Control of penetration depth fluctuations in single-mode fiber laser welds

Abstract

Flexible and efficient laser remote welding of ultra-thin metal foils J. Laser Appl. 24, 052005 (2012); 10.2351/1.4746453 Influence of the beam profile formulation when modeling fiber-guided laser welding J. Laser Appl. 23, 042005 (2011); 10.2351/1.3633221 Effect of laser and laser hybrid welding on the corrosion performance of a lean duplex stainless steel J. Laser Appl. 22, 150 (2010); 10.2351/1.3533146Keyhole welding studies with a moderate-power, high-brightness fiber laser Circular focus spot oscillation was investigated as a means of suppressing penetration spiking and related defects in partial penetration single-mode fiber laser welds. Initially, partial penetration welds in stainless steel square-butt joints with linear travel were made to quantify weld and weld spiking characteristics. Then, welds were made with linear travel and superimposed circular oscillations having a range of angular frequencies and diameters. Oscillation parameter ranges which significantly decreased penetration spiking were identified. Additional tests quantified the ability of fiber mode laser welding with circular oscillation to accommodate part alignment mismatch errors.