TY - CONF A1 - Artinov, Antoni T1 - Numerical study on the formation of a bulging region in partial penetration laser beam welding N2 - A transient three-dimensional thermo-fluid dynamics numerical model was developed to study the formation of a bulging region in partial penetration laser beam welding. The model accounts for the coupling between the fluid flow, the heat transfer, and the keyhole dynamics by considering the effects of multiple reflections and Fresnel absorption of the laser beam in the keyhole, the phase transitions during melting and evaporating, the thermo-capillary convection, the natural convection, and the phase-specific and temperature-dependent material properties up to the evaporation temperature. The validity of the model was backed up by experimentally obtained data, including the drilling time, the weld pool length, the local temperature history outside the weld pool, the process efficiency, and a range of metallographic cross-sections. The model was applied for the cases of partial penetration laser beam welding of 8 mm and 12 mm thick unalloyed steel sheets. The obtained experimental and numerical results reveal that the bulging region forms transiently depending on the penetration depth of the weld, showing a tendency to transition from a slight bulging to a fully developed bulging region between penetration depths of 6 mm and 9 mm, respectively. T2 - The 13th International Seminar "Numerical Analysis of Weldability" CY - Graz - Castle Seggau, Austria DA - 04.09.2022 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Deep penetration KW - Bulge formation KW - Numerical modeling PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-55719 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - 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 - CONF A1 - Gumenyuk, Andrey T1 - Investigation of the gap bridgeability at high-power laser hybrid welding of plasma-cut thick mild steels with AC magnetic support N2 - One of the challenges of the high-power hybrid laser welding of thick steels is the sensitivity of the process of the process to manufacturing tolerances. This usually leads to a time-consuming preparation of the welding edges, such as milling. The study deals with the influence of the edge quality of milled and plasma-cut steel made of S355J2 with a wall thickness of 20 mm on the laser hybrid welded seam quality. Furthermore, the gap bridgeability and the tolerances towards edge misalignment was investigated. An AC magnet was used as backing support to prevent sagging and positioned under the workpiece, to generate an upwards directed electromagnetic pressure. The profiles of the edges and the gap on the top and root side were measured using a digital camera. Single-pass laser hybrid welds of plasma-cut edges could be welded using a laser beam power of just 13.7 kW. A gap bridgeability up to 2 mm and misalignment of edges up to 2 mm could be achieved successful. Additionally, the independence of the cutting side and the welding side was shown, so that samples were welded to the opposite side to their cutting. For evaluation of internal defects or irregularities, X-ray images were carried out. Charpy impact strength tests were performed to determine the toughness of the welds. T2 - X International Conference «Beam Technologies in Welding and Materials Processing» CY - Odessa, Ukraine DA - 7.09.2021 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Hybrid laser arc welding KW - Material transport PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53569 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Gumenyuk, Andrey T1 - Improvement of the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of laser welds on thick duplex plates by laser cladded buttering N2 - Because of its excellent corrosion resistance, high tensile strength and high ductility, duplex stainless steel 2205 offers many areas of application. Though laser beam welding accompanied by high cooling rates, duplex steels tend to perform higher ferrite contents in weld metal as the base metal, which leads to a reduction of ductility and corrosion resistance of the weld joint. To overcome this problem, a solution, based on buttering the plate edges by laser metal deposition (LMD) with material containing higher Ni concentrations prior to laser welding was suggested. In this context different process parameters for LMD and different mixtures of duplex and nickel powder, were investigated. In a second step the possibility of welding those edges defect free while achieving balanced austenite-ferrite ratio was verified with metallographic analysis, Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) and impact testing according to Charpy. The improved corrosion resistance was observed with ASTM G48 standard test method. T2 - X International Conference «Beam Technologies in Welding and Materials Processing» CY - Odessa, Ukraine DA - 7.09.2021 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Laser metal deposition KW - Duplex steels PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53568 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Putra, Stephen Nugraha T1 - Einfluss der Temperaturabhängigen Modellierung der Laserstrahlabsorption auf die Schmelzbadgeometrie beim Hochleistungslaserstrahlschweißen N2 - Der Absorptionsgrad metallischer Werkstoffe spielt bei Fügeprozessen mit einer Strahlungsquelle wie dem Hochleistungslaserstrahltiefschweißen eine bedeutende Rolle. Dieser beeinflusst die Menge der absorbierten Laserenergie, welche zum Aufschmelzen sowie zur lokalen Verdampfung des zu verbindenden Materials führt. Eine der wichtigsten Eigenschaften der Laserstrahlabsorption ist die Temperaturabhängigkeit. Dennoch wird sie in vielen Simulationsarbeiten häufig ignoriert und stattdessen ein angepasster Parameter zur Kalibrierung der Ergebnisse implementiert. Diese Vorgehensweise wirkt sich negativ auf die Zuverlässigkeit sowie die Genauigkeit des numerischen Modells sowie auf die Vorhersagbarkeit der Simulationsergebnisse aus. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird die Temperaturabhängigkeit der Laserabsorption in ein selbstkonsistentes zweiphasiges Modell unter Berücksichtigung der gekoppelten 3D-Fluidströmung und Wärmeübertragung einbezogen. Die berechnete Laserstrahlabsorption wird durch die temperaturabhängigen Materialeigenschaften, die Lasercharakteristik und den Einfallswinkel des Laserstrahls bestimmt. Die freie Oberfläche jeder Phase wird mithilfe der volume-of-fluid Methode, kurz VOF, berechnet und die Laser-Material-Wechselwirkung wird durch ein neulich implementiertes Ray-Tracing-Verfahren modelliert, die auf einem lokalisierten Level-Set-Algorithmus basiert. Anschließend wird die transiente Wärmeeinbringung und die Geometrie der Schweißnaht analysiert und mit dem temperaturunabhängigen Absorptionsmodell verglichen. Es wurde festgestellt, dass die Temperaturabhängigkeit der Laserabsorption entscheidend für die genaue Bestimmung der Wärmeeinbringung und der Schmelzbadgeometrie ist. Das entwickelte Modell wurde anhand der experimentellen Untersuchungen validiert und die Bedeutung der Temperaturabhängigkeit bei der Laserstrahlabsorption wurde für die Simulation des Laserstrahltiefschweißens aufgeklärt. T2 - 44. Assistentenseminar CY - Päwesin, Germany DA - 20.09.2023 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Temperature dependent absorption KW - Weld pool dynamics KW - Numerical modeling PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58810 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Putra, Stephen Nugraha T1 - Der Einfluss verschiedener räumlicher Diskretisierungsansätze des Ray-Tracing-Verfahrens bei der Simulation des Laserstrahltiefschweißen N2 - Die Wärmeverteilung des Lasers beim Laserstrahltiefschweißen ist für die Formgebung der Dampfkapillare und für die Schweißbaddynamik entscheidend. In dieser Arbeit werden die Laserwärmeverteilung und deren Einflüsse auf die Schweißbadtiefe sowie -breite numerisch anhand des Ray-Tracing-Verfahrens analysiert. Hierbei wird der La-serstrahl in mehreren Strahlenbündeln bzw. Subrays unterteilt. Diesbezüglich soll der Pfad der Subrays präzis berechnet werden, um die Dynamik der Dampfkapillare und des Schweißbades eines realen Schweißprozesses richtig abzubilden. Zu diesem Zweck beschäftigt sich die vorliegende Arbeit mit der Genauigkeitsverbesserung der Kontaktposition und der Reflexionsrichtung der Subrays auf der freien Oberfläche anhand der Level-Set-Methode. Um die Güte dieses Simulationsansatzes zu gewährleisten, wurde eine Gegenüberstellung mit den zwei klassi-schen Ray-Tracing-Verfahren mittels drei verschiedenen Benchmark-Testreihen durchgeführt. Anschließend wur-den die Versuchsergebnisse zur Validierung der implementierten numerischen Ansätze verwendet. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit kann es gezeigt werden, dass unterschiedliche Wärmeverteilung aufgrund der verschiedenen Ray-Tracing-Verfahren deutlich zu erkennen ist, welche wiederum die Schweißbaddynamik sowie die lokalisierte Dampfkapillardynamik stark beeinflussen. Ferner wurde es bestätigt, dass die implementierte Level-Set-Methode zu einer genaueren Ermittlung der Kontaktposition und der Reflexionsrichtung der Subrays und somit zu einer Ver-besserung der simulierten Schmelzkontur führt. T2 - 43. Assistentenseminar CY - Schwarzenberg, Germany DA - 27.09.2022 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Ray tracing method KW - Weld pool dynamics KW - Numerical modeling PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-58840 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Simón Muzás, Juan T1 - Weldability of PBF-LB/M Inconel 718 lattice structures by laser beam N2 - The present research focuses on the weldability of PBF-LB/M lattice structure parts of Inconel 718 by means of laser beam welding. The integration of complex and lightweight AM structures into assemblies employing conventional joining methods is challenging. During the welding process, dissipation of the laser heat input through thin-walled structures of these lightweight structures is strongly limited, resulting in heat accumulation, atypical cooling rates, and affecting weld geometry, quality of the joint and microstructure. PBF-LB/M parts have been manufactured in three characteristic build directions. They were all stress relieved, then a group of them were submitted to an additional solution annealing and the second group to a two-step aging treatment. Afterwards, these parts were welded to identical PBF-LB/M parts and to wrought ones in butt position. To gain insight into the welding temperature field and to explain segregation mechanisms, grain growth and asymmetries, thermocouples have been attached on the surface’s regions and struts nearby. Joining a lattice structure with a full material wrought sample results in clear