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Laser metal deposition (LMD) is an established technology for two-dimensional surface coatings. It offers high deposition rates, high material flexibility, and the possibility to deposit material on existing components. Due to these features, LMD has been increasingly applied for additive manufacturing of 3D structures in recent years. Compared to previous coating applications, additive manufacturing of 3D structures leads to new challenges regarding LMD process knowledge. In this paper, the process steps for LMD as additive manufacturing technology are described. The experiments are conducted using titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4Vand Inconel 718. Only the LMD nozzle is used to create a shielding gas atmosphere. This ensures the high geometric flexibility needed for additive manufacturing, although issues with the restricted size and quality of the shielding gas atmosphere arise. In the first step, the influence of process parameters on the geometric dimensions of single weld beads is analyzed based on design of experiments. In the second step, a 3D build-up strategy for cylindrical specimen with high dimensional accuracy is described. Process parameters, travel paths, and cooling periods between layers are adjusted. Tensile tests show that mechanical properties in the as-deposited condition are close to wrought material. As practical example, the fir-tree root profile of a turbine blade is manufactured. The feasibility of LMD as additive technology is evaluated based on this component.
A fundamental study of physical mechanisms of wineglass-shaped fusion zone profile in laser melting
(2024)
The fusion zone geometry in laser melting processes e.g., laser welding and laser-based additive manufacturing, of metallic materials has commonly a wineglass-shaped profile which is critical to the grain orientation and stress distribution. Hereby, we adopt for the first time a decoupling work through a combination of multi-physics modelling and experiments to reveal the fundamental mechanisms of this special morphology. Two physicsbased easy-to-use metal vapour models are proposed to consider the vapour’s momentum and thermal effects separately. It is found that the direct laser energy absorption and Marangoni shear stress which are widely hypothesised to dominate the wineglass-shape formation show only a minor influence. The additional heating from the metallic vapour plume rather than its momentum impact contributes predominantly to the enlarging of the molten pool top region, resulting directly in the formation of the wineglass-shaped fusion zone. The generality of the plume heating effect is also validated in two types of materials (steel and Al) in a wide range of parameters.
A technique for calculating the main solidification parameters for a two-dimensional columnar crystal growth during complete penetration laser beam welding of thin steel sheets was developed. Given that the weld pool interface is described by Lamé curves (superellipses) within the horizontal plane of growth, general analytical solutions were derived for the geometry of the crystal axis and the corresponding growth rate and cross-sectional area of the crystal. A dimensionless analysis was performed to provide insights on the dependence of the solidification parameters on the shape and dimensions of the rear part of the weld pool boundary. The derived solutions were applied for the case of complete penetration laser beam keyhole welding of 2 mm thick 316L austenitic chromium-nickel steel sheets. It was shown that the reconstruction of the weld pool boundary with Lamé curves provides higher accuracy and flexibility compared to results obtained with elliptical functions. The validity of the proposed technique and the derived analytical solutions was backed up by a comparison of the obtained solutions to known analytical solutions and experimentally determined shapes and sizes of the crystals on the top surface of the sheet. The dimensions of the calculated crystal axis correlated well with the experimentally obtained results.
A simplified model for numerical simulation of laser metal deposition process with beam oscillation
(2018)
A model of laser metal deposition with beam oscillation has been developed. The proposed model consists of two coupled sub-models calculating the heat transfer in the deposited part and the free surface of the molten pool, respectively. The heat transfer simulation of the deposited part solves a three-dimensional quasi-stationary heat conduction problem. The free surface of the molten pool are determined by solving the Laplace-Young equation. The developed model enables the layer-by-layer prediction of the shape of the deposited part and the resulting temperature field. It is shown that for an oscillation amplitude equal to the beam radius the peak value of the heat flux decreases by about 53% and 73% in the case of lateral oscillation and circular oscillation, respectively. Lateral oscillating laser beam results in a higher penetration depth due to the higher thermal efficiency. The amplitude of the laser beam oscillation effects the shape of the deposited wall and the deposition rate. A good correlation between the numerically calculated and experimentally observed results is obtained.
In this paper, the highly transient keyhole dynamics, e.g., laser absorption, keyhole geometry, and fluctuation, etc., under a magnetic field are investigated using an experimental approach and multi-physical modeling. The model provides accurate predictions to the variation of penetration depth and weld pool profiles caused by the MHD effect, which is validated by the measurements of optical micrographs and in-situ metal/glass observation. The micro-X-ray computed tomography shows a remarkable reduction of keyhole-induced porosity with the magnetic field. The correlation between the porosity mitigation and the weld pool dynamics influenced by the magnetic field is built comprehensively. It is found that the magnetic field gives a direct impact on the laser energy absorption at the keyhole front wall by changing the protrusion movement. The porosity mitigation comes from multiple physical aspects, including keyhole stabilization, widening of the bubble floating channel, and the electromagnetic expulsive force. Their contributions vary according to the bubble size. The findings provide a deeper insight into the relationship between electromagnetic parameters, keyhole dynamics, and suppression of keyhole-relevant defects.
To save weight without affecting the functional properties of vehicles, heavy materials must be replaced with lighter alternatives.Modern lightweight concepts have therefore been developed, featuring multi-material designs that require the joining of dissimilar materials.One new possible approach for the joining of dissimilar metals is based on laser welding and melt displacement by contactless induced electromagnetic forces.
The sound numerical prediction of welding-induced thermal stresses, residual stresses, and distortions strongly depends on the accurate description of a welded material’s thermomechanical deformation behaviour. In this work, we provide experimental data on the viscoplastic deformation behaviour of a grade-s960ql steel up to a temperature of 1000 ◦C. In addition, a multi-phase viscoplastic material model is proposed, which accounts for the experimentally observed isothermal deformation behaviour of grade-s960ql steel base and austenitised material, as well as for athermal contributions that originate from solid-state phase transformations. The multi-phase viscoplastic and a classic rateindependent isotropic hardening material model were applied in the numerical simulations of both-ends-fixed bar Satoh tests and a single-pass gas metal arc weld. The influence of material modelling choices on the agreement between numerical simulation and experimental results is discussed, and recommendations for further work are given.
Due to rapid, localized heating and cooling, distortions accumulate in additive manufactured laser metal deposition (LMD) components, leading to a loss of dimensional accuracy or even cracking. Numerical welding simulations allow the prediction of these deviations and their optimization before conducting experiments. To assess the viability of the simulation tool for the use in a predictive manner, comprehensive systems as well as to choose the optimal product matches, product analysis methods are needed. Indeed, most of the known methods aim to analyze a product or one product family on the physical level. Different product families, however, may differ largely in terms of the number and nature of components. This fact impedes an efficient comparison and choice of appropriate product family combinations for the production system. A new methodology is proposed to analyze existing products in view of their functional and physical architecture. The aim is to Cluster these products in new assembly oriented product families for the optimization.
A numerical framework for simulation of the steady-state thermal behaviour in keyhole mode welding has been developed. It is based on the equivalent heat source concept and consists of two parts: computational thermo-fluid dynamics and heat conduction. The solution of the thermo-fluid dynamics problem by the finite element method for a bounded domain results in a weld pool interface geometry being the input data for a subsequent heat conduction problem solved for a workpiece by a proposed boundary element method. The main physical phenomena, such as keyhole shape, thermo-capillary and natural convection and temperature-dependent material properties are taken into consideration. The developed technique is applied to complete-penetration keyhole laser beam welding of a 15 mm thick low-alloyed steel plate at a welding speed of 33 mm/s and a laser power of 18 kW. The fluid flow of the molten metal has a strong influence on the weld pool geometry. The thermo-capillary convection is responsible for an increase of the weld pool size near the plate surfaces and a bulge formation near the plate middle plane. The numerical and experimental molten pools, cross-sectional weld dimensions and thermal cycles of the heat affected zone are in close agreement.
In additive manufacturing (AM) directed energy deposition (DED), parts are built by welding layers of powder or wire feedstock onto a substrate with applications for steel powders in the fields of forging tools, spare parts, and structural components for various industries. For large and bulky parts, the choice of toolpaths influences the build rate, the mechanical performance, and the distortions in a highly geometry-dependent manner. With weld-path lengths in the range of hundreds of meters, a reliable, automated tool-path generation is essential for the usability of DED processes. This contribution presents automated tool-path generation approaches and discusses the results for arbitrary geometries. Socalled “zig-zag” and “contour-parallel” processing strategies are investigated and the tool-paths are automatically formatted into machine-readable g-code for experimental validation to build sample geometries. The results are discussed in regard to volume-fill, microstructure, and porosity in dependence of the path planning according to photographs and metallographic cross-sections.
To increase the competitiveness of jacket substructures compared to monopiles a changeover from an individual towards a serial jacket production based on automated manufactured tubular joints combined with standardized pipes has to be achieved. Therefore, this paper addresses fatigue tests of automatically welded tubular X-joints focusing on the location of the technical fatigue crack. The detected location of the technical crack is compared to numerical investigations predicting the most fatigue prone notch considering the structural stress approach as well as the notch stress approach. Besides, the welding process of the automated manufactured tubular X-joints is presented.
The development within the offshore wind energy sector towards more powerful turbines combined with increasing water depth for new wind parks is challenging both, the designer as well as the manufacturer of support structures. Besides XL-monopiles the jacket support structure is a reasonable alternative due to the high rigidity combined with low material consumption. However, the effort for manufacturing of the hollow section joints reduces the economic potential of jacket structures significantly. Therefore, a changeover from an individual towards a serial production based on automated manufactured tubular joints combined with standardized pipes must be achieved. Hence, this paper addresses the welding process chain of automated manufactured tubular joints including digitization of the relevant manufacturing parameters such as laser scanning of the weld seam geometry. Additionally, a methodology for the computation of the notch radius as well as the weld seam angle is presented based on the scanned profiles of three analysis points of an automated manufactured tubular X-joint. Subsequently, these parameters are considered within the notch stress approach based fatigue design and their impact is quantified by a comparison with the structural stress approach using equivalent stress concentration factors.
The present work deals with the development of a strategy for the prevention of end crater defects in high-power laser welding of thick-walled circumferential welds. A series of experiments were performed to understand the influence of the welding Parameters on the formation of end crater defects such as pores, cracks, root excess weld metal and shrinkage cavities in the overlap area. An abrupt switch-off of the laser power while closing the circumferential weld leads to a formation of a hole which passes through the whole welded material thickness. A laser power ramp-down causes solidification cracks which are initiated on the transition from full-penetration mode to partial penetration. Defocusing the laser beam led to promising results in terms of avoiding end crater defects. Cracks and pores in the overlap area could be effectively avoided by using defocusing techniques.
A strategy for avoiding of end crater imperfections was tested on flat specimens of steel grade S355J2 with a wall thickness of between 8 mm and 10 mm and then transferred on the 10 mm thick pipe sections made of high-strength pipeline steel API5L-X100Q.
Liquid metal embrittlement (LME) cracking can occur during resistance spot welding (RSW) in zinc-coated advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) for automotive production. In this study, a methodological variation of hold time is performed to investigate the process-related crack influence factors. A combination of numerical and experimental investigations confirms, that the extent of heat dissipation and re-heating of the sheet surface can be influenced and thus the degree of crack formation can be controlled in a targeted manner by the parameterisation of the hold time. The temperature and stress history of crack-free and crack-afflicted spot welds are analysed and a conclusion on the borders defining the LME active region is derived.
