On laser welding of thin steel sheets.

El-Giar, E M; Zaeem, M Asle; El Kadiri, H; Florea, R S; Rhee, H; Bienvenu, Y; Dahmen, M; Malot, T; Cherkaoui, M

This paper presents a process-structure-property relationship study of laser welds as a continuous consolidation method for joining thin monophased steel foils, thereby providing a more effective, less costly method to construct automotive catalytic converters. A body centred cubic (bcc) iron-chromium-aluminium alloy doped with Mischmetal was utilised in this study. Both pulsed and continuous wave modes were used to establish the limit welding diagrams for lap joint configuration. Actual laser welding parameters were selected using several testing conditions. The laser welds behaved substantially different from the base material under creep and high temperature oxidation. The difference was mainly attributed to the changes in grain morphology, precipitation of aluminium nitrides and carbides, and relocalisation of the reactive elements during liquid metal flow upon keyhole formation, solidification and cooling.

LASER welding; SHEET steel; CATALYTIC converters for automobiles; BODY-centered cubic metals; ELECTROMAGNETIC waves; SOLIDIFICATION; METAL quenching

Science & Technology of Welding & Joining, 2012, Vol 17, Issue 7, p571

1362-1718

Academic Journal

10.1179/1362171812Y.0000000050