TY - CONF A1 - Meng, Xiangmeng T1 - The influence of the free surface reconstruction on the spatial laser energy distribution in high power laser beam welding modeling N2 - An accurate and efficient description of the spatial distribution of laser energy is a crucial factor for the modeling of laser material processing, e.g., laser welding, laser cutting, or laser-based additive manufacturing. In this study, a 3D heat transfer and fluid flow model coupled with the volume-of-fluid algorithm for free surface tracking is developed for the simulation of molten pool dynamics in high-power laser beam welding. The underlying laser-material interactions, i.e., the multiple reflections and Fresnel absorption, are considered by a ray-tracing method. Two strategies of free surface reconstruction used in the ray-tracing method are investigated: a typical piecewise linear interface calculation (PLIC)-based method and a novel localized Level-Set method. The PLIC-based method is discrete, resulting in non-continuous free surface reconstruction. In the localized Level-Set method, a continuous free surface is reconstructed, and thus the exact reflection points can be determined. The calculated spatial laser energy distribution and the corresponding molten pool dynamics from the two methods are analyzed and compared. The obtained numerical results are evaluated with experimental measurements to assure the validity of the proposed model. It is found that distinct patterns of the beam multiple reflections are obtained with the different free surface reconstructions, which shows significant influence not only on the molten pool behaviors but also on the localized keyhole dynamics. T2 - The 41st annual International Congress on Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics CY - Orlando, FL, USA DA - 17.10.2022 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Laser energy distribution KW - Weld pool dynamics KW - Ray-tracing PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56312 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Churiaque Bermejo, C. A1 - Sánchez-Amaya, J. M. A1 - Porrúa-Lara, M. A1 - Gumenyuk, Andrey A1 - Rethmeier, Michael T1 - The Effects of HLAW Parameters for One Side T-Joints in 15 mm Thickness Naval Steel N2 - The present contribution is the first research reporting full penetration HLAW joints in 15 mm thick EH36 steel butt T-welds with square grooves on 2F welding position by single-sided welding. The effects of welding parameters were investigated to increase the quality of the joints. Conditions leading to defect-free full penetration welds fulfilling naval regulations includes a laser power of 12.5 kW, a welding speed of 1.6 m/min and the vertical laser offset distance from the flange of 1 mm. Advanced characterization of selected welds included a microstructural identification by optical microscopy, SEM, and XRD, revealing the presence of acicular, polygonal and Widmanstätten ferrite, lath martensite, and some retained austenite at FZ. Hardness and microhardness mapping tests showed values of 155 HV at base metal and 200 to 380 HV at the fusion zone connecting the web to the flange. KW - Ship building KW - Laser beam welding KW - Hybrid laser arc welding PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-523931 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/met11040600 VL - 11 IS - 4 SP - 600 PB - MDPI CY - Basel, Switzerland AN - OPUS4-52393 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Gumenyuk, Andrey T1 - The effect of an AC magnetic field on flow dynamics and filler wire mixing in high power laser hybrid welding N2 - The use of the oscillating magnetic field as a backing support for the welding of thick components is already known. The influence of the magnetic field and the induced Lorentz forces in the melt on the melt pool geometry and the fluid flows is not yet fully investigated. The study deals with the determination of the influence of an externally applied oscillating magnetic field on the melt pool dynamics in high power laser hybrid welding process. An AC magnet was positioned under the specimen to create an electromagnetic force directed upwards to oppose dropping. To visualise the flow characteristics of the melt, several experiments were carried out using a technique specifically designed for this purpose with mild steel made of S355J2 with a wall thickness of 20 mm and a quartz glass in a butt configuration. A high-speed camera was used to monitor the geometry of the melt pool through the glass. The influence of the magnetic field orientation to the welding direction and the oscillation frequency on the molten pool was investigated for the case of the metal-glass configuration and for laser hybrid welding. The high-speed recordings were analysed with the Optical Flow Algorithm to characterise the flow within the melt pool. The element distribution over the whole seam thickness was evaluated by X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The high-speed analysis showed that in the melt pool two vortices are formed, one in the upper part and the other in the lower part. In the region where the two vortices come together, a narrow region (necking region) forms in the melt pool. The evaluation of the high-speed recordings shows that the depth of the region where the two vortices meet is strongly influenced by the oscillation frequency. Additionally, the oscillation frequency demonstrated a greater influence on the melt pool dynamics and the mixing of the elements of the filler wire. T2 - X International Conference «Beam Technologies & Laser Application» CY - Pushkin (St. Petersburg), Russia DA - 20.09.2021 KW - Hybrid laser arc welding KW - Laser beam welding KW - Material transport PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53573 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Rethmeier, Michael A1 - Artinov, Antoni