Laser metal deposition (LMD) has been applied as a coating technology for many years. Today, the technologies capacity to produce 3D depositions leads to a new field of application as additive manufacturing method. In this paper, 3D laser metal deposition of titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V is studied with special regard to the demands of additive manufacturing. Therefore, only the coaxial LMD powder nozzle is used to create the shielding gas atmosphere, which ensures high geometric flexibility. Furthermore, specimen with high aspect ratio and hundreds of layers are manufactured, which represent typical features in additive manufacturing. The presented study contains the following steps: First, cylindrical specimens are manufactured with a standard shell-core build-up strategy and mechanical properties as well as fracture mechanisms are determined. Based on the results, experiments are conducted to improve the build-up strategy and new tensile test specimens are built with the improved strategy. The improved strategy incorporates variable track overlap ratios to achieve a constant growth in the shell and core area. As blanks, lean cylinders comprising more than 240 layers and a height of more than 120mm are manufactured. The specimens are analyzed by X-ray inspection for material defects. Fractured surfaces are observed via scanning electron microscopy and the composition of the surfaces is determined using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The tensile test results prove mechanical properties close to ASTM F1108 specification for wrought material.
Build-up strategies for temperature control using laser metal deposition for additive manufacturing
(2018)
The track geometry created with laser metal deposition (LMD) is influenced by various parameters. In this case, the laser power has an influence on the width of the track because of an increasing energy input. A larger melt pool is caused by a rising temperature. In the case of a longer welding process, there is also a rise in temperature, resulting in a change of the track geometry. This paper deals with the temperature profiles of different zigzag strategies and spiral strategies for additive manufacturing. A two-color pyrometer is used for temperature measurement on the component surface near the melt pool. Thermocouples measure the temperatures in deeper regions of a component. The welds are located in the center and in the edge area on a test part to investigate the temperature evolution under different boundary conditions. The experiments are carried out on substrates made from mild steel 1.0038 and with the filler material 316L. The investigations show an influence on the temperature evolution by the travel path strategy as well as the position on the part. This shows the necessity for the development and selection of build-up strategies for different part geometries in additive manufacturing by LMD.
The amount of absorbed energy in the keyhole as well as its spatial and temporal distribution is essential to model the laser beam welding process. The recoil pressure, which develops because of the evaporation process induced by the absorbed laser energy at the keyhole wall, 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 effect of laser radiation on the weld metal is crucial to obtain reliable and accurate simulation results. In this paper, we discuss manyfold different improvements on the laser-material interaction, namely, the ray tracing method, in the numerical simulation of the laser beam welding process. The first improvement relates to locating the exact reflection points in the ray tracing method using a so-called cosine condition in the determination algorithm for the intersection of 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 the third step, the changes in the laser radiation distribution in the vertical direction were adapted by using different approximations for the converging and the diverging regions of the laser beam, thus mimicking the beam caustic. Finally, a virtual mesh refinement was adopted in the ray tracing routine. The obtained numerical results were validated with experimental measurements.
Characterization of Ti-6Al-4V fabricated by multilayer laser powder-based directed energy deposition
(2022)
Laser powder-based directed energy deposition (DED-L) is increasingly being used in additive manufacturing (AM). As AM technology, DED-L must consider specific challenges. It must achieve uniform volume growth over hundreds of layers and avoid heat buildup of the deposited material. Herein, Ti–6Al–4V is fabricated using an approach that addresses these challenges and is relevant in terms of transferability to DED–L applications in AM. The assessment of the obtained properties and the discussion of their relationship to the process conditions and resulting microstructure are presented. The quality of the manufacturing process is proven in terms of the reproducibility of properties between individual blanks and with respect to the building height. The characterization demonstrates that excellent mechanical properties are achieved at room temperature and at 400 °C.
Comparison between GTA and laser beam welding of 9%Ni steel for critical cryogenic applications
(2018)
IncomparisonwithGTAweldedjoints,highertensilestrengthcomparabletothatofthebasemetalwasobtained for laser beam welded joints due to fine martensitic microstructure. Impact fracture toughness values with much lower mismatching were obtained for laser beam welded joints due to similarity in the microstructures of its weld metal and HAZ. In this case, the lower impact fracture toughness obtained (1.37J/mm2) was much higher than that of the GTA welded joints (0.78J/mm2), which was very close to the specified minimum value (≥0.75J/mm2). In contrast to other research works, the overall tensile and impact properties are influenced not only by the fusion zone microstructure but also by the size of its hardened area as well as the degree of its mechanical mismatching, as a function of the welding process. A better combination of tensile strength and impact toughness of the concerned steel welded joints is assured by autogenous laser beam welding process.
An approach to develop an arc sensor for gap width estimation during automated NG-GMAW with a weaving electrode motion is introduced by combining arc sensor readings with optical measurements of the groove shape to allow precise analyses of the process. The two test specimen welded for this study were designed to feature a variable groove geometry in order to maximize efficiency of the conducted experimental efforts, resulting in 1696 individual weaving cycle records with associated arc sensor measurements, process parameters and groove shape information. Gap width was varied from 18 mm to 25 mm and wire feed rates in the range of 9 m/min to 13 m/min were used in the course of this study. Artificial neural networks were applied as a modelling tool to derive an arc sensor for estimation of gap width suitable for online process control that can adapt to changes in process parameters as well as changes in the weaving motion of the electrode. Wire feed rate, weaving current, sidewall dwell currents and angles were defined as inputs to calculate the gap width. The evaluation of the proposed arc sensor model shows very good estimation capabilities for parameters sufficiently covered during the experiments.
AbstractLaser beam welding has become widely applied in many industrial fields in recent years. Solidification cracks remain one of the most common welding faults that can prevent a safe welded joint. In civil engineering, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been successfully used to detect cracks in roads and buildings by analysing images of the constructed objects. These cracks are found in static objects, whereas the generation of a welding crack is a dynamic process. Detecting the formation of cracks as early as possible is greatly important to ensure high welding quality. In this study, two end-to-end models based on long short-term memory and three-dimensional convolutional networks (3D-CNN) are proposed for automatic crack formation detection. To achieve maximum accuracy with minimal computational complexity, we progressively modify the model to find the optimal structure. The controlled tensile weldability test is conducted to generate long videos used for training and testing. The performance of the proposed models is compared with the classical neural network ResNet-18, which has been proven to be a good transfer learning model for crack detection. The results show that our models can detect the start time of crack formation earlier, while ResNet-18 only detects cracks during the propagation stage.
Using a novel optical measurement technique together with the optical flow algorithm, a two-dimensional deformation analysis during welding was conducted. The presented technique is the first to provide a measurement of the full strain field locally in the immediate vicinity of the solidification front.
Additionally, the described procedure of the optical measurement allows the real material-dependent values of critical strain and strain rate characterizing the transition to hot cracking during laser welding processes to be determined. Furthermore, the above-mentioned technique is independet on the welding process, which means, it can be also used for arc welding processes. Dependency between the external strain rate and the critical local strain and strain rate has been observed. That is to say, the critical local strain and strain rate is increased with an increase of the strain rate.Moreover, this technique allows automatic identification of the cases that can be critical for the solidification crack formation by monitoring the state of strain on the crack-sensitive region within the mushy zone.
AISI D2 is one of the most applied cold-working tool steel for deep drawing operations, due to the materials good toughness and high wear resistance. However, since the lubricant-free deep drawing as well as the processing of high strength and ultra-high strength steel sheets remaining ongoing trends in the automotive industry, the tool surfaces need to be improved regarding their friction and wear behavior. For this purpose elevated micro textures can be applied. Since protruded micro features are predominantly affected by wear, a structuring process enabling the formation of suitable textures with high wear resistance is needed.
In this paper surface texturing at microscale was conducted by laser implantation. This technique allows the fabrication of highly wear resistant, separated and elevated features (implants) on steel surfaces via a discontinuous dispersing of ceramic particles by pulsed laser radiation. The aim of this study was to investigate the techniques potential for the creation of wear resistant elevated micro features on AISI D2 tool steel surfaces by the application of TiB2 particles. The laser parameters (pulse power and length) were varied and a comparative material analysis on AISI D2 laser remelted spots and TiB2 localized dispersed zones was examined. High-speed camera recordings allowed the description of the particle insertion mechanism from pre-coatings during laser processing. Mechanical properties were analyzed by (micro-) hardness measurements at top and cross sections. The microstructure was investigated by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive Xray
spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The implants geometrical properties (diameter, height, depth) were investigated by white light interferometry and optical microscopy. The experiments reveal that a pulsed laser remelting of AISI D2 leads to a significant hardness drop due to high retained austenite (γR) contents. Contrary, a localized dispersing of TiB2 particles leads to defect free dome- or ring-shaped elevated features with hardness values up to 1800 HV1. The high hardness values result from the dispersed TiB2 particles and an in-situ precipitation of new hard particle phases, which lead to a reduction of the γR content within the matrix.
Directed energy deposition additive manufactured parts have steep stress gradients and an anisotropic microstructure caused by the rapid thermo-cycles and the layer-upon-layer manufacturing, hence heat treatment can be used to reduce the residual stresses and to restore the microstructure. The numerical simulation is a suitable tool to determine the parameters of the heat treatment process and to reduce the necessary application efforts. The heat treatment simulation calculates the distortion and residual stresses during the process. Validation experiments are necessary to verify the simulation results. This paper presents a 3D coupled thermo-mechanical model of the heat treatment of additive components. A distortion-based validation is conducted to verify the simulation results, using a C-ring shaped specimen geometry. Therefore, the C-ring samples were 3D scanned using a structured light 3D scanner to compare the distortion of the samples with different post-processing histories.
Effect of Inter-Layer Dwell Time on Distortion and Residual Stresses of Laser Metal Deposited Wall
(2019)
The laser metal deposition is an advanced manufacturing technology enabling the production of large-sized parts and partially or completely elimination of machining and welding. The process is characterised by non-uniform local heating of the buildup leading to a stress distribution, which may exceed the yield strength of the material and leads to loss of dimensional accuracy. The interlayer dwell time has a strong influence on the temperature field. The effect of the interlayer dwell time on the distortion and the stress distribution during laser metal deposition of a single-pass wall on the edge of 2 mm thick plate was studied experimentally and numerically. The deposited material was IN625 and the substrate material was AISI 316. A decrease of the residual displacement, due to a uniform shrinkage after the deposition of the last layer and a lower level of the residual compressive longitudinal plastic strain, has been observed in the studies without dwell time. The peak increment of the free edge displacement corresponds to the first layer and hence the subsequent layers will be deposited on the already plastically deformed buildup. The tensile residual longitudinal stress near the top of the buildup and transverse stress near the edges of the buildup is higher than yield strength in the studies with dwell time.
Laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) is the most prominent additive manufacturing (AM) technology for metal part production. Among the high number of factors influencing part quality and mechanical properties, the inter layer time (ILT) between iterative melting of volume elements in subsequent layers is almost completely unappreciated in the relevant literature on L-PBF. This study investigates the effect of ILT with respect to build height and under distinct levels of volumetric energy density (VED) using the example of 316L stainless steel. In-situ thermography is used to gather information on cooling conditions during the process, which is followed by an extensive metallographic analysis. Significant effects of ILT and build height on heat accumulation, sub-grain sizes, melt pool geometries and hardness are presented. Furthermore, the rise of defect densities can be attributed to a mutual interplay of build height and ILT. Hence, ILT has been identified as a crucial factor for L-PBF of real part components especially for those with small cross sections.
Effects on crack formation of additive manufactured Inconel 939 sheets during electron beam welding
(2021)
The potential of additive manufacturing for processing precipitation hardened nickel-base superalloys, such as Inconel 939 is considerable, but in order to fully exploit this potential, fusion welding capabilities for additive parts need to be explored. Currently, it is uncertain how the different properties from the additive manufacturing process will affect the weldability of materials susceptible to hot cracking. Therefore, this work investigates the possibility of joining additively manufactured nickel-based superalloys using electron beam welding. In particular,
the influence of process parameters on crack formation is investigated. In addition, hardness measurements are performed on cross-sections of the welds. It is shown that cracks at the seam head are enhanced by Welding speed and energy per unit length and correlate with the hardness of the weld metal. Cracking parallel to the weld area shows no clear dependence on the process variables that have been investigated, but is related to the hardness of the heat-affected zone.
The combination of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), known for its geometrical freedom and accuracy, and the nozzle-based laser metal deposition process (LMD), known for its high build-up rates, has great potential to reduce the additive manufacturing times for large metallic parts. For the industrial application of the LPBF-LMD hybrid process chain, it is necessary to investigate the infuence of the LMD process on the LPBF substrate. In addition, the build plate material also has a signifcant impact on the occurrence of distortion along the additive manufacturing process chain. In the literature, steel build plates are often used in laser-based additive manufacturing processes of Inconel 718, since a good metallurgical Bonding can be assured whilst reducing costs in the production and restoration of the build plates. This paper examines the distortion caused by LMD material deposition and the infuence of the build plate material along the hybrid additive manufacturing process chain. Twin cantilevers are manufactured by LPBF and an additional layer is subsequently deposited with LMD. The distortion is measured in the as-built condition as well as after heat treatment. The efect of diferent LMD hatch strategies on the distortion is determined. The experiments are conducted using the nickel-base alloy Inconel 718. The results show a signifcant infuence of LMD path strategies on distortion, with shorter tool paths leading to less distortion. The remaining distortion after heat treatment is considerably dependent on the material of the build plate.
Despite the advances in hardware and software techniques, standard numerical methods fail in providing real-time simulations, especially for complex processes such as additive manufacturing applications. A real-time simulation enables process control through the combination of process monitoring and automated feedback, which increases the flexibility and quality of a process. Typically, before producing a whole additive manufacturing structure, a simplified experiment in the form of a beadon-plate experiment is performed to get a first insight into the process and to set parameters suitably. In this work, a reduced order model for the transient thermal problem of the bead-on-plate weld simulation is developed, allowing an efficient model calibration and control of the process. The proposed approach applies the proper generalized decomposition (PGD) method, a popular model order reduction technique, to decrease the computational effort of each model evaluation required multiple times in parameter estimation, control, and optimization. The welding torch is modeled by a moving heat source, which leads to difficulties separating space and time, a key ingredient in PGD simulations. A novel approach for separating space and time is applied and extended to 3D problems allowing the derivation of an efficient separated representation of the temperature.
The results are verified against a standard finite element model showing excellent agreement. The reduced order model is also leveraged in a Bayesian model parameter estimation setup, speeding up calibrations and ultimately leading to an optimized real-time simulation approach for welding experiment using synthetic as well as real measurement data.
Herein, an improved ray-tracing routine using a virtual mesh refinement approach is adopted in a 3D transientmultiphysics computational fluid Dynamics model for deep penetration wire feed laser beam welding. In a previous study, it was shown that the improved localization of the reflection points of the subrays within the keyhole leads to a more realistic development of the keyhole Depth being validated with experimental results. Another effect investigated in Detail herein is a drastic change in the flow behavior in the weld pool, which promotes the occurrence of a necking area in the solidification line and subsequent bulging under specific circumstances. This has a detrimental effect on the filler material element transport in the weld pool, leading to an inhomogeneous dilution of the added material. The numerical observations are backed up by experimentally obtained data, allowing to provide a clear physics-based explanation of the reduced mixing behavior of the filler wire in the melt pool.
The paper deals with the integration of a light emitting diode (LED) into an additive manufactured metal component. Selective laser melting (SLM) and laser metal deposition (LMD) are used. The material used is the chrome-nickel steel 316L. The basic component is manufactured by means of SLM and consists of a solid body and an area with grid structure. The solid body includes a duct in the shape of a groove with a recess for the positioning of the power cable. The LED is embedded in the grid structure via an inlet from the solid body. In further processing, the groove is filled with LMD. Two strategies with different parameter combinations were investigated. It shows that a high energy input near the power cable leads to its destruction. By using multiple parameter combinations during the manufacturing process, this destruction can be prevented. There was a comparison of both strategies with regard to the necessary number of tracks and duration of welding time.
As humanity contemplates manned missions to Mars, strategies need to be developed for the design and operation of hospitable environments to safely work in space for years. The supply of spare parts for repair and replacement of lost equipment will be one key need, but in-space manufacturing remains the only option for a timely supply. With high flexibility in design and the ability to manufacture ready-to-use components directly from a computeraided model, additive manufacturing (AM) technologies appear extremely attractive. For the manufacturing of metal parts, laser-beam melting is the most widely used AM process. However, the handling of metal powders in the absence of gravity is one prerequisite for its successful application in space. A gas flow throughout the powder bed is successfully applied to compensate for missing gravitational forces in microgravity experiments. This so-called gas-flow-assisted powder deposition is based on a porous Building platform acting as a filter for the fixation of metal particles in a gas flow driven by a pressure difference maintained by a vacuum pump.
Dieser Beitrag stellt Ergebnisse der Untersuchungen zum Auftragschweißen als Plasma-Laserstrahl-Hybrid-Prozess dar. Es hat sich gezeigt, dass ein Laserstrahl, der in einer gemeinsamen Prozesszone mit einem Plasma-Pulver-Auftragschweißprozess vorlaufend angeordnet ist, diesem Prozess eine erhebliche Geschwindigkeitssteigerung sowie eine Verbesserung der Stabilität ermöglicht. Der Hybrid-Prozess konnte mit Verschleißschutzwerkstoffen
sowie dem Korrosionsschutzwerkstoff Inconel 625 bei Vorschubgeschwindigkeiten von bis zu 10 m/min erfolgreich validiert werden.
Im Hinblick auf die aktuellen Entwicklungen zu Hochgeschwindiglceits-Laserstrahlauftragschweißen kann der Plasma-Laserstrahl-Hybrid-Prozess
zwischen diesen und den konventionellen Verfahren eingeordnet werden.
A three-dimensional multi-physics numerical model was developed for the calculation of an appropriate equivalent volumetric heat source and the prediction of the transient thermal cycle during and after fusion welding. Thus the modelling process was separated into two studies. First, the stationary process simulation of full-penetration keyhole laser beam welding of a 15 mm low-alloyed steel thick plate in flat position at a welding speed of 2 m/min and a laser power of 18 kW was performed. A fixed keyhole with a right circular cone shape was used to consider the energy absorbed by the workpiece and to calibrate the model. In the calculation of the weld pool geometry and the local temperature field, the effects of phase transition, thermo-capillary convection, natural convection and temperature-dependent material properties up to evaporation temperature were taken into account. The obtained local temperature field was then used in a subsequent study as an equivalent heat source for the computation of the transient thermal field during the laser welding process and the cooling stage of the part. The system of partial differential equations, describing the stationary heat transfer and the fluid dynamics, were strongly coupled and solved with the commercial finite element software COMSOL Multiphysics 5.0. The energy input in the transient heat transfer simulation was realised by prescription of the nodes temperature. The prescribed nodes reproduced the calculated local temperature field defining the equivalent volumetric heat source. Their translational motion through the part was modelled by a moving mesh approach. An additional remeshing condition and helper lines were used to avoid highly distorted elements. The positions of the elements of the polygonal mesh were calculated with the Laplace’s smoothing approach. Good correlation between the numerically calculated and the experimentally observed weld bead shapes and transient temperature distributions was found.
This study presents mechanisms of the evolution of a narrowed region in the weld pool center during deep penetration laser beam welding. In numerous numerical studies presented in this study, it was also found that the local reduction of the weld pool size can cause detrimental effects on the melt flow behavior and the resulting properties of the welds. A particularly large influence of this effect was identified in three aspects. First, the local variation of the solidification sequence of the weld pool causes an increase in the hot-cracking susceptibility due to a locally delayed solidification. Second, it was proven that a change in the local length and width of the weld pool is associated with an adverse impact on the potential flow routes of the molten material that induces stronger local variations of its solidification. Thus, the element mixing, e.g., during the welding with filler materials, is blocked. This leads to a non-homogeneous chemical composition of the final weld and can cause undesired effects on the final material properties. Finally, another observed effect is related to the reduced ability of process pores to reach the top surface. As this type of porosity is usually produced around the keyhole tip, the change of the fluid flow regime above this area plays a significant role in determining the final path of the pores until the premature solidification in the middle of the weld pool captures them. This study summarizes mainly numerical results that were supported by selected experimental validation results.
Advantages such as element homogenization and grain refinement can be realized by introducing electromagnetic stirring into laser beam welding. However, the involved weld pool behavior and its direct role on determining the final microstructure have not been revealed quantitatively. In this paper, a 3D transient heat transfer and fluid flow model coupled with element transport and magnetic induction is developed for wire feed laser beam welding with electromagnetic stirring. The magnetohydrodynamics, temperature profile, velocity field, keyhole evolution and element distribution are calculated and analyzed. The model is well tested against the experimental results. It is suggested that a significant electromagnetic stirring can be produced in the weld pool by the induced Lorentz force under suitable electromagnetic parameters, and it shows important influences on the thermal fluid flow and the solidification parameter. The forward and downward flow along the longitudinal plane of the weld pool is enhanced, which can bring the additional filler wire material to the root of the weld pool. The integrated thermal and mechanical impacts of electromagnetic stirring on grain refinement which is confirmed experimentally by electron backscatter diffraction analysis are decoupled using the calculated solidification parameters and a criterion of dendrite fragmentation.
Through experimental observation and auxiliary numerical simulation, this investigation studies the different types of grain refinement of 5754 aluminum alloy laser beam welding by applying a transverse oscillating magnetic field. Scanning electron microscope results have proved that the application of a magnetic field can reduce the average crystal branch width and increase its number. The interaction between the induced eddy current generated by the Seebeck effect and the applied external magnetic field produces a Lorentz force, which is important for the increase in the number of crystal branches. Based on the theory of dendrite fragmentation and the magnetic field-induced branches increment, the grain size reduction caused by the magnetic field is studied. Furthermore, the effects of the magnetic field are analyzed by combining a phase field method model and simulations of nucleation and grain growth. The grain distribution and average grain
size after welding verify the reliability of the model. In addition, the introduction of a magnetic field can increase the number of periodic three-dimensional solidification patterns. In the intersection of two periods of solidification patterns, the metal can be re-melted and then re-solidified, which prevents the grains, that have been solidified and formed previously, from further growth and generates some small cellular grains in the new fusion line. The magnetic field increases the building frequency of these solidification structures and thus promotes this kind of grain refinement.
In this study, the influence of the welding speed, the arc power, and the laser focal position on the solidification crack formation for partial penetration laser hybrid–welded thick-walled plates was investigated.
The solidification cracking in the weld root is a result of interaction between metallurgical and geometrical and thermomechanical factors.
Experimentally, a direct correlation between the welding speed and the crack number was observed. That is by reducing the welding velocity, the crack number was decreased. The focal position shows also a significant influence on the crack number. By focusing the laser on the specimen surface, the crack number has been significantly diminished.
The wire feed speed showed a very slight influence on the crack formation. That is due to the large distance between the critical region for cracking and the arc region.
The numerical model shows a high stress concentration in the weld root for both components (vertical and transversal).
Numerically, the reduced welding speed showed a strong impact on stress, as the model demonstrated a lower stress amount by decreasing the welding speed.
The metallurgical factors, such as the assumed accumulation of the low-melting eutectics in the weld root, should be a contribution for solidification cracking, where the tensile stress is acting.
Recording the temperature distribution of the layer under construction during laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) is of utmost interest for a deep process understanding as well as for quality assurance and in situ monitoring means. While having a notable number of thermal monitoring approaches in additive manufacturing (AM), attempts at temperature calibration and emissivity determination are relatively rare. This study aims for the experimental temperature adjustment of an off-axis infrared (IR) thermography setup used for in situ thermal data acquisition in L-PBF processes. The temperature adjustment was conducted by means of the so-called contact method using thermocouples at two different surface conditions and two different materials: AISI 316L L-PBF bulk surface, AISI 316L powder surface, and IN718 powder surface. The apparent emissivity values for the particular setup were determined. For the first time, also corrected, closer to real emissivity values of the bulk or powder surface condition are published. In the temperature region from approximately 150 °C to 580 °C, the corrected emissivity was determined in a range from 0.2 to 0.25 for a 316L L-PBF bulk surface, in a range from 0.37 to 0.45 for 316L powder layer, and in a range from 0.37 to 0.4 for IN718 powder layer.
With the recent rise in the demand for additive manufacturing (AM), the need for reliable simulation tools to support experimental efforts grows steadily. Computational welding mechanics approaches can simulate the AM processes but are generally not validated for AM-specific effects originating from multiple heating and cooling cycles. To increase confidence in the outcomes and to use numerical simulation reliably, the result quality Needs to be validated against experiments for in-situ and post-process cases. In this article, a validation is demonstrated
for a structural thermomechanical simulation model on an arbitrarily curved Directed Energy Deposition (DED)part: at first, the validity of the heat input is ensured and subsequently, the model’s predictive quality for in-situ
deformation and the bulging behaviour is investigated. For the in-situ deformations, 3D-Digital Image Correlation measurements are conducted that quantify periodic expansion and shrinkage as they occur. The results show a strong dependency of the local stiffness of the surrounding geometry. The numerical Simulation model is set up in accordance with the experiment and can reproduce the measured 3-dimensional in-situ displacements. Furthermore, the deformations due to removal from the substrate are quantified via 3D-scanning, exhibiting considerable distortions due to stress relaxation. Finally, the prediction of the deformed shape is discussed in regards to bulging simulation: to improve the accuracy of the calculated final shape, a novel Extension of the model relying on the modified stiffness of inactive upper layers is proposed and the experimentally observed bulging could be reproduced in the finite element model.
The laser hybrid welding process offers many advantages regarding deep penetration, increased welding velocity and with the help of the supplied filler wire an improved bridgeability to gap and misalignment tolerances. High power laser systems with a power of approx. 30 kW are already available on the market. Nevertheless, multi-layer technology with an arc process is still used for welding of plates from a thickness from 20 mm. A potential cause is the process instability with increasing laser power. It is inevitable that gravity drop-out due to the high hydrostatic pressure at increasing wall thickness especially at welding in flat position and with a low welding speed. The surface tension decreases with increasing root width resulting from low welding velocities. To prevent such inadmissible defects of the seam a use of weld pool support is required. Usual weld pool support systems such as ceramic or powder supports require a mechanical detachment which is time-consuming. The electromagnetic weld pool support system described in this work shows an alternative weld pool support which works contactless. It is based on generating Lorentz forces in the weld pool due to oscillating magnetic field and induced eddy currents. This innovative technology offers single pass welds up to 28 mm in flat position and reduced welding velocity with a laser power of just 19 kW. It also leads to improved mechanical-technological properties of the seams because of the slow cooling rate. With usage of an electromagnetic weld pool support the limitation of the hybrid laser arc welding process in the thick sheet metal will be extend.
Components distort during directed energy deposition (DED) additive manufacturing (AM) due to the repeated localised heating. Changing the geometry in such a way that distortion causes it to assume the desired shape – a technique called distortion-compensation – is a promising method to reach geometrically accurate parts. Transient numerical simulation can be used to generate the compensated geometries and severely reduce the amount of necessary experimental trials. This publication demonstrates the simulation-based generation of a distortioncompensated DED build for an industrial-scale component. A transient thermo-mechanical approach is extended for large parts and the accuracy is demonstrated against 3d-scans. The calculated distortions are inverted to derive the compensated geometry and the distortions after a single compensation iteration are reduced by over 65%.
In recent years, it was shown that the introduction of additional oscillating and permanent magnetic fields to laser beam and laser-arc hybrid welding can bring several beneficial effects.
Examples are a contactless weld pool support for metals of high thickness suffering from severe drop-out when being welded conventionally or an enhanced stirring to improve the mixing of added filler material in the depth of the weld pool to guarantee homogeneous resulting mechanical properties of the weld. The latest research results show the applicability to various metal types over a wide range of thicknesses and welding conditions. The observations made were demonstrated in numerous experimental studies and a deep understanding of the interaction of the underlying physical mechanisms was extracted from numerical calculations.
Plasma-Transferred-Arc (PTA) welding is a process that enables high deposition rates, but also causes increased thermal load on the component. Laser metal deposition (LMD) welding, on the other hand, reaches a high level of precision and thus achieves comparatively low deposition rates, which can lead to high processing costs. Combining laser and arc energy aims to exploit the respective advantages of both technologies. In this study, a novel approach of this process combination is presented using a PTA system and a 2 kW disk laser. The energy sources are combined in a common process zone as a high-speed plasma laser cladding technology (HPLC), which achieves process speeds of 10 m/min at deposition rates of 6.6 kg/h and an energy per unit length of 39 J/mm.
The influence of heat input and welding speed on the microstructure and mechanical properties of single-pass hybrid laser arc welded 20mm thick plates of high-strength pipeline steel X120 were presented. The heat Input was varied in the range of 1.4 kJ mm−1 to 2.9 kJ mm−1, while the welding speed was changed between 0.5m min−1 and 1.5m min−1. A novel technique of bath support based on external oscillating electromagnetic field was used to compensate the hydrostatic pressure at low welding velocities. A major advantage of this technology is, that the welding speed and thus the cooling time t8/5 can be variated in a wide parameter window without issues regarding the weld root quality. The recommended welding thermal cycles for the pipeline steel X120 can be met by that way. All tested Charpy-V specimens meet the requirements of API 5 L regarding the impact energy. For higher heat inputs the average impact energy was 144 ± 37 J at a testing temperature of −40 °C. High heat Input above 1.6 kJ mm−1 leads to softening in the weld metal and heat-affected-zone resulting in loss of strength. The minimum tensile strength of 915 MPa could be achieved at heat inputs between 1.4 kJ mm−1 and 1.6 kJ mm−1.
Hybrid laser-arc welding of thick-walled ferromagnetic steels with electromagnetic weld pool support
(2018)
The hybrid laser-arc welding (HLAW) process provides many advantages over laser welding and arc welding alone, such as high welding speed, gap bridgeability, and deep penetration. The developments in hybrid laser-arc welding technology using modern high-power lasers allow single-pass welding of thick materials. This technology can be used for the heavy metal industries such as shipbuilding, power plant fabrication, and line-pipe manufacturing. The obvious problem for single-pass welding is the growth of the hydrostatic pressure with increasing thickness of materials leading to drop-out of molten metal. This phenomenon is aggravated at slow welding velocities because of increasing weld seam width followed by a decrease of Laplace pressure compensating the hydrostatic pressure. Therefore, weld pool support is necessary by welding of thick materials with slow welding velocities. The innovative electromagnetic weld pool support system is contactless and has been used successfully for laser beam welding of aluminum alloys and austenitic and ferromagnetic steels. The support system is based on generating Lorentz forces within the weld pool. These are produced by an oscillating magnetic field orientated perpendicular to the welding direction. The electromagnetic weld pool support facilitates a decrease in the welding speed without a sagging and drop-out of the melt thus eliminating the limitations of weldable material thickness.
The study deals with the application of the high-power hybrid-laser arc welding process on up to 15 mm thick pipe segments with the intention to avoid end crater imperfections during closing of the circumferential welds, where the pipes were turned during welding in 1G- and 2Gpositions.
Different techniques such as laser power ramp-down, abrupt switch-off of the laser power and change of the magnification of the laser spot diameter and defocusing of the laser beam relative to the workpiece were tested to remove the laser energy from the process. It could be shown that a high defocusing of the optic system above 40 mm with a resulting beam diameter > 2.9 mm in a short overlap length of approx.
20 mm leads to the formation of a cup-shaped weld seam, which is preferred for avoidance of cracks and pores in the end crater. A laser optics with motor-driven lens system was used for the welding experiments to defocuse the laser beam without changing the position of the arc.
The application of hybrid laser-arc welding (HLAW) for joining closed circumferential welds is a challenge due to the high risk of forming a defective overlap area with a shrinkage void or solidification cracks in the material thickness. A series of HLAW experiments were performed to understand the development of a faulty overlap area when closing the circumferential weld. Welding trials on flat specimens and pipe segments were supported by numerical analyses in which the thermomechanical behavior of the welds in the overlap area was investigated. Different process control strategies were tested, including variations in defocusing levels and the overlap length. The newly developed HLAW head, including laser optics with a motor-driven collimation system, made it possible to defocus the laser beam during welding without disturbing the stability of the welding process. High-level defocusing of the laser beam of more than 40 mm relative to the specimen surface with a resulting beam diameter of > 2.9 mm, and in combination with a short overlap length of 15 mm, was promising with respect to the formation of a desired cup-shaped weld profile that is resistant to solidification cracks.
It is already known that the laser beam welding (LBW) or hybrid laser-arc welding (HLAW) processes are sensitive to manufacturing tolerances such as gaps and misalignment of the edges, especially at welding of thick-walled steels due to its narrow beam diameter. Therefore, the joining parts preferably have to be milled. The study deals with the influence of the edge quality, the gap and the misalignment of edges on the weld seam quality of hybrid laser-arc welded 20-mm-thick structural steel plates which were prepared by laser and plasma cutting. Single-pass welds were conducted in butt joint configuration. An AC magnet was used as a contactless backing. It was positioned under the workpiece during the welding process to prevent sagging. The profile of the edges and the gap between the workpieces were measured before welding by a profile scanner or a digital camera, respectively. With a laser beam power of just 13.7 kW, the single-pass welds could
be performed. A gap bridgeability up to 1 mm at laser-cut and 2 mm at plasma-cut samples could be reached respectively.
Furthermore, a misalignment of the edges up to 2 mm could be welded in a single pass. The new findings may eliminate the need for cost and time-consuming preparation of the edges.
The paper describes an experimental investigation of the electromagnetic porosity reduction in partial penetration laser beam welding of 6 mm thick aluminum die casting AlSi9MnMg. The Investigation reveals that the usage of an electromagnetic field leads to a significant reduction of the porosity as well as to a surface smoothing of aluminum die casting. Based on the reference case without an electromagnetic influence, the porosity area was reduced gradually up to 76%.
Metallurgical pores as well as process pores were removed from the weld pool. Also the weld reinforcement was improved up to 78%. Best results were reached with a frequency of 4325 Hz and a magnetic flux density of 348 mT. Although a complete prevention of porosity was not achieved, the best weld seam reached a high quality and can be ranked in valuation group B of DIN EN ISO 13919-2:2001–12.
Cast magnesium alloys welds produced by refill friction stir spot welding (refill FSSW) show low lap shear strength (LSS) and constantly fail in stirred zone (SZ) shear mode. The cause is most probably related to the heavily textured microstructure. Here, to re-engineer the resulting microstructure, we pro- pose a novel process variant, the differential rotation refill FSSW (DR-refill FSSW). DR-refill FSSW stim- ulates discontinuous dynamic recrystallization and produces a bimodal microstructure with weakened texture. Therefore, the deformation incompatibility between SZ and thermal-mechanically affected zone is avoided. The welds have 50% higher LSS than that of standard refill FSSW welds, and fail in a different failure mode, i.e., SZ pull-out mode. DR-refill FSSW provides a new and effective strategy for improving the performance of spot welds based on microstructural engineering.
The study deals with the influence of the heat input and the resulting cooling times on the microstructure and Charpy impact toughness of single-pass laser hybrid welded 20-mm thick high-strength steel S690QL. The main focus is on the change of the mechanical properties over the entire seam thickness. The cooling times were measured in-situ using a pyrometer and an optical fibre in three different depths of the seam where Charpy impact test specimens were also later taken. Thereby, three different heat inputs from 1.3 kJ/mm to 2 kJ/mm were investigated. Despite the observed decreased values of both t8/5-cooling time and the Charpy impact toughness in the root part of the seam, the required impact toughness of 38 J/cm2 could be reached in dependance on applied heat input, especially at the heat input of 1.6 kJ/mm.
Hybrid laser-arc welding offers many advantages, such as deep penetration, good gap bridge-ability, and low distortion due to reduced heat input. The filler wire which is supplied to the process is used to influence the microstructure and mechanical properties of the weld seam.
A typical problem in deep penetration high-power laser beam welding with filler wire and hybrid laser-arc welding is an insufficient mixing of filler material in the weld pool, leading to a non-uniform element distribution in the seam. In this study, oscillating magnetic fields were used to form a non-conservative component of the Lorentz force in the weld pool to improve the element Distribution over the entire thickness of the material. Full penetration hybrid laser-arc welds were performed on 20-mm-thick S355J2 steel plates with a nickel-based wire for different arrangements of the oscillating magnetic field. The Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) data for the distribution of two tracing elements (Ni and Cr) were used to analyze the homogeneity of dilution of the filler wire.
With a 30° turn of the magnetic field to the welding direction, a radical improvement in the filler material distribution was demonstrated. This would lead to an improvement of the mechanical properties with the use of a suitable filler wire.
the joints throughout the structure. The flat units are constituted by butt welded flat plates, on which longitudinal T-welded reinforcements are placed to rigidize the structure. Among the different welding technologies, Hybrid Laser Arc Welding (HLAW) is becoming a mature process, profitable and highly productive. In addition, more innovative welding equipment are being developed nowadays, offering greater work flexibility, and raising expectations of achieving better quality, and economic viability. Another key point of HLAW to keep in mind is that structural distortions are reduced, resulting in decreasing the cost and time of straightening work.
In the present contribution, the influence of HLAW parameters on the quality of fillet joints of naval steel has been analysed. Experimental HLAW tests were performed with a high power disk laser to join EH36 naval steel plates, with a T configuration. The influence of different processing parameters has been analysed, as the laser power, welding speed, wire feed rate and the configuration of the HLAW processes (including head angle and laser/arc leading process). In addition, FEM simulations were carried out in order to estimate residual stresses and distortion of welded part. The distortion values provided by FEM presented excellent agreement with the measured experimental results. To evaluate the welds, non destructive tests including X-ray tests, metallographic analysis of cross sections, and microhardness mapping tests were performed.
Full penetration 8 mm T welds were obtained for the first time at an industrially applicable 2F position with a reasonable HLAW head angle, in one single step without sealing root, and using zero gap square groove Edge preparation. The present contribution presents welding rates up to 2.2 m/min for 2F T-joints of this steel thickness, a much higher processing velocity than previously reported for industrial applications.
Material qualification for laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) processes are often based on results derived from additively manufactured (AM) bulk material or small density cubes, although it is well known that the part geometry has a tremendous influence on the heat flux and, therefore, on the thermal history of an AM component. This study shows experimentally the effect of simple geometrical obstructions to the heat flux on cooling behavior and solidification conditions of 316L stainless steel processed by L-PBF. Additionally, it respects two distinct inter layer times (ILT) as well as the build height of the parts. The cooling behavior of the parts is in-situ traced by infrared (IR) thermography during the built-up. The IR signals reveal significant differences in cooling conditions, which are correlated to differences in melt pool geometries. The acquired data and results can be used for validation of computational models and improvements of quality assurance.
Among additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, the laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) is one of the most important technologies to produce metallic components. The layer-wise build-up of components and the complex process conditions increase the probability of the occurrence of defects. However, due to the iterative nature of its manufacturing process and in contrast to conventional manufacturing technologies such as casting, L-PBF offers unique opportunities for in-situ monitoring. In this study, two cameras were successfully tested simultaneously as a machine manufacturer independent process monitoring setup: a high-frequency infrared camera and a camera for long time exposure, working in the visible and infrared spectrum and equipped with a near infrared filter. An AISI 316L stainless steel specimen with integrated artificial defects has been monitored during the build. The acquired camera data was compared to data obtained by computed tomography. A promising and easy to use examination method for data analysis was developed and correlations between measured signals and defects were identified. Moreover, sources of possible data misinterpretation were specified. Lastly, attempts for automatic data analysis by data Integration are presented.
Distortions in Additive Manufacturing (AM) Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) occur in the newly-built component due to rapid heating and solidification and can lead to shape deviations and cracking. This paper presents a novel approach to quantify the distortions experimentally and to use the results in numerical simulation validation. Digital Image Correlation (DIC) is applied together with optical filters to measure in-situ distortions directly on a wall geometry produced with LMD. The wall shows cyclic Expansion and shrinking with the edges bending inward and the top of the sample exhibiting a slight u-shape as residual distortions. Subsequently, a structural Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of the experiment is established, calibrated against experimental temperature profiles and used to predict the in-situ distortions of the sample. A comparison of the experimental and numerical results reveals a good agreement in length direction of the sample and quantitative deviations in height direction, which are attributed to the material model used. The suitability of the novel experimental approach for measurements on an AM sample is shown and the potential for the validated numerical model as a predictive tool to reduce trial-and-error and improve part quality is evaluated.
Additive manufacturing offers a range of novel applications. However, the manufacturing process is complex and the production of almost defect-free parts with high reliability and durability is still a challenge. Thermography is a valuable tool for process surveillance, especially in metal additive manufacturing processes. The high process temperatures allow one to use cameras usually operating in the visible spectral range. Here, we compare the results of measurements during the manufacturing process of a commercial laser metal deposition setup using a mid wavelength infrared camera with those from a short wavelength infrared camera and those from a visual spectrum high-speed camera with band pass filter in the near infrared range.
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 beam and hybrid laser arc welding processes. An AC magnet was positioned under the workpiece which is generating an upward directed electromagnetic force to counteract the formation of the droplets. To visualise the melt flow characteristics, several experiments were carried out using a special technique with mild steel from S355J2 with a plate thickness of up to 20 mm and a quartz glass in butt configuration. The profile of the keyhole and the melt flow were recorded with a highspeed camera from the glass side. Additionally, the influence of the magnetic field orientation to the welding direction on the filler material dilution on laser hybrid welding was studied with variating oscillation frequency. The element distribution over the whole seam thickness was measured with X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The oscillation frequency demonstrated a great influence on the melt pool dynamics and the mixing of the elements of the filler wire. The highspeed recordings showed, under the influence of the magnetic field, that the melt is affected under strong vortex at the weld root, which also avoids the formation of droplets.
AISI 2205 duplex stainless steel is used in a variety of industries, including the chemical and petrochemical industries. This is due to its high tensile strength combined with good ductility and corrosion resistance. However, in laser beam welding, these properties are negatively afected by the high cooling rates typical of the welding process. The resulting higher ferrrite content in the weld metal than in the base material leads to a reduction in the ductility and corrosion resistance of the welded joint. To overcome this problem, in this study, thick plates were coated by direct energy deposition (DED) prior to laser beam welding, whereas a duplex powder mixture containing a higher nickel concentration was used as a coating material. To improve the weld quality for the proposed two-step process, a method of additional material deposition instead of conventional tack weld was investigated. The resulting welded joints showed a well-balanced austenite to ferrite ratio and their properties and microstructure were verifed by metallographic analysis, electron backscatter difraction and Charpy impact testing. Using the standard ASTM G48 test method, it was found that the corrosion resistance of the welds was improved by a factor of four in average compared to the conventionally welded joints. The resulting properties, such as good ductility and corrosion resistance, of the welds with pre-coated edges showed good agreement with those of the base metal and confrmed the proposed two-step process as a promising alternative to the conventional approaches for welding thick duplex stainless steel plates.
Ni-based superalloys are well established in various industrial applications, because of their excellentmechanical properties and corrosion resistance at high temperatures. Despite the high development stage anda common industrial use of these alloys, hot cracking remains a major challenge limiting the weldability ofthe materials. As commonly known, the hot cracking susceptibility during welding increases with the amountof precipitation phases. Hence, a large amount of highstrength Ni-Alloys is rated as non-weldable. A newapproach based on electron beam welding at low feed rates shows great potential for reducing the hotcracking tendency of precipitation-hardened alloys. However, geometry and properties of the weld seamdiffer significantly in comparison to the common process range for practical uses. The aim of this study is toinvestigate the influence of welding parameters on the seam geometry at low feed rates between 1 mm/s and10 mm/s. For this purpose, 25 bead on plate welds on a 12 mm thick sheet made of Inconel 718 are carriedout. First, the relevant parameters are identified by performing a screening. Then the effects discovered arefurther studied by using a central composite design. The results show a significant difference between theanalyzed weld seam geometry in comparison to the well-known appearance of electron beam welded seams.
The stability of the keyhole decreases for deep penetrated high-power laser beam welding. The keyhole tends to collapse with increasing laser power and e.g. keyhole induced porosity can occur. This study deals with the observation of the keyhole during high-power laser beam welding in partial penetration mode by means of a high-speed camera. A butt configuration of 25 mm thick structural steel and transparent quartz glass was used for the experiments. An oscillating magnetic field was applied perpendicular to the welding direction on the root side of the steel plate. The keyhole was highlighted with a coaxial diode laser. It was ascertained that the stability of the keyhole and the weld penetration depth were increased by applying an oscillating magnetic field with an oscillating frequency of 1.2 kHz and a magnetic flux density of 50 mT.
