Laser Weldability of Different Al-Zn Alloys and its Improvement

Abstract

Weld defects - such as porosity and hot cracking - occur especially during the laser beam welding of high-alloyed Al-Zn alloys. This significantly limits the application range of these promising high-strength alloys. In the present study the laser weldability of different Al-Zn alloys was investigated regarding the used welding parameters and the chemical composition of the alloys. In addition, the novel approach of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht for overcoming the weldability problems was applied to the different Al-Zn alloys in order to assess its capability. It was shown that the laser weldability of Al-Zn alloys deteriorates with an increasing amount of Zn, Mg and Cu. The variation of laser beam welding parameters did not lead to any improvement of weldability. Only the use of the new approach resulted in promising welding results even for the high-alloyed Al-Zn alloys.