asymmetric welds due to dissimilar heat dissipation on both sides of the seam. Selected pre-weld heat treatments have a crucial influence on the quality of the seam on the AM part. T2 - International Institute of Welding IIW 2023 Conference CY - Singapore DA - 16.07.2023 KW - Additive manufacturing (AM) KW - Laser-based powder bed fusion of metal (PBF-LB/M) KW - Laser beam welding KW - Lattice structure KW - Hybrid part KW - Heat treatment KW - Inconel 718 PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58017 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Gumenyuk, Andrey T1 - Determination of critical local straining conditions for solidification cracking at laser beam welding by experimental and numerical methods N2 - The phenomenon of solidification cracking has been the subject of numerous research projects over the years. Great efforts have been made to understand the fundamentals of hot cracking. It is generally agreed that solidification cracks form in the solidification range between the liquidus and solidus temperatures under the combination of thermal, metallurgical and mechanical factors. There is still a need to determine the time-resolved strain distribution in the cracksensitive region in order to analyse the local critical conditions for solidification cracking phenomena. This was a strong motivation for the development of a measurement system used in this study to estimate the local strains and strain rates in the zone where the solidification crack is expected to occur. The laser beam welding experiments were conducted using the Controlled-Tensile-Weldability test (CTW test) to apply an external strain condition during welding to generate solidification cracks. The CTW test is a test method for investigating the suscep�tibility of laser-welded joints to solidification cracking, in which the sample can be subjected to a defined strain at a defined strain rate during welding. In combination with experimental investigations, numerical simulations provide spatially detailed and time-dependent information about the strain development during the welding process, especially regarding the critical conditions for solidification cracking. Therefore, this tool was also used in the present study to evaluate the accuracy of measurement methods and to estimate experimentally derived values and their concrete influence on the formation of solidification cracks. By integrating experimental methods and numerical simulations, this study investigates the spatially resolved and temporally changing development of strain during welding, with a particular focus on the critical conditions that lead to the formation of solidification cracks. T2 - GAMM 94th Annual Meeting CY - Magdeburg, Germany DA - 18.03.2024 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Solidification cracking KW - FEM simulation PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-62417 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 - Bakir, Nasim T1 - Observation of the weld pool shape in partial penetration welding and its influence on solidification crack formation for high-power laser beam welding N2 - Solidification cracking is still a particular problem in laser beam welding, especially in the welding of thick-walled plates. In this study, the influence of weld pool geometry on solidification cracking in partial penetration welding of thick plates is a subject of discussion. For this purpose, a special experimental setup of steel and quartz glass in butt configuration and lateral with high speed camera was used to capture the weld pool shape. Additionally, laser beam welding experiments were carried out to compare the crack positions and the cross section with the high-speed camera observations. The results showed a bulge in the weld pool root separated from the upper region by a nick area. This leads to the fact that three different longitudinal lengths with different solidification areas are taking place. This temporal sequence of solidification strongly promotes the solidification cracks in the weld root. T2 - Lasers in Manufacturing Conference 2021 CY - Online meeting DA - 21.06.2021 KW - Solidification cracking KW - Laser beam welding KW - Partial penetration PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53586 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bachmann, Marcel T1 - Challenges in Modelling Dynamic Heat Sources in High-Power Laser Beam Welding N2 - The amount of absorbed energy in the keyhole as well as its distribution is essential to model the laser beam welding process. The recoil pressure is a key determining factor for the macroscopic flow of the molten metal in the weld pool during high-power laser beam welding. Consequently, a realistic implementation of the laser radiation on the weld metal is crucial to obtain accurate simulation results. The following developments on the laser-material interaction are discussed for the numerical simulation of the laser beam welding process. The first implemented improvements relate to locating the exact reflection points in the ray tracing method in the determination algorithm for the intersection of the reflected rays and the keyhole surface. A second correction refers to the numerical treatment of the Gaussian distribution of the laser beam, whose beam width is defined by a decay of the laser intensity by a factor of 1/e2 thus ignoring around 14 % of the total laser beam energy. In a third