A1 - Meng, Xiangmeng A1 - Bakir, Nasim A1 - Üstündag, Ömer A1 - Bachmann, Marcel A1 - Gumenyuk, Andrey T1 - The bulging effect and its relevance in high power laser beam welding N2 - The present work deals with the recently confirmed widening of the weld pool interface, known as a bulging effect, and its relevance in high power laser beam welding. A combined experimental and numerical approach is utilized to study the influence of the bulge on the hot cracking formation and the transport of alloying elements in the molten pool. A technique using a quartz glass, a direct-diode laser illumination, a high-speed camera, and two thermal imaging cameras is applied to visualize the weld pool geometry in the longitudinal section. The study examines the relevance of the bulging effect on both, partial and complete penetration, as well as for different sheet thicknesses ranging from 8 mm to 25 mm. The numerical analysis shows that the formation of a bulge region is highly dependent on the penetration depth and occurs above 10 mm penetration depth. The location of the bulge correlates strongly with the cracking location. The obtained experimental and numerical results reveal that the bulging effect increases the hot cracking susceptibility and limits the transfer of alloying elements from the top of the weld pool to the weld root. T2 - 1st Annual Assembly and Conference of The Welding Federation of Africa (TWF-Africa) CY - Cairo, Egypt DA - 14.03.2023 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Melt pool dinamics PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58695 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Rethmeier, Michael T1 - The bulging effect and its relevance in high power laser beam welding N2 - The present work deals with the recently confirmed widening of the weld pool interface, known as a bulging effect, and its relevance in high power laser beam welding. A combined experimental and numerical approach is utilized to study the influence of the bulge on the hot cracking formation and the transport of alloying elements in the molten pool. A technique using a quartz glass, a direct-diode laser illumination, a high speed camera, and two thermal imaging cameras is applied to visualize the weld pool geometry in the longitudinal section. The study examines the relevance of the bulging effect on both, partial and complete penetration, as well as for different sheet thicknesses ranging from 8 mm to 25 mm. The numerical analysis shows that the formation of a bulge region is highly dependent on the penetration depth and occurs above 10 mm penetration depth. The location of the bulge correlates strongly with the cracking location. The obtained experimental and numerical results reveal that the bulging effect increases the hot cracking susceptibility and limits the transfer of alloying elements from the top of the weld pool to the weld root T2 - The 18th Nordic Laser Materials Processing Conference CY - Lulea, Sweden DA - 18.01.2022 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Melt pool dinamics PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-54333 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Artinov, Antoni A1 - Meng, Xiangmeng A1 - Bachmann, Marcel A1 - Rethmeier, Michael T1 - Study on the transition behavior of the bulging effect during deep penetration laser beam welding N2 - The present work is devoted to the study of the transition behavior of the recently confirmed widening of the weld pool, known as the bulging effect, during high-power deep penetration laser beam welding of thick unalloyed steel sheets. A three-dimensional transient multi-physics numerical model is developed, allowing for the prediction of the bulge formation and the study of its temporal behavior. The model is generalized to account automatically for the transition from partial to complete penetration. Several experimental measurements and observations, such as drilling period, weld pool length, temperature, efficiency, and metallographic cross-sections are used to verify the model and assure the plausibility of the numerical results. The analysis of the calculated temperature and velocity distributions, as well as the evolution of the keyhole geometry, shows that the formation of a bulging region strongly depends on the penetration depth of the weld. Based on the numerical results, the bulge is found to occur transiently, having its transition from a slight bulge to a fully developed bulging between penetration depths of 6 mm and 9 mm, respectively. KW - Laser beam welding KW - Deep penetration KW - Bulge formation KW - Numerical modeling PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-545067 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2021.122171 VL - 184 SP - 122171 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-54506 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Straße, Anne A1 - Gumenyuk, Andrey A1 - Rethmeier, Michael T1 - Study on Duplex Stainless Steel Powder Compositions for the Coating of thick Plates of Laser Beam Welding N2 - Duplex stainless steels combine the positive properties of its two phases, austenite and ferrite. Due to its good corrosion resistance, high tensile strength, and good ductility, it has multiple applications. But laser beam welding of duplex steels changes the balanced phase distribution in favor of ferrite. This results in a higher vulnerability to corrosion and a lower ductility. Herein, different powder combinations consisting of duplex and nickel for coating layers by laser metal deposition (LMD) are investigated. Afterward, laser tracks are welded, and the temperature cycles are measured. The ferrite content of the tracks is analyzed by feritscope, metallographic analysis, and electron backscatter diffraction. The goal is the development of a powder mixture allowing for a duplex microstructure in a two-step