Optimisation of refractory coatings realised with cored wire addition using a high-power diode laser

Laser; Cladding; Refractory alloys; Factorial experiments; International audience; The objective or our research was to obtain refractory alloys using the high-power diode laser (HPDL) coating technique. After optimisation using factorial experiments, two different cladding regimes were clearly distinguished. It was also shown that a very narrow transition zone exists between the two regimes, and, inside this zone, clad layers having a satisfactory compromise between the response functions (surface aspect and cavity presence) were obtained. The main objective of our study, namely, the control of the operating parameters (geometrical and kinematical) to realise adequate coatings, without cav…

La compréhension et la maîtrise des jonctions hétérogènes titane-aluminium réalisés par faisceau laser

La presente etude est dediee a la comprehension des facteurs influencant la resistance mecanique d’un assemblage entre l’alliage de titane Ti6Al4V avec l’alliage d’aluminium AA5754 par faisceau laser Yb:YAG. Le plan d’experiences propose a permis de mettre en evidence les effets des parametres operatoires sur la composition et la morphologie de la zone fondue ainsi que l’identification des conditions operatoires les plus favorables. L’etude numerique multiphysique basee sur l’utilisation de la methode des elements finis prenant en compte les transferts de chaleur, la mecanique des fluides et le transport des especes, a demontre les consequences des differences de proprietes thermo-physiques…

The application of the random balance method in laser machining of metals

International audience; Features peculiar to laser technology offer some advantages over more traditional processes, but, like all processes, it has its limitations. This article studies the limitations of laser machining of metals, and quantifies, through an experimental design method, the influence of operating parameters on productivity and on the quality of the machined surface. Three study materials were used: an aluminium alloy, stainless steel and a titanium alloy. An initial reading of the results indicates that productivity depends mainly on the frequency of the laser pulse and that the aluminium alloy behaves differently from the other two. The quality of the machined surface, jud…

Mechanical properties and microstructural study of homogeneous and heterogeneous laser welds in α, β,and α + β titanium alloys

International audience; Heterogeneous welding has been investigated for three different couples of titanium alloys: α/α + β, α/β,andα + β/β. Plates of 100 × 60 mm and 1.6 or 1.8 mm thick were welded with a Yb:YAG laser. Tensile tests show that the resistance of the heterogeneous welded specimens was generally controlled by those of the weakest material except for the α + β/β where the ultimate tensile strength was approximately equal to the average value of both materials. In every case, the elongation of the welded sample was found to be smaller than that of the base metals. The rupture generally took place outside the weld metal and was found to be most of the time located in the alloy ha…

MoSi2 laser cladding—A new experimental procedure: double-sided injection of MoSi2 and ZrO2

International audience; In the last decade, development of low density advanced material systems for service at temperatures up to 1300 °C was one of the goals of many researches. This kind of material should mainly have moderate fracture toughness and should exhibit oxidation resistant behaviour at low and intermediate temperature. One of the most studied materials continues to be the intermetallic compound MoSi2. The molybdenum disilicide has been considered as an attractive candidate due to its melting point (2030 °C) and excellent oxidation resistance at high temperatures. The main problem associated with the MoSi2 layer synthesized using laser beam is the layer fragility. To avoid this…

Metallurgical Strategies for the Joining of Titanium Alloys with Steels

MoSi2 laser cladding—a comparison between two experimental procedures: Mo–Si online combination and direct use of MoSi2

International audience; There are very strong interests in developing low density advanced material systems for service at temperatures up to 1300°C. These materials should mainly have moderate fracture toughness at low and intermediate temperatures and should exhibit oxidation resistant behaviour. The intermetallic compound, MoSi2 has been considered to be an attractive candidate due to its melting point (2030°C) and excellent oxidation resistance at high temperatures. In this paper, we compare the results obtained with two different techniques for laser cladding, one using an online combination between Mo and Si powders, the second using direct injection of the MoSi2 powder.

