Thesis deals with the optimization of process parameters during laser welding of aluminum alloys 5000 series. The theoretical part describes the types of lasers and their applications in industry, further discusses the properties of aluminum alloys, laser welding theory and principles of monitoring and diagnostics of laser process. In the experimental part the samples were welded using a semiconductor laser. For those samples were evaluated mechanical properties, welded defects and structure depending on the process parameters. Using the photodetector was observed stability of laser process by sensing the plasma plume. The link between stability and the formation of structural defects in the weld joint was observed from the measurement results.

<p>This study is focused on the prediction of residual stresses and microstructure development of steel and aluminum alloys during laser-based manufacturing processes by means of multi-physics numerical modeling.</p> <p>A finite element model is developed to predict solid-state phase transformation, material hardness, and residual stresses produced during laser-based manufacturing processes such as laser hardening and laser additive manufacturing processes based on the predicted temperature and geometry from a free-surface tracking laser deposition model. The solid-state phase transformational model considers heating, cooling, and multiple laser track heating and cooling as well as multiple layer tempering effects. The residual stress model is applied to the laser hardening of 4140 steel and to laser direct deposition of H13 tool steel and includes the effects of thermal strain and solid-state phase transformational strain based on the resultant phase distributions. Predicted results, including material hardness and residual stresses, are validated with measured values.</p> <p>Two dendrite growth predictive models are also developed to simulate microsegregation and dendrite growth during laser-based manufacturing processes that involve melting and solidification of multicomponent alloys such as laser welding and laser-based additive manufacturing processes. The first model uses the Phase Field method to predict dendrite growth and microsegregation in 2D and 3D. It is validated against simple 2D and 3D cases of single dendrite growth as well as 2D and 3D cases of multiple dendrite growth. It is then applied to laser welding of aluminum alloy Al 6061 and used to predict microstructure within a small domain. </p> The second model uses a novel technique by combining the Cellular Automata method and the Phase Field method to accurately predict solidification on a larger scale with the intent of modeling dendrite growth. The greater computational efficiency of the this model allows for the simulation of entire weld pools in 2D. The model is validated against an analytical model and results in the literature.

By using camera systems – suitable for industrial applications – in combination with a large number of different measurement sensors, it is possible to monitor laser welding processes and their results in real-time. However, a low signal to noise ratio at framerates up to 2,400 fps allows only limited statements about the process behavior; especially concerning the analysis of new welding parameters and their impact on the melting bath. This article strives towards research of kinetic and geometric dependencies of the melting zone induced by different laser parameters through usage of a camera system with a high frame rate (1280x800 by 3,140 fps) in combination with model-driven image and data processing.

Laser welding is an advanced joining technique with the capability to form deep, narrow, and precise welds. Numerical models are used to simulate the process in attempts of predicting distortions and stresses in the material. This is done to reduce physical testing, optimize processes and enable integrated product- and process development. The Virtual Manufacturing Process research group at University of Skövde wishes to increase their knowledge on modeling options of thermomechanical simulations to grant local industries these benefits. A numerical model for the laser welding process was developed in ABAQUS. This was done by examining the macrograph structure of a simple weld and applied to a stainless-steel T-joint welding application. The macrograph data was used to calibrate a mathematical heat source model. User subroutine DFLUX was used to enable movement of the heat source and element activation was used to simulate the fusion of the two parts. A T-joint welding experiment was carried out to measure deflection and the result was compared to numerical simulations. Different combinations of heat source models, coupling type and element activation was compared in relation to predicting the deflection. Computational time and modeling complexity for the techniques was also considered.The results showed that a 3D Gaussian heat source model will imitate the keyhole weld achieved superior to the compared 2D model. The 3D model provides greater flexibility since it enables combinations of any geometrical bodies. It was shown that element activation has a significant contribution on part stiffness and thus resulting distortions. To implement element activation a fully coupled analysis is required. The deflection of the fully coupled 3D simulation with element activation showed a 9% deviance in deflection compared with experiments.

Master's thesis deals with consideration possibility of conventional and unconvetional welding methods of wrought magnesium alloys. Methods of Friction Stir Welding, Pulsed Nd:YAG laser and Continuous Fiber laser was used to join magnesium alloy sheets AZ31, AZ61, ZE10 and ZE41. For studying influence of processing parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties were used methods of light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, tensile tests and microhardness measurements. The results of tensile tests show that from the point of view of keeping ultimate tensile strength is the best methods for welding magnesium alloys Friction Stir Welding. Compared with Nd:YAG laser, fiber laser give better properties of welds. From comparing microstructure and mechanical properties . It wasn't found publications about Friction Stir Welding of magnesium ZE alloys or about FSW sheets with thickness only 0,8 mm and 1,6 mm.