process, where first the edges of the weld partners are coated with the powder mixture by LMD and second those edges are laser beam welded. The powder mixture identified by the pretests is tested in the two-step process and analyzed by metallographic analysis, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and Vickers hardness tests. The resulting weld seams show a balanced duplex microstructure with a homogenous nickel distribution and a hardness of the weld seam similar to the base material. KW - Duplex AISI 2205 KW - Laser metal deposition KW - Laser beam welding KW - Nickel KW - Stainless steels PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-547024 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/adem.202101327 SN - 1438-1656 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-54702 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Huo, W. A1 - Bakir, Nasim A1 - Gumenyuk, Andrey A1 - Rethmeier, Michael A1 - Wolter, K. T1 - Strain Prediction Using Deep Learning during Solidification Crack Initiation and Growth in Laser Beam Welding of Thin Metal Sheets N2 - The strain field can reflect the initiation time of solidification cracks during the welding process. The traditional strain measurement is to first obtain the displacement field through digital image correlation (DIC) or optical flow and then calculate the strain field. The main disadvantage is that the calculation takes a long time, limiting its suitability to real-time applications. Recently, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have made impressive achievements in computer vision. To build a good prediction model, the network structure and dataset are two key factors. In this paper, we first create the training and test sets containing welding cracks using the controlled tensile weldability (CTW) test and obtain the real strain fields through the Lucas–Kanade algorithm. Then, two new networks using ResNet and DenseNet as encoders are developed for strain prediction, called StrainNetR and StrainNetD. The results show that the average endpoint error (AEE) of the two networks on our test set is about 0.04, close to the real strain value. The computation time could be reduced to the millisecond level, which would greatly improve efficiency. KW - Convolutional neural network KW - Strain fields prediction KW - Laser beam welding KW - Solidification cracking PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-570565 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/app13052930 VL - 13 IS - 5 SP - 1 EP - 15 PB - MDPI AN - OPUS4-57056 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Gumenyuk, Andrey T1 - Strain distribution vs strain evolution during solidification cracking CTW test for laser beam welding of 1 mm austenitic stainless steels N2 - Laser welding is a widely established manufacturing process across many industrial sectors. However, solidification cracking and the weldability of materials have remained contentious issues for many years, particularly concerning the causes of hot crack formation. The local distribution of total strain was measured in close proximity to the solidification zone during laser welding of AISI 304 and AISI 310S stainless steels, using the Controlled Tensile Weldability (CTW) test. In this setup, 1 mm thick weld coupons were subjected to a defined external tensile load during welding. Mechanical loading parameters were varied by adjusting the strain rate and ultimate strain level to identify the critical conditions that lead to solidification crack formation along the weld seam centerline. Using Digital Image Correlation (DIC) and the optical flow method [1], we estimated the local strain distribution at the surface near the molten pool and tracked its evolution across several characteristic zones—before, during, and after the application of mechanical loading. The results revealed that solidification crack formation coincides with regions of high plastic deformation within a critical temperature range. Furthermore, we identified a clear relationship between strain rate and both crack initiation probability and maximum local strain. Importantly, neither strain rate nor maximum strain alone is sufficient to predict cracking; instead, their combined effect must be considered to accurately assess hot cracking susceptibility. T2 - AJP 2025 CY - Coimbra, Portugal DA - 16.10.2025 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Solidification cracking KW - Optical measurement PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64431 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Rethmeier, Michael T1 - Single pass laser vacuum welding of thick steel plates using electromagnetic support N2 - The increasing demand for renewable energy produced by offshore wind turbines goes along with an increased demand in the production of offshore wind turbine foundations, so called “monopiles”, which are made by joining thick metal sheets. The industrial standard of multi-layer submerged arc welding (SAW) for joining of thick metal sheets is the current bottleneck in the production of monopiles. A possible increase in productivity by the implementation of high-power laser welding in a newly developed mobile vacuum chamber (MoVac) and an electromagnetic root support is the subject of this study. Single run butt welds are performed in flat position on S355 mild steel of thicknesses up to 80 mm using a disc laser system with 1030 nm wavelength and a maximum output of 60 kW. The laser optic is fixed on the MoVac-System which is held and manipulated by an articulated robot. T2 - 13th CIRP Conference on Photonic Technologies [LANE 2024] CY - Furth, Germany DA - 15.09.2024 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Laser welding with mobile vacuum PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-62413 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -