Effect of Process Parameters on Bead Geometry, Microstructure and Hardness of a Pulsed Nd:YAG Laser Welded AISI 304 Stainless Steel Sheet
N. Kumar, P. Sahoo and A. Bandyopadhyay
In the present work butt joint welding of AISI 304 stainless steel has been done by Nd:YAG laser welding. Laser power, scanning speed and pulse width have been considered as welding parameters while weld width and depth of penetration have been measured as responses. It has been observed that the laser wave pulsation, base metal composition and variation in power density have significant influences on controlling the microstructural constituents of weld. The results suggest that the low energy input pulsation generally produce fine grain structure and improved mechanical properties than the high energy input pulsation irrespective of base material composition.
Keywords: Nd:YAG laser, AISI 304 stainless steel, laser welding, butt weld, microstructure; mechanical properties