X-Ray Imaging of Multi-Capillary Formation During Core-Ring Beam Laser Welding of Steel With Different Ring Beam Diameters
摘要
The shape of the capillary produced during the welding of 1.4301 (X5CrNi18-10, AISI 304) stainless steel at a welding speed of 12 m/min using core-ring-shaped beams delivered through a multi-waveguide fiber was examined by means of synchrotron X-ray imaging. The results show that, under the range of process parameters covered here, ring beams create a temperature field which includes two hot spots which lag behind the center of the beam and are equidistant from the center line of the weld. In the case of small ring diameters these two hot spots can be close enough to the core beam that they can combine with it to create a wide capillary, the shape of which inhibits the formation of pores. When larger diameters are employed, the ring beam hot spots create a separate, secondary capillary (or capillaries) which may sporadically coalesce with the core beam capillary due to surface tension effects. When the capillaries merge, the depth of penetration of the combined capillary is reduced compared with the one created by the core alone. If the coalescence of the capillaries is sporadic then the weld stability is poor from both a porosity and a depth of penetration point of view.