Abstract
Welding of 0.05 mm (0.002 inch) thin AA 5052-H19 aluminum samples in lap-joint configuration was conducted autogenously (no filler metal) using dual lasers that included Nd:YAG and diode with a zero inter-beam spacing. The 70-ns pulsed Nd:YAG (1064 nm) laser acted as the welding tool while the continuous wave diode (810 nm) laser with interaction times of 40–120 ms served to improve the light absorption characteristics of aluminum through preheating and oxidation effects. The microstructure, composition, flaws, and hardness of the joint were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffraction, and micro-indentation hardness test. The dual-beam welding technique was also compared with single-beam (Nd:YAG) welding. Results of parametric effects are displayed in the form of processing maps. Deeper penetration, better weld quality (less humping and cutting), and increased hardness were observed in dual-beam welds when compared with single-beam welds. The most astounding result was a nearly 200% increase in hardness over the base metal in dual-beam welding. This can be explained by the oxygen pickup in a dual-beam weld due to longer heating and amorphous microstructure of aluminum oxide as revealed by energy dispersive X-ray spectrum and X-ray diffraction respectively.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Rourke M (1983) Laser based manufacturing, CO2 systems. In: Proceedings of the 1st international conference on LASERS in manufacturing, Brighton, UK, 1–3 November, pp 231–241
Miller C (2006) Laser welding article. US Laser Corporation, Wyckoff, NJ. http://www.uslasercorp.com/envoy/welding.html. Accessed 25 October 2007
Janssen G (1984) Laser welding in the manufacture of heart pacemakers. Laser welding, cutting and surface treatment. The Welding Institute, Cambridge, England
Notenboom G (1984) Laser spot welding in the electronics industry. Laser welding, cutting and surface treatment. The Welding Institute, Cambridge, England
Potomac Photonics, Inc. (2000) Metal spectra. http://www.me.mtu.edu/~microweb/GRAPH/Laser/SPECMET.JPG. Accessed 25 October 2007
Xie J, Kar A (1999) Laser welding of thin sheet steel with surface oxidation. Weld J 78(10):343–348
Bagger C, Laursen S, Olsen F (1992) Comparison of a pulsed CO2 laser and a pulsed Nd:YAG laser for welding. In: Proceedings of ICALEO ’92 laser materials processing, Orlando, Florida, 25–29 October, pp 537–546
Semak V, Knorovsky G, MacCallum D (2003) On the possibility of microwelding with laser beams. J Phys D Appl Phys 36:2170–2174
Engineers Edge (2007) Properties of metals—thermal. http://www.engineersedge.com/properties_of_metals.htm. Accessed 25 October 2007
Okon P, Dearden K, Watkins M, Sharp P (2002) Laser welding of aluminium alloy 5083. In: Proceedings of the 21st international congress on applications of lasers and electro-optics (ICALEO), Scottsdale, Arizona, 14–17 October
Aruga S, Matsui E, Okino K, Takenaka H, Sato K, Kyusho Y, Washio K (1992) Efficient and high-quality overlap welding of car-body aluminum alloy metal sheets with high power Nd:YAG lasers by flexible fiber beam delivery. In: Matsunawa A, Katayama S (eds) Proceedings of laser advanced materials processing, Nagoaka, Japan, pp 517–522
Sakamoto H, Shibata K, Dausinger F (1992) Laser welding of different aluminum alloys. In: Proceedings of ICALEO ’92 laser materials processing, Orlando, Florida, 25–29 October, pp 523–528
MatWeb (2007) Material property data. Aluminum 5052-H19 foil. http://www.matweb.com/search/SpecificMaterial.asp?bassnum=MA5052H19. Accessed 25 October 2007
Xie J (2002) Dual beam laser welding. Weld J October:223–230
Glumann C, Rapp J, Dausinger F, Hugel H (1993) Welding with combination of two CO2 lasers—advantages in processing and quality. In: Denny P, Miyamoto I, Mordike BL (eds) The international conference on applications of lasers and electro-optics (ICALEO'93), Orlando, Florida, pp 672–681
Ishide T, Nayama M, Sakamoto N, Akaba T, Nagashima T (1997) Hybrid YAG laser welding for aluminum alloy. IIW Doc. IV:687-697
Scott A, Frewin M (1997) Tandem Nd:YAG laser welding. In: Fabbro R, Kar A, Matsunawa A (eds) The 1997 international conference on applications of lasers and electro-optics (ICALEO'97), San Diego, CA, pp G44–G53
Luciani P, Charissoux C, Calvet J (1986) CO2 laser auxiliary source couplings: application to welding. In: Proceedings of the 3rd international conference on LASERS in manufacturing, Paris, France, 3–5 June., pp 117–123
Trautmann A, Zaeh M (2005) Hybrid bifocal laser welding of aluminum. In: Proceedings of ICALEO 2005, Laser Institute of America, Orlando, FL, pp 153–162
Tsai T, Sun P, Kao P, Chang C (2003) Microstructure and tensile properties of a commercial 5052 aluminum alloy processed by equal channel angular extrusion. Mater Sci Eng A 342:144–151
Nable J, Gulbinska M, Suib S, Galasso F (2003) Aluminum oxide coating on nickel substrate by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. Surf Coat Tech 173(1):74–80
Sproul W, Christie D, Carter D (2004) The reactive sputter deposition of aluminum oxide coatings. In: The 47th annual technical conference proceedings of the Society of Vacuum Coaters, Dallas, TX, 24–29 April, p 97
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chen, W., Molian, P. Dual-beam laser welding of ultra-thin AA 5052-H19 aluminum. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 39, 889–897 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-007-1278-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-007-1278-3