Continuous welding is one of the prominent techniques used in producing seamless piping used in many applications such as the mining and the oil and gas industries. Weld defects cause significant loss of time and money in the piping production industry. Therefore, there is a need for effective online weld defects detection systems. A laser-based weld defects detection (LBWDD) system has been developed by the industrial partner. However, the current LBWDD system can only detect some geometrically based weld defects, but not material inhomogeneity such as voids, impurities, inclusions, etc. The main objective of this study is to assess the predictability of a thermal imaging-based weld defects detection system (TIBWDD) using an IR camera that can be integrated with the current LBWDD system. The aim of the integrated detection system is to be able to detect a wider range of weld defects. A test rig has been designed and used to carry out a set of emissivity (ε) calculation experiments considering three different materials – Aluminum 5154 (Al), Stainless Steel 304L (SS), and Low Carbon Steel A131 (LCS) with two surface finishes 0.25 μm (FM) and 2.5 μm (RM), which are relevant to pipe welding operations. Al showed least change in ε varying from 0.162 to 0.172 for FM samples and from 0.225 to 0.250 for RM samples from 50°C to 550°C. LCS showed highest change in ε varying from 0.257 – 0.918 for FM samples and from 0.292 to 0.948 for RM samples. SS showed a consistent increase in ε for both FM and RM samples. Experimental and numerical analysis have been carried out mimicking two sets of possible weld defects investigating defect size, Dh, and distance between effect and sample surface, δ. Results showed that the δ based defects that are located within 3 mm can be detected by the IR camera. Defects with Dh = 1. 5 mm can be detected by the IR camera with and without glass wool. Laser welding simulations using 2D and 3D Gaussian heat source models have been carried out to assess the predictability of a set of possible weld defects. The heat source models have been validated using experimental data. Three sets of defects were considered representing material-based inhomogeneity, step and inclined misalignment defects. For material-based inhomogeneity in thin plates all defects located at 1.25 mm from the surface are found detectable as ΔT (temperature difference obtained on surface) > ΔTmin (detectability limit of TIBWDD system). For inhomogeneity defects in thick plates, except defects of 2.5 mm in square size all other defects were found detectable as ΔT > ΔTmin. All step misalignment defects were detected for thin and thick plates. In the case of inclined misalignment defects, for thin plates, the misalignment error in the thin plate had to be at least 0.275 mm to be detected. In the case of thick plates, the misalignment error had be at least 0.375 mm to be detected. Overall, results of the present study confirm that thermal imaging can be successfully used in detecting material-based and geometry-based weld defects. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

This bachelor thesis was made in collaboration with Scania. The objective was to find the cause for defects found in some rear axle welds. It was known axle material was coated with anti-corrosive oil. Oils were examined through ICP-AES, and then compared to the composition found on the surface of the steel samples. Elements found in the oils vastly differed from one another. One of the oils contains large amounts of aluminium while the other contains high levels of calcium. When samples surfaces were analysed using EDS, phases consisting of aluminium and calcium were observed. These results indicate that the wrong anti-corrosive had been used for the axle material which gave substandard welds. The oil used contained elements with a low vaporisation temperature, such as calcium. This causes instabilities in the keyhole, leading to collapse. Collapse of the keyhole facilitates the formation of defects.

In Laser Materials Processing there has always been a need for suitable methods to supervise and monitor the processes on line, to ensure correct production quality or to trigger alarms when failures are detected. Numerous investigations have been made in this field, including experimental and theoretical work. It is common practice in this field to monitor surface temperature, plasma radiation and back-reflected laser light, coaxially with the laser beam. Traditionally, the monitoring systems involved carry out no statistical analysis of the signals received - they merely involve thresholds. This thesis looks at the feedback collected during laser welding using such a co-axial setup from a Digital Signal Processing point of view and also uses high speed video photography to correlate signal perturbations with process anomalies.Modern Digital Signal Processing techniques such as Kalman filtering, Principal Component Analysis and Cluster Analysis have been applied to the measurement data and have generated new ways to describe the weld behaviour using parameters such as reflected pulse shape. The limitations of commercially available welding supervision systems have been studied and design suggestions for the next generation of on line weld monitoring equipment have been formulated.

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There are a need for reducing the weight of vehicles, one solution is to implement cast lightweight materials such as the high pressure die cast AM50 magnesium alloy. The weldability of this cast alloy is poor and to implement the use of the alloy commercially a welding process is needed that limits the porosity of the weld. The aim of this thesis is to study the effect of the welding parameters on the porosity in the weld, for three laser welding methods. The welding methods examined are single spot and twin spot laser using either a beam splitter or separate optics. The microstructure of the base material are also examined in order to evaluate relations between the components of the microstructure and the porosity in the weld. It was concluded that the hydrogen in the base material was the main reason for the observed porosity in the weld and that the material contains high pressure gas. The welding parameters did not influence the porosity for the single beam laser process, however, for the dual beam processes the welding parameters could affect the amount of pores. It was found that a double weld reduced the amount of pores and that the size and distribution of the secondary phase particles would benefit from the treatment. The cleaning of the samples prior to welding increased the porosity, however, non-cleaned samples contained more oxide inclusions. The results indicate that a twin beam process could reduce the porosity in the weld of the AM50 alloy. / Det finns ett behov av att reducera vikten på fordon, en lösning är att implementera gjutna lätta material såsom formsprutad AM50-magnesiumlegering. Svetsbarheten hos denna gjutna legering är dålig och för att kommersiellt kunna använda legeringen krävs en svetsprocess som begränsar svetsens porositet. Syftet med detta examensarbete är att studera svetsparametrarnas effekt på svetsens porositet för tre lasersvetsmetoder. De svetsmetoder som undersöks är enkelpunkts och dubbelpunktslaser där antingen en stråldelare eller separat optik använts. Basmaterialets mikrostruktur undersöks också för att utvärdera sambandet mellan mikrostrukturen och porositeten i svetsen. Man drog slutsatsen att väte i basmaterialet var huvudorsaken till den observerade porositeten i svetsen och att materialet innehåller gas under högt tryck. De undersökta svetsparametrarna påverkade inte porositeten för processen med en laserstråle, men för dubbelstråleprocesserna kan svetsparametrarna påverka mängden porer. Det visade sig att en svets utförd med två strålar minskade mängden porer och att storleken och fördelningen av sekundärfaspartiklarna gynnas av behandlingen. Prover som rengjordes före svetsning hade ökad porositet, men icke-rengjorda prover innehöll mer oxidinneslutningar. Resultaten indikerar att en dubbelstråleprocess kan minska porositeten då AM50-legeringen lasersvetsas.