenzo, L. Erica, A. Alessandro, & F. Alessandro, Weldability and mechanical properties of dissimilar laser welded aluminum alloys thin sheets produced by conventional rolling and additive manufacturing, Journal of Materials Processing Technology 302 (2022) 117512.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2022.117512

[10] L. Shah, F. Khodabakhshi, & A. J. Gerlich, Effect of beam wobbling on laser welding of aluminum and magnesium alloy with nickel interlayer, Journal of Manufacturing Processes 37 (2019) 212–219.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jmapro.2018.11.028

[11] Information on: https://www.aalco.co.uk/datasheets/Aluminium-Alloy_6082-T6~T651_148. ashx

[12] P. Favaretti & L. Parussini, Modelling of a parameterizable moving heat source for Ansys Mechanical, Preprint (2023).

DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3740601/v1