Abstract

Laser beam melting of titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V was performed with an Yb-fibre laser to produce weld pools under a range of conditions. These included the use of a flux covering of molten CaF2 or a molten mixture of CaF2 and NaF, in an atmosphere of ambient air, either with or without the application of cathodic protection to the Ti-6Al-4V. As anticipated, in the absence of flux, considerable oxidation of the metal occurred. In contrast, in the presence of flux, the degree of oxidation was greatly reduced. In addition, the application of a modest cathodic potential to the flux-covered metal reduced the pick-up of oxygen even further. The results suggest that the use of an appropriate flux combined with cathodic protection when fusion welding titanium and its alloys may offer advantages in circumstances where inert gas shielding is not always feasible, for example, in certain site welding applications.

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