TWI Industrial Member Report Summary 477/1993
C Ferlito and S T Riches
Scope
There is an interest in the use of CO 2 lasers for welding structural components in the thickness range 5-12mm in order to exploit the advantages of high welding speeds and low distortion offered by this technique. The combined effects of focusing system, plasma control gas and welding parameters (power and speed), has not been fully defined for this range of application. These parameters will play a critical role in the production of consistent reliable welds in a manufacturing environment.
This report is concerned with an investigation into the effects of plasma control gases on weld integrity in 7mm thick C-Mn steel. The causes of porosity and cracking in laser welds are reviewed and some recommendations regarding the laser welding process have been drawn as a result of the experimental work.