High-Frequency Vibration Weld Conditioning of 304 Stainless Steel Subjected to a Simulative Environment of Laser Welding
B.P. Gu, P. Wang, X. Hu, H. Zhou, Y. Zhou, G.H. Xu, J.T. Lai, Z.S. Yang, M. Huang and C.Y. Wu
A novel high-frequency vibration weld conditioning (HFVWC) method for relieving the residual stress in fibre laser welded 304 stainless steel is proposed herein. The HFVWC experiments were carried out based on the high-frequency vibrator system and the mechanism of the residual stress relaxation by the HFVWC method was discussed. The results show that the residual stress of the laser-welded 304 stainless steel specimens can be effectively eliminated and homogenized by the HFVWC method; moreover, improving the high-frequency vibration energy imposed into the materials can improve the effect of the residual stress relief and homogenization. The residual stress relief mechanism of the HFVWC method can be attributed to the stirring effect induced by the high-frequency mechanical vibration and the dislocation activation motion. The findings confirm that the HFVWC method can be used to the industrial application to improve the quality of welded structures.
Keywords: Solid-state laser, 304 stainless steel, residual stress, high-frequency vibration weld conditioning, vibration energy