Influence of Yb:YAG laser beam parameters on Haynes 188 weld fusion zone microstructure and mechanical properties

The weldability of 1.2 mm thick Haynes 188 alloy sheets by a disk Yb:YAG laser welding was examined. Butt joints were made, and the influence of parameters such as power, size, and shape of the spot, welding speed, and gas flow has been investigated. Based on an iconographic correlation approach, optimum process parameters were determined. Depending on the distribution of the power density (circular or annular), acceptable welds were obtained. Powers greater than 1700 W, welding speeds higher than 3.8 m mm1, and spot sizes between 160 and 320 lm were needed in the circular (small fiber) configuration. By comparison, the annular (large fiber) configuration required a power as high as 2500 W, and a welding speed less than 3.8 m min�1. The mechanical properties of the welds depended on their shape and microstructure, which in turn depended on the welding conditions. The content of carbides, the proportion of areas consisting of cellular and dendritic substructures, and the size of these substructures were used to explain the welded joint mechanical properties

The effects of short pulse laser surface cleaning on porosity formation and reduction in laser welding of aluminium alloy for automotive component manufacture

Laser welding of aluminium alloys typically results in porosity in the fusion zones, leading to poor mechanical and corrosion performances. Mechanical and chemical cleaning of surfaces has been used previously to remove contaminants for weld joint preparations. However, these methods are slow, ineffective (e.g. due to hydrogen trapping) or lead to environmental hazards. This paper reports the effects of short pulsed laser surface cleaning on porosity formation and reduction in laser welding of AC-170PX (AA6014) aluminium sheets (coated with Ti/Zr and lubricated using a dry lubricant AlO70) with two types of joints: fillet edge and flange couch, using an AA4043 filler wire for automotive component assembly. The effect of laser cleaning on porosity reduction during laser welding using a filler wire has not been reported before. In this work, porosity and weld fusion zone geometry were examined prior to and after laser cleaning. The nanosecond pulsed Nd:YAG laser cleaning was found to reduce porosity significantly in the weld fusion zones. For the fillet edge welds, porosity was reduced to less than 0.5% compared with 10–80% without laser cleaning. For flange couch welds, porosity was reduced to 0.23–0.8% with laser cleaning from 0.7% to 4.3% without laser cleaning. This has been found to be due to the elimination of contaminations and oxide layers that contribute to the porosity formation. The laser cleaning is based on thermal ablation

Hydrogen Attack of U-Bend Pipe Joint Connecting Heat Exchangers at a Methanol Plant

After 13years of operation, U-bend pipe joint connecting heat exchangers at a methanol plant was failed in a catastrophic manner. Hydrogen attack associated with decarburization was identified as the failure mechanism. Damage or structure degradation was started at the inner surface of a circumferential weld connecting the U-bend pipe joint to the heat exchanger shell\u27 nozzle then, propagated toward outer surface where a catastrophic brittle fracture was occurred. The cause of this failure is related to an improper selection of the material for the subject working conditions. In order to minimize the possibility of such failure in the future and then, increase the lifetime of the concerned equipment, the used ASTM A105 steel was replaced with a higher grade type; ASTM A335 P11 (1Cr-0.5Mo) steel. Periodic inspection was scheduled for the concerned equipment to evaluate its condition in order to be able to make the right decision for its replacement to avoid emergency shutdown. This includes mainly magnetic particle test, ultrasonic test, microstructure examination using replica technique as well as hardness measurements

Comparison between GTA and laser beam welding of 9% Ni steel for critical cryogenic applications

In comparison with GTA welded joints, higher tensile strength comparable to that of the base metal was obtained 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 (1.37 J/mm2) was much higher than that of the GTA welded joints (0.78 J/mm2), which was very close to the specified minimum value (≥0.75 J/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

Effect of laser-beam and hybrid-laser-arc welding parameters and filler metal on microstructure and mechanical properties of thick heat-treated steel X8Ni9+QT640 for cryogenic service: Paper presented at 4th International Conference on Welding and Failure Analysis of Engineering Materials, WAFA 2018, November 19-22, 2018, Aswan, Egypt

The present research work encloses results of experimental investigations of the interaction between welding process parameters for laser-beam and hybrid-laser-arc as well as type of the filler metal and the achievable mechanical properties of the weld joints on steel grade X8Ni9+QT640 for cryogenic service containing 9% nickel. The results obtained contribute to the development and conversion in the industrial practice a new laser beam-based welding technology for the automated manufacturing of facilities for the liquefaction, storage and the transport of natural gases (LNG facilities). The results show, that the martensitic microstructure of the laser weld metal including low amount of retained austenite not exceeding 3.5% leads to the relatively low V-notch impact energy. The remarkable heterogeneity in the chemical composition of the weld metal through the weld thickness could be recognized in the case of hybrid-laser-arc welding with ERNiCrMo-3 austenitic filler metal, what also led to insufficient impact toughness of the weld metall. The most promising results could be achieved by using 11%Ni filler wire, which is similar to the base metal and provides a homogeneous microstructure with uniform distribution of Ni through the weld seam. It is remarkable, that a correlation between Charpy impact toughness and wire feeding speed and respectively process heat input exists. The highest toughness values were 134±58 J at -196 °C. The both laser as well as laser-hybrid welds passed the tensile test. The failure stress of 720±3 MPa with a fracture location in the base material was achieved for all samples tested

A study on shielded metal arc welding of 9%Ni steel using non-conventional ferritic welding electrode for LNG facilities: Paper presented at 4th International Conference on Welding and Failure Analysis of Engineerin Materials, WAFA 2018, November 19-22, 2018, Aswan, Egypt

The present research work aims at clarification of the effect of the welding electrode type on the mechanical properties of SMA welded joints of 9%Ni steel plates. Properties of produced SMA welded joints were evaluated using different non-destructive and destructive investigation methods. In comparison with the conventionally used Ni-based welding electrode ENiCrMo-3 (AWS A5.11), an experimentally produced non-conventional ferritic welding electrode with 11%Ni (ENi11-Company specification) has resulted in a better combination of the mechanical properties of SMA welded joints of this steel type for critical cryogenic applications. Besides, a positive economic impact for the experimentally produced non-conventional ferritic welding electrode, due to its lower cost, could be another attractive aspect