Laser assisted non-consumable arc welding process development

The employment of Laser Beam Welding (LBW) for many traditional arc welding applications is often limited by the inability of LBW to compensate for variations in the weld joint gap. This limitation is associated with fluctuations in the energy transfer efficiency along the weld joint. Since coupling of the laser beam to the workpiece is dependent on the maintenance of a stable absorption keyhole, perturbations to the weld pool can lead to decreased energy transfer and resultant weld defects. Because energy transfer in arc welding does not similarly depend on weld pool geometry, it is expected that combining these two processes together will lead to an enhanced fusion welding process that exhibits the advantages of both arc welding and LBW. Laser assisted non-consumable arc welds have been made on thin section aluminum. The welds combine the advantages of arc welding and laser welding, with enhanced penetration and fusion zone size. The use of a pulsed Nd:YAG laser with the combined process appears to be advantageous since this laser is effective in removing the aluminum oxide and thereby allowing operation with the tungsten electrode negative. The arc appears to increase the size of the weld and also to mitigate hot cracking tendencies that are common with the pulsed Nd:YAG laser