Technical Paper
Nd: YAG Laser Welding of Stainless Steel 304: The Effects of Al2O3 Micro Particles Addition
2020-09-25
2020-28-0418
In the present work, fabrication of similar Stainless Steel (SS) 304 joints by Nd-YAG Laser Welding Process (LWP) was done. A novel approach was attempted in this study. Welding was performed on dual sides of the plate (top and bottom) for a better mixture of micro powder particles in the weld pool region to achieve maximum depth of penetration, which is not easily possible in a single-sided LWP. High depth of penetration during fabrication of joints, significantly improved the mixture ratio of molten steel with reinforced micro powder particles. Al2O3 micro powder particles were reinforced in the weld pool region through the drilling process with varying depth ratios, and a moderate gap was maintained between each hole. The effects of Al2O3 on the microstructure and mechanical properties were studied and elaborated. Totally 12 samples were fabricated and joining was performed keeping the frequency as constant and varying laser power, travel speed for all the trials.