Comparison of laser welds in thick section S700 high-strength steel manufactured in flat (1G) and horizontal (2G) positions. Issue 1 (2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Guo, Wei; Liu, Qiang; Francis, John A.; Crowther, Dave; Thompson, Alan; Liu, Zhu; Li, Lin
• Is Part Of: CIRP annals. Volume 64:Issue 1(2015)
• Page Start: 197
• Page End: 200
• Publication Date: 2015
• Subjects: Laser -- Welding -- High strength steel; Production engineering -- Research -- Periodicals; 670.5
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cirp.2015.04.070
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0007-8506

Abstract

Abstract: Lack of penetration, undercut and melt sagging are common welding defects for single-pass laser welds in thick plates, particularly when using a traditional 1G welding position (laser directed towards ground). This investigation shows, for the first time, that welding 13 mm thick high-strength S700 steel plates in the 2G position (laser beam perpendicular to the direction of gravity) can mitigate some of the common welding defects including undercut and sagging. A computational fluid dynamic analysis indicates that the 2G welding position can assist in achieving an appropriate balance between surface tension, hydrostatic pressure (gravity) and recoil-pressure from the metal vapour.