Laser Welding of Steel Sheets: Quantitative Analysis of Weld Section Elastic Modulus and Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) Size
T. Ayar
Laser welding of steel sheets is considered and qualitative analysis is carried out for the assessment of the affecting parameters on the weld section elastic modulus and the heat affected zone (HAZ) size. Factorial analysis is introduced to assess the significance levels of the main effects and interactions of the welding parameters, which include welding speed, laser output power, and the workpiece thickness. Elastic modulus of the resulting weld sections are determined incorporating the three-point bend tests while scanning electron and optical microscopes are used to measure the HAZ size. It was found that main effects of all the parameters have the most significant effect on the elastic modulus and the HAZ size, provided that the workpiece thickness has only significant effect on the elastic modulus of the weld section.
Keywords: CO2 laser, laser welding, steel, factorial analysis, elastic modulus, heat affected zone (HAZ)