Evaluation of heat input and bead geometry of zincalume steel (G550) welded joint between metal inert gas (MIG) and laser beam welding (LBW)

Abstract

Zincalume Steel can be defined as a vastly demanded material in the roofing industry based on its characteristic high corrosion resistance and advantageous mechanical properties. However, the generated waste via the produce of zincalume by the manufacturers is volumetrically massive. In order to successfully manage such generated waste and to contribute towards a sustainable environment, various metal joining techniques are adopted. In the present study, Zincalume (G550) was successfully welded which resultantly obtained productive outcomes by both, the MIG and LBW process when welded in lap joint configuration. The bead geometry such as bead width and depth of penetration was automatically measured by digital microscopy (DM) and the welded specimens were cut and were ground via abrasive paper etched by ferric chloride (FeCl3). In MIG and LBW, the experiment confirms, while the growth in grains were observed, that the wire speed (MIG) and welding speed (LBW) produces 0.6089 and 0.0221 kJ/min of high heat input energy at 16 mm/sec of welding speed and 3 m/min of wire speed, respectively. Furthermore, this research also found 2.92 mm of bead width and 1.26 mm of penetration produced in lower welding speed and higher wire speed in the MIG and LBW process.