AlSi10Mg is one of the most applied alloys for laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology, due to its great possibilities for implementing new lightweight concepts such as in automotive industries. For the component design it is necessary to know about the mechanical properties and the mechanical behaviour. The many published strength properties of LPBF processed AlSi10Mg show significant differences up to approximately 225 MPa in ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and 195 MPa in yield strength (YS). To understand these varying properties, a ring trial was carried out manufacturing specimens on 6 LPBF machines with different parameters and build-up strategies. They were studied in the as-built (AB) condition and after heat treatment at 300 °C for 30 min, respectively. For examining the mechanical properties, tensile tests and hardness measurements were carried out. The microstructure was characterized by optical light microscopy (OM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The identified differences in strength properties were discussed based on the 4 strengthening mechanism known for metallic materials and at the background of material defects. It was found that the size of the typical sub-cell structure of LPBF AlSi10Mg affected substantially the mechanical properties in the AB condition, in which with decreasing sub-cell size strength increased. If heat treatment was applied, the strength properties decreased and did not differ anymore. Since annealing led to coarsened sub-cells, whereas the grains itself did not change in size, the influence of sub-cell structure on strength was further confirmed. In addition, acicular precipitates in the AB condition were observed at specimens from one LPBF machine showing the lowest tensile elongation.
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 raytracing 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 noncontinuous 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.
This study examines the relationship between the magnetic mesostructure with the microstructure of low carbon steel tungsten inert gas welds. Optical microscopy revealed variation in the microstructure of the parent material, in the heat affected and fusion zones, correlating with distinctive changes in the local magnetic stray fields measured with high spatial resolution giant magneto resistance sensors. In the vicinity of the heat affected zone high residual stresses were found using neutron diffraction.
Notably, the gradients of von Mises stress and triaxial magnetic stray field modulus follow the same tendency transverse to the weld. In contrast, micro-X-ray fluorescence characterization indicated that local changes in element composition had no independent effect on magnetic stray fields.
The spatial laser energy absorption inside the keyhole is decisive for the dynamic molten pool behaviors and the resultant weld properties in high-power laser beam welding (LBW). In this paper, a numerical simulation of the LBW process, considering the 3D transient heat transfer, fluid flow, and keyhole dynamics, is implemented, in which the free surface is tracked by the volume-of-fluid algorithm. The underlying laser-material interactions, i.e., the multiple reflections and Fresnel absorption, are considered by an advanced ray-tracing method based on a localized level-set strategy and a temperature-dependent absorption coefficient. The laser energy absorption is analyzed from a time-averaged point of view for a better statistical representation. It is found for the first time that a significant drop in the time-averaged laser energy absorption occurs at the focus position of the laser beam and that the rest of the keyhole region has relatively homogeneous absorbed energy. This unique absorption pattern may lead to a certain keyhole instability and have a strong correlation with the detrimental bulging and narrowing phenomena in the molten pool. The influence of different focus positions of the laser beam on the keyhole dynamics and molten pool profile is also analyzed. The obtained numerical results are compared with experimental measurements to ensure the validity of the proposed model.
Solidification cracking is still a serious problem in laser beam welding, especially in the welding of thick-walled plates. The influence of weld pool geometry on solidification cracking in partial penetration welding of thick plates is investigated within scope of this study. Therefore, a specific experimental setup of steel and quartz glass in butt configuration and on the side with high-speed camera were used to record the weld pool shape. In addition, the influence of laser inclination angle on the weld pool geometry and on solidification crack formation was investigated. The results show a bulge in the weld pool root, which is separated from an upper region by a necking region. This leads to a case where there are three different longitudinal region lengths with different solidification zones. This temporal sequence of solidification strongly promotes the formation of solidification cracks in the weld root.
Laser beam welding of aluminum die casting is challenging. A large quantity of gases (in particular, hydrogen) is absorbed by aluminum during the die-cast manufacturing process and is contained in the base material in solved or bound form. After remelting by the laser, the gases are released and are present in the melt as pores. Many of these metallurgic pores remain in the weld seam as a result of the high solidification velocities. The natural (Archimedean) buoyancy is not sufficient to remove the pores from the weld pool, leading to process instabilities
and poor mechanical properties of the weld. Therefore, an electromagnetic (EM) system is used to apply an additional buoyancy
component to the pores. The physical mechanism is based on the generation of Lorentz forces, whereby an electromagnetic pressure is introduced into the weld pool. The EM system exploits the difference in electrical conductivity between poorly conducting pores (inclusions) and the comparatively better conducting aluminum melt to increase the resulting buoyancy velocity of the pores. Within the present study, the electromagnetic supported degassing is investigated in dependence on the laser beam power, welding velocity, and electromagnetic flux density. By means of a design of experiments, a systematic variation of these parameters is carried out for partial penetration laser beam welding of 6mm thick sheets of wrought aluminum alloy AlMg3 and die-cast aluminum alloy AlSi12(Fe), where the wrought alloy serves as a reference. The proportion of pores in the weld seams is determined using x-ray images, computed tomography images, and cross-sectional images. The results prove a significant reduction of the porosity up to 70% for both materials as a function of the magnetic flux density.
size limitations and high production costs of L-PBF make it competitive for smaller, highly complex components, while the less complex elements of an assembly are manufactured conventionally. This leads to scenarios that use L-PBF only where it’s beneficial, and it require an integration and joining to form the final product. For example, L-PBF combustion swirlers are welded onto cast parts to produce combustion systems for stationary gas turbines. Today, the welding process requires complex welding fixtures and tack welds to ensure the correct alignment and positioning of the parts for repeatable weld results. In this paper, L-PBF and milled weld preparations are presented as a way to simplify the Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding of rotationally symmetrical geometries using integrated features for alignment and fixation. Pipe specimens with the proposed designs are manufactured in Inconel 625 using L-PBF and milling. The pipe assembly is tested and TIG welding is performed for validation. 3D scans of the pipes before and after welding are evaluated, and the weld quality is examined via metallography and computed tomography (CT) scans. All welds produced in this study passed the highest evaluation group B according to DIN 5817. Thanks to good component alignment, safe handling, and a stable welding process, the developed designs eliminate the need for part-specific fixtures, simplify the process chain, and increase the process reliability. The results are applicable to a wide range of components with similar requirements.
Laser beam welding is a widely used joining technique in many industrial applications. This is mainly due to its many unique advantages, especially compared to conventional arc welding processes. These advantages include, among others, highly concentrated energy deposition, low total heat input and a capacity to penetrate deep into the material while causing only small welding distortions.
However, at the same time, the small dimension of the laser spot, high solidification rates, and small dimensions of the weld pool itself can provoke issues regarding the assembly tolerances of the workpiece, the hot-cracking phenomena, as well as keyhole-induced bubbles escaping from the melt.
Weld pool shapes in laser beam welding are elongated at the external, free surfaces under the action of the main driving forces in the melt – such as recoil pressure and surface tension forces – while being shorter in the internal areas of the weld pool. This leads to a regular solidification sequence from the internal zones toward the free surfaces, e.g. from the bottom to the top in partial penetration welding. However, in recent studies reported in the literature and seen in the experimental and numerical investigations of BAM Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung in Berlin, it was found that an internal narrowing phenomenon can occur that is often accompanied by a distinct bulging of the weld bead in deeper zones.
As the internal behaviour of the melt during the process is hardly optically accessible, several numerical models and experimental techniques were established to visualise the mechanisms of the formation of the bulging and the narrowing phenomenon and to reveal the consequences on the solidification sequence, pore formation, and filler metal dilution.
A 3D electro-thermomechanical model is established in order to investigate liquid metal embrittlement.
After calibration to a dual phase steel of the 1000 MPa tensile strength class, it is used to analyse the thermo-mechanical system of an experimental procedure to enforce liquid metal embrittlement during resistance spot welding. In this procedure, a tensile stress level is applied to zinc coated advanced high strength steel samples during welding. Thereby, liquid metal embrittlement formation is enforced, depending on the applied stress level and the selected material.
The model is suitable to determine and visualise the corresponding underlying stresses and strains responsible for the occurrence of liquid metal embrittlement. Simulated local stresses and strains show good conformity with experimentally observed surface crack locations.
In recent years, laser beam welding has found wide applications in many industrial fields. Solidification cracks are one of the most frequently encountered welding defects that hinder obtaining a safe weld joint. Decades of research have shown that one of the main causes of such cracks are the strain and the strain rate. Obtaining meaningful measurements of these strains has always been a major challenge for scientists, because of the specific environment of the measurement range and the many obstacles, as well as the high temperature and the plasma plume. In this study, a special experimental setup with a high-speed camera was employed to measure the strain during the welding process. The hot cracking susceptibility was investigated for 1.4301 stainless steel, and the critical strain required for solidification crack formation was locally and globally determined.
Directed energy deposition is a metal additive manufacturing process that builds parts by joining material in a layer-by-layer fashion on a substrate. Those parts are exposed to rapid thermo-cycles which cause steep stress gradients and the layer-upon-layer manufacturing fosters an anisotropic microstructure, therefore stress relief heat treatment is necessary. The numerical simulation can be used to find suitable parameters for the heat treatment and to reduce the necessary efforts to perform an effective stress relieving. Suitable validation Experiments are necessary to verify the results of the numerical simulation.
In this paper, a 3D coupled thermo-mechanical model is used to simulate the heat treatment of an additive manufactured component to investigate the application of a C-ring geometry for the distortion-based validation of the numerical simulation.
Therefore, the C-ring samples were 3D scanned using a structured light 3D scanner to quantify the distortion after each process step.
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.
The application of anti-corrosion coated, high-strength steels in the automotive industry has increased in recent years. In combination with various zinc-based surface coatings, liquid metal embrittlement cracking can be observed in some of these materials. A high-quality, crack-free spot-welded joint is essential to realize the lightweight potential of the materials. In this work, the LME susceptibility of different coatings, which will be determined by the crack length and the occurrence rate, will be investigated using a welding under external load setup. The uncoated specimens did not show any LME. EG, GI and GA showed significantly less LME than ZM coatings. The latter coatings showed much larger crack lengths than the EG, GI and GA coatings. Furthermore, two mechanisms regarding the LME occurrence rate were observed: the occurrence of LME in zinc–magnesium coatings was theorized to be driven by the material properties of the coatings, whereas the occurrence of LME at EG, GI and GA samples was forced mainly by the application of the external tensile load.
In the experimental setup of this work, the materials were exposed to unusually high mechanical loads (up to 80% of their yield strength) to evoke LME cracks.
The potential of lowered surface features as well as the application of wear resistant coatings have been known for many years to improve the tribological behavior of forming tools. More recent studies also discuss the capability of protruded microfeatures for adjusting the tribological behavior between contacting surfaces. The demand for a high wear resistance of such structures as well as their economical and reliable production, however, often limits the industrial application. The laser implantation process can overcome these limitations. In contrast to conventional cw-laser dispersing processes, where the formation of uniform metal matrix composite layers is intended, this surface engineering technique aims to improve the tribological behavior of contacting surfaces by a localized dispersing of pre-placed hard ceramic particles. This enables the formation of deterministic textures composed of separated wear resistant dome- or ring-shaped microstructures (implants).