Laser-induced damage in cold-sprayed composite coatings

International audience; Ag-Ni composite coatings were achieved using the cold spray process. In this work, two blends were sprayed to lead to coatings with different mechanical properties, which corresponded to either a fine or a coarse microstructure. These coatings were studied using SEM and X-ray microtomography (XMT) to determine the best coating quality through characterization of particle-to-particle bonding. The fine microstructure showed better properties than the coarse microstructure. To avoid time-consuming characterization techniques such as SEM and XMT, an innovative laser characterization test was developed. The principle of this test is based on the thermal shock-induced by a…

Determination of an empirical law of aluminium and magnesium alloys absorption coefficient during Nd :YAG laser interaction

International audience; Welding laser modelling requires knowledge about relative changes of many thermo-physical parameters involved in the interaction. The absorptivity of the material is one of the most important. In this study, experimental measurements of absorptivity with an integrating sphere on two alloys (aluminium and magnesium) were made. These results were compared with an analytical calculation that takes into account the trapping of the beam by multiple reflections inside the keyhole. Based on a statistical method, an empirical law is proposed connecting absorptivity with the peak power of the laser and the duration of interaction. During the interaction, two distinct phenomen…

The modeling of dissimilar welding of immiscible materials by using a phase field method

A multiphysical model of high power beam welding of immiscible materials is developed to explain the influence of operational parameters and materials properties on resulting morphology by simultaneous solving of heat transfer, fluid flow and mass transfer problems. The introduction of phase field description of the interface motion between two immiscible liquids allows obtaining the cartography of melted zone in function of two key-parameters: the position of heat source relatively to joint line and the welding speed. Due to the short thermal cycle limiting mass transfer, high power beam welding techniques may result in very inhomogeneous melted zones. In this study, the interest is paid t…

Aluminum to titanium laser welding-brazing in V-shaped grooveI

International audience; Laser assisted joining of AA5754 aluminum alloy to T40 titanium with use of Al-Si filler wires was carried out. Continuous Yb:YAG laser beam was shaped into double spot tandem and defocalized to cover larger interaction zone in V shaped groove. Experimental design method was applied to study the influence of operational parameters on the tensile properties of the joints. Microstructure examination and fractography study were carried out to understand the relation between local phase content and fracture mode.Within defined window of operational parameters, statistically important factors that influenced the strength of T40 to AA5754 joints in V groove configuration w…

The simulation of morphology of dissimilar copper–steel electron beam welds using level set method

Abstract In present work, the simulation of morphology and velocity field in dissimilar electron beam welds formed between the metals with limited solubility is described by the example of copper–stainless steel couple. Finite element software COMSOL Multiphysics 3.5 has been employed due to its flexibility in solving of coupled multiphysical problems. The domination of horizontal flows allows reducing the model to two dimensions. Level set method has been used to determine the position of the interface between immiscible components basing on coupled heat transfer and fluid flow pseudo-stationary solution. The evolution of the shape, fluid flow and mixing pattern in function of operational …

The formation of intermetallics in dissimilar Ti6Al4V/copper/AISI 316 L electron beam and Nd:YAG laser joints

Abstract The welds of titanium alloys with steels suffer from the brittleness of resulting intermetallic compounds. In present study, we report the feasibility of Ti6Al4V to stainless steel AISI 316L welding through pure copper interlayer carried out by electron beam and pulsed Nd:YAG laser. The nature and the localization of intermetallic phases in these welds have been studied by SEM, EDS, XRD and microhardness measurements. The simplified scenario of weld formation has been proposed in order to understand the mechanism of weld formation and to explain the way local phase content determines the mechanical properties. It can be concluded that the insertion of 500 μm pure copper interlayer …

Parametric study of laser welding of copper to austenitic stainless steel

Abstract Welding of copper to stainless steel is challenging because of sharp difference in thermophysical properties of materials and the presence of miscibility gap in Fe-Cu system. The parametric study of continuous Yb:YAG laser welding between copper and austenitic stainless steel 316L has been performed. The influence of laser power, welding speed and beam offset from joint line on weld composition, microstructure and tensile properties was studied. The corrosion behaviour of the welds was evaluated in 0.1M NaCl with the potentiostatic pulse testing method, salt fog and immersion tests. In function of copper dilution in the melted zone, different types of microstructure were observed: …

Characterization of Fusion Lines Obtained with Laser Welding on Ductile Iron Plates

This paper studies the ductile iron (DI) weldability using laser welding. For performing an Yb:YAG continuous laser was used, with a maximum power of 6 kW. The parametrical window power (P) - welding speed (S) was explored by carrying out the fusion lines on ductile iron plates without preheating, to determinate areas of weldability (complete penetration, correct geometry) to allow further characterization. The criteria for selection of focus areas were the geometry of the fusion lines and the absence of the welding defects. The unsatisfactory domains were characterized by: collapse of the melted metal, incomplete penetration, low fusion lines quality (geometry, compactness). In present stu…

Study of magnesium and aluminum alloys absorption coefficient during Nd:YAG laser interaction

International audience; In laser processes, the absorption factor of laser Nd:YAG by metals plays a very important role. In order to model laser welding, we need to know its evolution during the process. The theoretical calculation does not enable the prediction of the absorption factor in the case of a keyhole mode. It is difficult to predict the effect of plasma and recoil pressure on the shape of the keyhole. In this paper, an integrating sphere is used to determine the absorption factor during the laser process, which is carried out on two types of magnesium alloys (WE43 and RZ5) and an aluminum alloy. We obtain the evolution in time of the absorption factor according to different steps…

The Numerical Challenges in Multiphysical Modeling of Laser Welding with ALE

International audience

Generation and characterization of T40/A5754 interfaces with lasers

Laser-induced reactive wetting and brazing of T40 titanium with A5754 aluminum alloy with 1.5 mm thickness was carried out in lap-joint configuration, with or without the use of Al5Si filler wire. A 2.4 mm diameter laser spot was positioned on the aluminum side to provoke spreading and wetting of the lower titanium sheet, with relatively low scanning speeds (0.1 to 0.6 m/min). Process conditions did not play a very significant role on mechanical strengths, which were shown to reach 250-300 N/mm on a large range of laser power and scanning speeds. In all cases considered, the fracture during tensile testing occurred next to the TiAl3 interface, but in the aluminum fusion zone. In a second st…

MoSi2 laser cladding—elaboration, characterisation and addition of non-stabilized ZrO2 powder particles

International audience; The cladding process using laser beam radiation comprises different operational regimes, depending on the involved lasers (usually CO2 or Nd:YAG) and materials. A series of experiments has been carried out to investigate Nd:YAG laser cladding using MoSi2 powder. Procedures and operating parameters for producing clad layers has been developed and their properties evaluated. The feasibility of the laser cladding technique, using a high power Nd:YAG laser, by projecting MoSi2 powder on steel substrate was demonstrated. The results indicate a low density of cracks, elevated powder catchment efficiency (between 65 and 90%) and hardness values around 1200–1300 HV. Our goal…

Microstructure and property of titanium heterogeneous laser welding

International audience; Dissimilar welding has been investigated for three different couples of titanium alloys: α/α+β, α/β and α+ββp. Plates of 100 x 60 x 1.6 or 1.8 mm were welded with a Yb: YAG laser. Tensile tests show that the properties of the dissimilar welded specimens were generally controlled by Those of the weakest material except for the α+β/β where the ultimate tensile strength was approximately equal to the average value of both materials. In every case, the welding sample elongation was found to be smaller than that of the base metals. The rupture took place away from the bead and was found to be always located in the alloy having the lowest mechanical properties. Nevertheles…

Magnesium alloys laser (Nd:YAG) cladding and alloying with side injection of aluminium powder

International audience; The development of the high purity magnesium alloys (such as WE43) incites the designers to reconsider them, and the car industry appears, these days, the most interested to use this kind of alloy. However, due to their ignitability and tendency to oxidation, magnesium alloys require surface treatments. A series of experiments was carried out in order to improve the corrosion resistance of two types of magnesium alloys, WE43 and ZE41. In most cases, the substrate surface was treated before laser interaction. Side injection of aluminium powder under a 3 kW cw Nd:YAG laser was employed. The deposited layers present very good bond properties. The resulting microstructur…

Coating Toughness Estimation through a Laser Shock Testing in Ni-Cr-B-Si-C Coatings

In the nuclear field, efforts are made to find substitutes to cobalt hardfacing alloys since these alloys have a principal drawback, the transmutation from stable 59Co to 60Co under neutron irradiation. In case of wear, fragments could be deposed on the surface of primary circuit and thus contaminate it, causing a real issue for deconstruction.

Magnesium alloys (WE43 and ZE41) characterisation for laser applications

International audience; One of the most important parameters in laser treatment is the quantity of beam energy absorbed by the substrate. Despite its important role played in laser processes, this factor is rarely available for the laser sources wavelengths and at high temperatures reached during such treatments. A series of experiments were carried out in order to characterise, from this point of view, two types of magnesium alloys, WE43 and ZE41, often used in laser applications (cladding, alloying, welding, etc.). The results represent an important step in order to understand Mg-alloys behaviour under laser beam action.