step, the laser radiation distribution in vertical direction was approximated according to the beam caustics. Finally, a virtual mesh refinement was adopted in the ray tracing routine. The obtained numerical results were validated with experimental measurements. T2 - IIW Annual Assembly 2024 CY - Rhodes , Greece DA - 07.07.2024 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Numerical modeling KW - Ray tracing KW - Heat source modeling PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60634 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Gumenyuk, Andrey T1 - Two-colour thermography for measurement of temperature distribution in laser beam welding N2 - Solidification cracking is a frequently observed phenomenon in laser beam welding of austenitic stainless steels and other metallic alloys. Characterisation of cracking susceptibility requires knowledge of the precise and spatially resolved temperature distribution near the solidification front in the welding process. Thermography is a standard tool that provides a qualitative estimate of the 2D temperature field. The general disadvantage of this method is its dependence on the emission characteristics of the measured object. For welding applications, these can vary significantly in the temperature range above and below the melting temperature. For this purpose, we have developed a thermography-based measurement technique using a SWIR camera system in combination with two narrow bandpass filters that use the principle of two-wavelength pyrometry to estimate absolute temperature values. This technique was used to determine the temperature distributions and gradients near the solidification front of laser-welded austenitic steel. The results were validated by other measurements. T2 - 13th CIRP Conference on Photonic Technologies [LANE 2024] CY - Fürth, Germany DA - 16.09.2024 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Solidification cracking KW - FEM simulation PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-62415 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Meng, Xiangmeng T1 - Prediction of porosity formation in high power laser beam welding using physics informed machine learning framework N2 - The applications of the high-power laser beam welding process are often hindered by the occurrence of the porosity defect. However, an accurate prediction and an insight of the porosity formation are still challenging due to the highly nonlinear physics involved in the dynamic weld pool and keyhole behaviours. In this paper, the effects of relevant physical variables related to the porosity defect are evaluated by utilizing mechanistic modelling and experimental data within a physics-informed machine learning (PIML) framework. With a proper selection of the physical variables (features) in the aspects of keyhole stability, liquid metal flow and weld pool geometry, which correspondingly describes the bubble formation, bubble movement and bubble capture by the solidification front, the PIML shows great superiority in predicting the porosity ratio in the laser welding of aluminium in comparison with conventional ML model using welding parameters. The Shapley Additive Explanations analysis is employed to provide a hierarchical importance of the variables on the defect formation. T2 - 77th IIW Annual Assembly and International Conference CY - Rhodes, Greece DA - 07.07.2024 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Machine learning KW - Porosity KW - Modelling PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61610 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Putra, Stephen Nugraha T1 - Numerical study on the temperature characteristic of material absorptivity and its significance in high-power laser beam welding N2 - The absorptivity of metallic materials plays an important role in high-power laser beam welding. It affects the amount of absorbed laser power leading to the heating and melting of the surfaces to be joined and is highly dependent on the temperature. Nonetheless, this key characteristic is often ignored in numerical simulations and an empirical parameter determined by trial-and-error approaches is rather implemented to calibrate the results. In the present work, the temperature dependence of laser absorption is included in a three-dimensional multiphase numerical model considering the coupled fluid flow and heat transfer. The calculated laser absorption is determined by the temperature-dependent material properties, laser characteristics, and incident angle of the laser beam. It is found that the temperature dependence of the laser absorption is crucial for accurately determining the keyhole and weld pool geometries, which is validated by experimental measurements using 304 austenitic steel. T2 - 13th CIRP Conference on Photonic Technologies [LANE 2024] CY - Fürth, Germany DA - 15.09.2024 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Temperature dependent absorption KW - Weld pool KW - Keyhole dynamics KW - Numerical modelling PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61612 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Yang, Fan A1 - Meng, Xiangmeng A1 - Putra, Stephen Nugraha A1 - Bachmann, Marcel A1 - Rethmeier, Michael T1 - Numerical studies of magnetohydrodynamic technology in suppressing process porosity during laser beam welding N2 - The magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) technology is employed