Since TaC shows very promising material properties for improving the wear resistance of tools exposed to severe operating conditions, this paper analyzes its suitability for pulsed laser implantation on X38CrMoV5-3 tool steel for the first time. In the experiments, the influence of the particles and the laser parameters (pulse power, pulse duration and focal diameter) on the material properties of the localized dispersed zones was studied by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The composite´s (micro-) hardness was measured and calculated by using a rule of mixture. Additionally, the influence of the laser parameters and the TaC particles on the geometrical properties of the implants was studied by optical microscopy and white light interferometry.
The results showed that defect-free implants with hardness values of ~900 HV1 can be obtained at the focal spot, since a localized dispersing of the TaC particles is possible using a pulsed millisecond laser. However, in dependence of the laser intensity, also a partial dissolution of the initial particles occurs. This leads to the precipitation of new dendritic TaC nanoparticles and to varying contents of retained austenite in the matrix. Both effects have a strong influence on the implant hardness and must be considert by the rule of mixture. Regarding the geometrical response it was pointed out that protruded microfeatures with heights up to 10 µm can be created. In comparison to laser remelted zones, the implanted zones showed significantly altered weld pool profiles due to the influence of the particles on the melt convection. A transition of the implant shape from predominantly dome-shaped to predominantly ring-shaped was observed for intensities >1.7∙106 W/cm2 due to the onset of the keyhole effect.
This article presents a cost-effective and reliable method for welding 30 mm thick sheets of shipbuilding steel EH36. The method proposes to perform butt welding in a two-run technique using hybrid laser arc welding (HLAW) and submerged arc welding (SAW). The HLAW is performed as a partial penetration weld with a penetration depth of approximately 25 mm. The SAWis carried out as a second run on the opposite side. With a SAWpenetration depth of 8 mm, the weld cross-section is closed with the reliable intersection of both passes. The advantages of the proposed welding method are: no need for forming of the HLAW root; the SAW pass can effectively eliminate pores in the HLAWroot; the high stability of the welding process regarding the preparation quality of the weld edges. Plasma cut edges can be welded without lack of fusion defects. The weld quality achieved is confirmed by destructive tests.
Duplexstähle finden in vielen industriellen Bereichen Anwendung, dies ist nicht zuletzt ihren hervorragenden Eigenschaften, wie einer guten Korrosionsbeständigkeit, einer guten Duktilität bei trotzdem hoher Festigkeit, zuzuschreiben. Diese Eigenschaften werden jedoch durch das Schweißen, vor allem das Laserstrahlschweißen, beeinträchtigt, da die hohen Abkühlraten zu erhöhten Ferritanteilen im Schweißgut führen. Mit Hilfe eines zweistufigen Prozesses, bei dem die Kanten der Fügepartner vor dem Schweißen mit nickelhaltigem Pulver beschichtet werden, soll dieses Problem für dickwandige Bleche gelöst werden.
In diesem Zusammenhang wurden verschiedene Prozessparameter für den Laser-Pulver-Auftragschweiß-Prozess untersucht sowie die defektfreie Schweißung dieser beschichteten Kanten mit unterschiedlichen Prozessgasen.
Beim Unterpulverschweißen sind die Prozessgeräusche ein Indikator für eine gute Fügequalität. Diese Beurteilung kann i.d.R. nur von einer erfahrenen Fachkraft durchgeführt werden. Eine kürzlich entwickelte künstliche Intelligenz kann automatisch das akustische Prozesssignal anhand vortrainierter Merkmale klassifizieren und die Fügequalität anhand des Geräuschs beurteilen. Der Algorithmus, einmal richtig trainiert, kann den Prüfaufwand beim Unterpulverschweißen deutlich reduzieren.
A novel approach for the reconstruction of an equivalent volumetric heat source from a known weld pool shape is proposed. It is based on previously obtained weld pool geometries from a steady-state thermo-fluid dynamics simulation. Hereby, the weld pool dimensions are obtained under consideration of the most crucial physical phenomena, such as phase transformations, thermo-capillary convection, natural convection, and temperature-dependent material properties. The algorithm provides a time and calibration efficient way for the reproduction of the weld pool shape by local Lamé curves. By adjusting their parameters, the identification of the finite elements located within the weld pool is enabled. The heat input due to the equivalent heat source is assured by replacing the detected nodes’ temperature by the melting temperature. The model offers variable parameters making it flexible and adaptable for a wide range of workpiece thicknesses and materials and allows for the investigation of transient thermal effects, e.g., the cooling stage of the workpiece. The calculation times remain acceptably short especially when compared to a fully coupled process simulation. The computational results are in good agreement with performed complete-penetration laser beam welding experiments.
Laser beam oscillation, applied one- or two-dimensional to the actual welding process, influences the welding process in terms of compensation of tolerances and reduction of process emissions like spatter and melt ejections that occur in industrial applications, such as in body-in-white manufacturing. If the welding process could be adapted to these tolerances by the momentarily demanded melt pool width to generate sufficient melt volume or to influence melt pool dynamics, e.g. for a better degassing, laser welding would become more robust. However, beam oscillation results are highly dependent on the natural frequency of the melt pool, the used spot diameter and the oscillation speed of the laser beam. The conducted investigations with an oscillated 300 μm laser spot show that oscillation strategies which are adjusted to the joining situation can bridge gaps to approximately 0.6 mm at metal sheet thickness of 0.8 mm. However, the complex behaviour of the melt pool has to be considered to generate proper welding results. This work puts emphasis on showing aspects of beam oscillation in fillet welding in lap joints.
With additive manufacturing in the powder bed, the component size is limited by the installation space. Joint welding of additively manufactured parts offers a possibility to remove this size limitation. However, due to the specific stress and microstructure state in the additively built material, it is unclear to what extent existing evaluation rules of joint welding are also suitable for welds on additive components. This is investigated using laser beam welding of additively manufactured pipe joints. The welds are evaluated by means of visual inspection, metallographic examinations as well as computed tomography. The types of defects found are comparable to conventional components. This is an indicator that existing evaluation regulations also map the possible defects occurring for weld seams on additive components.
The laser implantation technique bases on a localized dispersing of ceramic particles in metallic surface layers for changing their micro geometry as well as their material properties. Using TiB2 and NbC hard particles, tailored microtextures consisting of elevated dome-, ring-, or line-shaped Features can be manufactured. Especially TiB2 implants feature high hardness values up to 1800 HV1 and ceramic particle contents up to 55 %, indicating superior wear resistant properties.
The advantage of selective laser melting (SLM) is its high accuracy and geometrical flexibility.
Because the maximum size of the components is limited by the process chamber, possibilities must be found to combine several parts manufactured by SLM. An application where this is necessary, is, for example, the components of gas turbines, such as burners or oil return pipes, and inserts, which can be joined by circumferential welds. However, only a few investigations to date have been carried out for the welding of components produced by SLM. The object of this paper is, therefore, to investigate the feasibility of laser beam welding for joining SLM tube connections made of nickel-based alloys.
For this purpose, SLM-manufactured Inconel 625 and Inconel 718 tubes were welded with a Yb:YAG disk laser and subsequently examined for residual stresses and defects. The results showed that the welds had no significant influence on the residual stresses. A good weld quality could be achieved in the seam circumference. However, pores and pore nests were found in the final overlap area, which meant that no continuous good welding quality could be accomplished. Pore formation was presumably caused by capillary instabilities when the laser power was ramped out.
Im Additive Manufacturing Verfahren Directed Energy Deposition (DED) wird bei der Verarbeitung von Werkzeugstahl in der Regel reines Argon als Schutzgas verwendet. Dabei kann die Verwendung von speziellen Schutzgasgemischen, auch bei geringen Anteilen zugemischter Gase, durchaus die Bauteilqualität positiv beeinflussen.
In Vorarbeiten der Messer SE & Co. KGaA zeigte ein gewisser Sauerstoffanteil im Schutzgas die Tendenz, den Flankenwinkel von Schweißspuren beim DED zu verbessern. In der vorliegenden Studie wurde daher detailliert untersucht in wie weit unterschiedliche Schutzgasgemische einen Einfluss auf die Qualität sowie die geometrischen Eigenschaften der additiv gefertigten Strukturen des Werkzeugstahls 1.2709 beim Laser-DED ausüben. Es erfolgten zunächst Testschweißungen in Form von Einzelspuren mit unterschiedlichen Gemischen aus dem Basisschutzgas Argon mit geringen Anteilen verschiedener Gase. Dabei wurde der Einfluss der Zusätze auf die Spurgeometrie und Aufbauqualität untersucht. Auf Basis dieser Vorversuche wurde eine Auswahl vielversprechender Gasgemische getroffen und Detailuntersuchungen in Form von Spuren, Flächen und Quadern unter Zugabe verschiedener Mengen an Zusätzen durchgeführt. Zur Bewertung des Einflusses der Schutzgasbeimengungen wurden der Flankenwinkel, die Porosität und das Gefüge der Proben anhand metallografischer Schliffe untersucht. Es zeigte sich, dass eine Zugabe von geringen Anteilen an Zusätzen zunächst zu einer Vergrößerung des Flankenwinkels im Vergleich zu reinem Argon führt. Mit steigendem Anteil der Gase nimmt dieser Winkel jedoch ab. So kann je nach Menge des zugesetzten Gases eine individuelle Benetzung des aufgetragenen Materials an der Oberfläche erreicht werden. Auch die Porosität ließ sich durch Schutzgasgemische beeinflussen und zeigt ein abweichendes Verhalten im Vergleich zu reinem Argon.
Laserstrahlhybridschweissen von Türmen für Windkraftanlagen Ökonomische und ökologische Vorteile
(2022)
Das Laserstrahlhybridschweißen ist beim Schweißen von Türmen für Windkraftanlagen eine Alternative zum Unterpulverschweißen von Dickblechen in Mehrlagentechnik und bietet hier ökonomische und ökologische Vorteile. Der industrielle Einsatz des Verfahrens ist jedoch durch prozessspezifische Herausforderungen eingeschränkt. Die im Beitrag beschriebene kontaktlose elektromagnetische Badstütze dient zur Erweiterung des Verfahrenspotenzials im Dickblechbereich >15 mm.
Laserstrahlschweißen additiv gefertigter Bauteile: Einsetzbarkeit bestehender Bewertungsvorschriften
(2021)
Bei der additiven Fertigung im Pulverbett ist die Bauteilgröße durch den Bauraum begrenzt. Das Verbindungsschweißen additiv gefertigter Teile bietet eine Möglichkeit diese Größenbegrenzung aufzuheben. Aufgrund des spezifischen Spannungs- und Gefügezustands im additiv aufgebauten Teil ist jedoch unklar, inwiefern bestehende Bewertungsvorschriften des Verbindungsschweißens auch für Schweißnähte an additiv gefertigten Bauteilen geeignet sind. Dies wird anhand des Laserstrahlschweißens additiv gefertigter Rohrverbindungen untersucht. Die Schweißnähte werden mittels visueller Prüfung, metallografischer Untersuchungen sowie Computertomografie ausgewertet. Die festgestellten Fehlerarten sind vergleichbar zu konventionellen Bauteilen. Dies ist ein Indikator dafür, dass bestehende Bewertungsvorschriften die möglichen auftretenden Defekte auch für Schweißnähte an additiven Bauteilen abbilden.
