A 4kW CW Nd:YAG laser was used for lap welding of three different dissimilar sheet metal combinations, namely 316L S/S - Ti64, 316L S/S - Al 5251 and Al 1200 – Cu (99.85%). A welding matrix of laser power, travel speed and spot sizes was investigated in order to determine the operating windows for the specific set-up. Sound lap welds could be obtained with the Al/Cu and SS/Al dissimilar combinations, but only within narrow operating windows. Extremely hard phases were obtained within the fusion zones, especially in the SS/Ti welds, resulting in very brittle welds which were prone to cracking.
Reference:
Theron, M, Van Rooyen, C and Ivanchev, LH. 2007. CW ND:YAG laser welding of dissimilar sheet metals. 26th International Congress on Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics(ICALEO), 29 October-November 2007, pp 8
Theron, M., Van Rooyen, C., & Ivanchev, L. (2007). CW ND:YAG laser welding of dissimilar sheet metals. ICALEO - International Congress on Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics. http://hdl.handle.net/10204/1712
Theron, Maritha, Corney Van Rooyen, and LH Ivanchev. "CW ND:YAG laser welding of dissimilar sheet metals." (2007): http://hdl.handle.net/10204/1712
Theron M, Van Rooyen C, Ivanchev L, CW ND:YAG laser welding of dissimilar sheet metals; ICALEO - International Congress on Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics; 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10204/1712 .