to mitigate the porosity problem during partial penetration laser beam welding (LBW) of 10 mm thick aluminum alloy. The effectiveness and universal applicability of the MHD technology in reducing porosity during the LBW process are confirmed by a reduction in the porosity ratio of more than 89%. A transient 3D multi-physical model coupled with the MHD effect has been developed to investigate the suppression mechanism of process porosity. Due to the influence of Lorentz force, there is an obvious change in the weld pool length. This change widens the escaping channel of bubbles escaping from the weld pool. The application of an oscillating magnetic field changes the fluid flow pattern noticeably, whose influence on the formation of porosity defects is highly complicated and nonlinear. T2 - 13th CIRP Conference on Photonic Technologies CY - Nuremberg, Germany DA - 15.09.2024 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Aluminum alloy KW - Process Porosity KW - Porosity suppression KW - Magnetohydrodynamic technology PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61604 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bachmann, Marcel T1 - Reconstruction of the time-averaged keyhole geometry in laser beam welding with electromagnetic support N2 - In laser beam welding (LBW), the time-averaged keyhole shape provides statistical insights into the process compared to its transient geometry, offering a deeper understanding of the overall keyhole behaviour. However, capturing the time-averaged keyhole shape through experimental methods remains challenging. In this paper, a reconstruction algorithm for the time-averaged keyhole is developed and integrated into a three-dimensional transient multi-physical coupled numerical model. The algorithm can accurately capture the key characteristics of the keyhole, including its diameter and centroid. In addition, it can also successfully reproduce the experimentally observed phenomena of keyhole tailing. The overall shape of the keyhole appears smooth, without exhibiting obvious instability features. Furthermore, the time-averaged keyhole shape is compared under different magnetic flux densities when an external oscillating magnetic field is applied. The results indicate that the application of external magnetic fields does not fundamentally alter the overall keyhole shape. With increasing magnetic flux density, the trailing tail becomes progressively less pronounced and a noticeable increase in the curvature of the rear wall is observed. The standard deviation of the keyhole diameter can serve as an effective index for evaluating the keyhole instability. Keyhole stability in LBW of aluminium alloys is improved under the assistance of electromagnetic fields, and this stabilization is positively correlated with increasing magnetic flux density. T2 - 14th International Seminar Numerical Analysis of Weldability CY - Seggau, Austria DA - 21.09.2025 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Keyhole reconstruction KW - Electromagnetic weld pool support KW - Porosity defects KW - Keyhole stability PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64257 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bachmann, Marcel T1 - Elucidation of the Laser Beam Energy Attenuation by the Vapor Plume Formation during High Power Laser Beam Welding N2 - In high-power laser beam welding, a common phenomenon is the formation of a keyhole caused by the rapid evaporation of the material. Under atmospheric pressure, this evaporation generates a vapor plume that interacts with the laser beam, leading to energy attenuation and scattering of the laser radiation along its path. These interactions affect the stability of the process and the overall weld quality. This study investigates the influence of the vapor plume on the weld pool and keyhole dynamics during high-power laser beam welding of AlMg3 aluminum alloy through experimental and numerical approaches. The primary goal is to identify key vapor plume characteristics, particularly its length fluctuations, and to improve the accuracy of the numerical models. To achieve this, an algorithm was developed for the automated measurement of the vapor plume length using high-speed imaging and advanced data processing techniques. The measured plume length is then used to estimate the additional vapor heating and laser energy attenuation using the Beer–Lambert law. A refined numerical CFD model, incorporating 3D transient heat transfer, fluid flow, and ray tracing, was developed to evaluate the vapor plume’s impact. Results show that already the time-averaged plume length effectively captures its transient influence and aligns well with experimental weld seam geometries. Additionally, energy scattering and absorption caused by the vapor plume led to a wider weld pool at the top surface. The study also shows an increased percentage of keyhole collapses due to the reduced laser power absorption at the keyhole bottom, further highlighting the importance of accurately modeling vapor plume effects. T2 - International Congress of Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics 2025 CY - Orlando, FL, USA DA - 12.10.2025 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Vapor plume formation KW - Weld pool KW - Keyhole dynamics KW - Numerical modeling PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64816 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 -