The high amount of resource consumption of fusion welding processes offers the potential to reduce their environmental impact. While the driving forces are known froma qualitative perspective, the quantitative assessment of the crucial parameters is not a trivial task. Therefore, herein, a welding-specific methodology to utilize life cycle assessment as a tool for evaluating the environmental impact of fusion welding processes is presented. In this context, two welding processes, resistance spot welding and laser beam welding, are analyzed for two different use cases.
These comprise the welding of shear test specimens and a cap profile made of electrogalvanized sheets of DC 05þ ZE (1.0312) as representative of an automotive application. For both welding processes, the main influences on the resulting environmental impact categories are evaluated and compared. The requirements for ecological efficient welding processes are discussed and implemented.
The aim of this study is to increase the tribological performance of hot stamping tools by using a laser implantation process. This technique allows the fabrication of separated, elevated and dome-shaped microfeatures on the tool surface in consequence of a localized dispersing of ceramic particles via pulsed laser radiation. Hence, the topography and material properties of the tool are modified, which influences the tribological interactions at the blank-die interface. However, an appropriate selection of ceramic particles is an essential prerequisite, in order to obtain tailored and highly wear resistant surface features. In this regard, different titanium-based hard particles (TiB2 and TiN) were laser-implanted on hot working tool specimens and subsequently tested by means of a modified pin-on-disk test regarding to their wear and friction behavior.
Within the scope of this work, a new surface engineering technology named laser implantation has been investigated, in order to improve the tribological performance of hot stamping tools. This technique is based on manufacturing highly wear-resistant, separated, and elevated microfeatures by embedding hard ceramic particles into the tool surface via pulsed laser radiation.
Hence, the topography and material properties of the tool are modified, which influences the thermal and tribological interactions at the blank-die interface. To verify these assumptions and to clarify the cause–effect relations, different titanium-based particles (TiB2, TiC, TiN) were laser-implanted and subsequently analyzed regarding to their geometrical shape and mechanical properties. Afterwards, quenching tests as well as tribological experiments were carried out by using titanium-diboride as the most promising implantation material for reducing the tribological load due to high hardness value of the generated implants. Compared to conventional tooling systems, the modified tool surfaces revealed a significantly higher wear resistance as well as reduced friction forces while offering the possibility to adjust the thermal interactions at the blank-die interface. Based on these results, a tailored tool surface modification can be pursued in future research work, in order to enhance the effectiveness of the hot stamping technology.
Low heat input gas metal arc welding for dissimilar metal weld overlays part II: the transition zone
(2018)
Dissimilar metal weld overlays (DMWOL) of nickel base alloys on low alloy steel components are commonly used in the oil and gas, petrochemical, and power generation industries to provide corrosion and oxidation resistance in a wide range of service environments and temperatures. Traditionally, dissimilar weld overlays are produced using cold or hot wire gas tungsten arc welding. This study aims to identify and evaluate potential advantages of low heat input gas metal arc welding processes over the conventional gas tungsten arc welding in the production of dissimilar weld overlays. In order to evaluate the quality of these overlays regarding resistance against hydrogen-assisted cracking, their transition zone region is investigated in this part of the publication series. Metallurgical characterization, including energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, is performed on Alloy 625/grade 22 steel overlays. The transition zone is characterized by a narrow planar growth zone and steep compositional gradients from the fusion boundary towards the weld metal. Evidence of low carbon contents in the planar growth zone, as well as for carbide precipitation in the cellular growth zone was found. The microstructure in the transition zone region of the fusion zone shows characteristics known to be suitable for good resistance against hydrogen embrittlement.
Dissimilar metal weld overlays of nickel-base alloys on low-alloy steel components are commonly used in the oil and gas, petrochemical, and power generation industries to provide corrosion and oxidation resistance in a wide range of service Environments and temperatures. Traditionally, dissimilar weld overlays are produced using cold or hot wire gas tungsten arc welding.
This study aims to identify and evaluate potential advantages of low heat input gas metal arc welding processes over the conventional gas tungsten arc welding in the production of such overlays. Parts I and II of this publication series described characteristics of the heat-affected zone and the transition zone region of alloy 625 on grade 22 steel overlays. These results indicate a good resistance against hydrogen-assisted cracking, which is being verified within this third part of the publication series. To determine the hydrogen-assisted cracking susceptibility, welded samples are tested using the delayed hydrogen-assisted cracking test. Fractography is performed using scanning electron microscopy along with energy dispersive spectroscopy. The results confirm the suitability and efficiency of low heat input gas metal arc welding for dissimilar weld overlays. Variation of the postweld heat treatment procedure bears potential for improvement in this respect.
Dissimilar metal weld overlays of nickel-base alloys on low-alloy steel components are commonly used in the oil and gas, petrochemical, and power generation industries to provide corrosion and oxidation resistance in a wide range of service Environments and temperatures. Traditionally, dissimilar weld overlays are produced using cold or hot wire gas tungsten arc welding.
This study aims to identify and evaluate potential advantages of low heat input gas metal arc welding processes over the conventional gas tungsten arc welding in the production of such overlays. Parts I and II of this publication series described characteristics of the heat-affected zone and the transition zone region of alloy 625 on grade 22 steel overlays. These results indicate a good resistance against hydrogen-assisted cracking, which is being verified within this third part of the publication series. To determine the hydrogen-assisted cracking susceptibility, welded samples are tested using the delayed hydrogen-assisted cracking test. Fractography is performed using scanning electron microscopy along with energy dispersive spectroscopy. The results confirm the suitability and efficiency of low heat input gas metal arc welding for dissimilar weld overlays. Variation of the postweld heat treatment procedure bears potential for improvement in this respect.
The geometrical characteristics of the weld end crater are commonly used as a means of validating numerical results in welding simulations.
In this paper, an analytical model is developed for calculating the cooling stage of the welding process after the moving energy source is turned off. Solutions for various combinations of heat sources and heated bodies are found. It is shown that after turning off the Energy source, additional melting of the base material in the longitudinal direction may occur due to the overheated liquid metal. The developed technique is applied to complete-penetration keyhole laser beam welding of 2 mm thick austenitic stainless-steel plate 316L at a Welding speed of 20 mm/s and a laser power of 2.3 kW. The results show a theoretical increase in the weld end crater length of up to 19% compared to the length of the steady-state weld pool. It is found that at the moment of switch off, the weld end crater center, where solidification of the liquid metal ends, is shifted from the heat source axis toward the weld pool tail. The solidification rate and the direction of crystallization of the molten material during the welding process and those in the weld end crater differ significantly. A good agreement between the computational results and the welding experiments is achieved.
The underlying cause of mechanical anisotropy in additively manufactured (AM) parts is not yet fully understood and has been attributed to several different factors like microstructural defects, residual stresses, melt pool boundaries, crystallographic and morphological textures. To better understand the main contributing factor to the mechanical anisotropy of AM stainless steel 316L, bulk specimens were fabricated via laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). Tensile specimens were machined from these AM bulk materials for three different inclinations: 0◦, 45◦, and 90◦ relative to the build plate. Dynamic Young’s modulus measurements and tensile tests were used to determine the mechanical anisotropy. Some tensile specimens were also subjected to residual stress measurement via neutron diffraction, porosity determination with X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT), and texture analysis with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). These investigations revealed that the specimens exhibited near full density and the detected defects were spherical. Furthermore, the residual stresses in the loading direction were between −74 ± 24 MPa and 137 ± 20 MPa, and the EBSD measurements showed a preferential ⟨110⟩ orientation parallel to the build direction. A crystal plasticity model was used to analyze the elastic anisotropy and the anisotropic yield behavior of the AM specimens, and it was able to capture and predict the experimental behavior accurately. Overall, it was shown that the mechanical anisotropy of the tested specimens was mainly influenced by the crystallographic texture.
Resistance spot welding (RSW) is widely used in the automotive industry
as the main joining method. Generally, an automotive body contains
around 2000 to 5000 spot welds. Therefore, it is of decisive importance to characterize the mechanical properties of these areas for the further optimization and improvement of an automotive body structure. The present paper aims to introduce a novel method to investigate the mechanical properties and microstructure of the resistance spot weldment of DP1000 sheet steel. In this method, the microstructure of RSW of two sheets was reproduced on one sheet and on a bigger area by changing of the welding parameters, e. g. welding current, welding time, electrode force and type. Then, tensile tests in combination with digital Image correlation (DIC) measurement were performed on the notched tensile specimens to determine the mechanical properties of the weld metal.
The notch must be made on the welded tensile specimen to force the fracture and elongation on the weld metal, enabling the characterization of its properties. Additionally, the parameters of a nonlinear isotropic material model can be obtained and verified by the simulation of the tensile specimens. The parameters obtained show that the strength of DP1000 steel and the velocity of dislocations for reaching the Maximum value of strain hardening, are significantly increased after RSW. The effect of sample geometry and microstructural inhomogeneity of the welded joint on the constitutive property of the weld metal are presented and discussed.
Among the various welding technologies, resistance spot welding (RSW) and laser beam welding (LBW) play a significant role as joining methods for the automobile industry. The application of RSW and LBW for the automotive body alters the microstructure in the welded areas. It is necessary to identify the mechanical properties of the welded material to be able to make a reliable statement about the material behavior and the strength of welded components. This study develops a method by which to determine the mechanical properties for the weldment of RSW and LBW for two dual phase (DP) steels, DP600 and DP1000, which are commonly used for the automotive bodies. The mechanical properties of the resistance spot weldment were obtained by performing tensile tests on the notched tensile specimen to cause an elongation of the notched and welded area in order to investigate its properties. In order to determine the mechanical properties of the laser beam weldment, indentation tests were performed on the welded material to calculate its force-penetration depth-curve. Inverse numerical simulation was used to simulate the indentation tests to determine and verify the parameters of a nonlinear isotropic material model for the weldment of LBW. Furthermore, using this method, the parameters for the material model of RSW were verified. The material parameters and microstructure of the weldment of RSW and LBW are compared and discussed. The results show that the novel method introduced in this work is a valid approach to determine the mechanical properties of welded high-strength steel structures. In addition, it can be seen that LBW and RSW lead to a reduction in ductility and an increase in the amount of yield and tensile strength of both DP600 and DP1000.
The presented study deals with the performing and mechanical testing of single pass hybrid laser-arc welds (HLAW) on 25 mm thick plates made of steel grade S355J2. One of the challenges have to be solved at full penetration HLAW of thick plates is the drop formation occurring due to the disbalances of the forces acting in the keyhole and on the melt pool surface. Such irregularities mostly limit the use of high-power laser beam welding or HLAW of thick-walled constructions. To overcome this problem, an innovative concept of melt pool support based on generating Lorentz forces in the weld pool is used in this work. This method allows to perform high quality welds without sagging even for welding of 25 mm thick plates in flat position at a welding speed of 0.9 m min-1. For the obtain of full penetrated welds a laser beam power of 19 kW was needed. A high V-impact energy of up to 160 J could be achieved at the test temperature of 0 °C. Even at the most critical part in the weld root an impact energy of 60 J in average could be reached. The tensile strength of the weld reaches that of the base material. An introduce of the HLAW process with electromagnetic support of the melt pool in the industrial practice is an efficient alternative to the time- and cost-intensive arc-based multi-layer welding techniques which are established nowadays for joining of thick-walled constructions.