The development of high-performance dissimilar aluminum–steel joints is necessary to promote the feasibility of multi-material design and lightweight manufacturing. However, joining aluminum to steel is a challenging task mainly due to the formation of brittle intermetallic compounds (IMC) at the joint interface. Laser welding is considered a very promising joining process for dissimilar materials, although its application in industry is still limited by the insufficient mechanical performance of the joints. The present paper aims to give a comprehensive review of relevant recent research work on laser joining of aluminum to steel, contributing to highlighting the latest achievements that could boost acceptance of laser joining of dissimilar materials by the modern industries. To this end, the most important challenges in laser joining of aluminum to steel are presented, followed by recent approaches to overcome these challenges, the state-of-art of comprehension of IMC formation and growth, and the different strategies to minimize them.

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Hybrid Laser-Arc Welding (HLAW) is a relatively new joining technique that combines advantages from both laser beam welding and arc welding. The interaction between laser beam and arc welding provides advantageous synergic effects, especially for thick joints. On the other hand, this interaction brings extra complexity to HLAW, limiting its acceptance in industry. Therefore, it is still necessary to elucidate some features of HLAW, such as the influence of parameters and consumables on the characteristics of the resulting joints. In the present study, the effects of welding gases (Ar + CO2 in different proportions) and filler metals (solid and flux-cored wires) on thick S355 structural steel joints are assessed. The best welds in terms of geometric characteristics, microstructures, and mechanical behavior were fabricated with high CO2 content welding gases and flux-cored welding wires. The use of flux-cored wires promoted higher penetration, lower hardness, and formation of acicular ferrite, avoiding the formation of martensite encountered in joints welded with solid wires. Moreover, the application of flux-cored wires could lead to cost savings in future applications, by reducing the laser power required to produce sound joints.

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