Evolution of microstructures and mechanical properties during dissimilar electron beam welding of titanium alloy to stainless steel via copper interlayer

Abstract The influence of operational parameters on the local phase composition and mechanical stability of the electron beam welds between titanium alloy and AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel with a copper foil as an intermediate layer has been studied. It was shown that two types of weld morphologies could be obtained depending on beam offset from the center line. Beam shift toward the titanium alloy side results in formation of a large amount of the brittle TiFe2 phase, which is located at the steel/melted zone interface and leads to reducing the mechanical resistance of the weld. Beam shift toward the steel side inhibits the melting of titanium alloy and, so, the formation of brittle…

Laser densification of organic coating: Effects of laser wavelength, operating parameters and substrate properties

International audience; Mechanical bonding and interface behaviour play a key role for any materials deposited on different substrates. Usually, a post-spray heat treatment is required to improve the coating morphology and to enhance mechanical properties of thermal-sprayed polymeric coating. The effects of YAG, CO2 and diode laser radiations on as-sprayed PEEK coating deposited on stainless steel and aluminum substrates were investigated. The results revealed a good coating densification and interface behavior. A correlation between coating and substrate absorption coefficients, their thermophysical properties and laser operating parameters was shown. Besides, the finite element modeling b…

The numerical simulation of heat transfer during a hybrid laser–MIG welding using equivalent heat source approach

International audience; The present study is dedicated to the numerical simulation of an industrial case of hybrid laser-MIG welding of high thickness duplex steel UR2507Cu with Y-shaped chamfer geometry. It consists in simulation of heat transfer phenomena using heat equivalent source approach and implementing in finite element software COMSOL Multiphysics. A numerical exploratory designs method is used to identify the heat sources parameters in order to obtain a minimal required difference between the numerical results and the experiment which are the shape of the welded zone and the temperature evolution in different locations. The obtained results were found in good correspondence with …

Dissimilar laser welding of AISI 316L stainless steel to Ti6–Al4–6V alloy via pure vanadium interlayer

Abstract Successful continuous laser joining of AISI 316L stainless steel with Ti6Al4V titanium alloy through pure vanadium interlayer has been performed. Three welding configurations were tested: one-pass welding involving all three materials and two pass and double spot welding involving creation of two melted zones separated by remaining solid vanadium. For the most relevant welds, the investigation of microstructure, phase content and mechanical properties has been carried out. In case of formation of a single melted zone, the insertion of steel elements into V-based solid solution embrittles the weld. In case of creation of two separated melted zones, the mechanical resistance of the j…

Vapor plume and melted zone behavior during dissimilar laser welding of titanium to aluminum alloy

The present study deals with continuous Yb:YAG laser welding of pure titanium to aluminum alloy A5754 performed with different beam offsets to the joint line. Spectroscopic and morphological characterization of vapor plume exiting the keyhole was combined with post-mortem observation and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis of the welds. The laser beam centered on the joint line resulted in periodic transversal inclination of a vapor jet on the aluminum side associated with a local increase of melt width and an intense spatter formation. Such behavior can be attributed to the instability of the keyhole wall from the aluminum side. The beam offset on the titanium side led to …

Improvement of flame spraying PEEK coating characteristics using lasers

Flame spraying is frequently used for PEEK coatings elaboration on metallic surfaces. However, this process has a certain number of limitations particularly considering the quality of the coatings like high porosity or low interfacial adherence. For that reason a thermal post-processing is often necessary. From all of the processes which can be used (flame, oven, etc.), laser can be an interesting technology. Then, the aim of this study is to analyse the dependence of the morphological structure (compactness) and the adherence of the flame sprayed PEEK coatings to the stainless steel (304L) and aluminium alloy (AA2017) substrates on laser parameters. Moreover, the influence of the laser bea…

Gas protection optimization during Nd:YAG laser welding

International audience; Many laser processes, such as welding or surface treatments are associated with an undesired phenomenon, which is oxidation. The solution commonly employed to solve this problem approaches the shielding gas and/or the shielding gas device. What we propose in this paper is a methodology with the goal to optimize the protection gas device design as well as the gas flow in the case of laser welding and surface treatments. The pressure created by the gas flow on the sample surface is recorded and analysed together with the operating parameters influence in order to reach the objectives. The nozzle system designed and presented below assures the protection against materia…

Multiphysical modeling of dissimilar welding via interlayer

Abstract A multiphysical finite element modeling of dissimilar welding via interlayer material was proposed. A 2D model including heat transfer, fluid flow and level set problems allowed to simulate the morphology and the composition of melted zone in horizontal plane. The calculated thickness of melted interlayer was used as a main criterion for the choice of optimal welding conditions, when the chemical interaction between the joined materials must be avoided. A 1D diffusion model at the limit of melted zone allowed estimating the length and the composition of diffusion layer between one of the materials and the interlayer basing on previously calculated local temperature gradient. The si…