Single-Pass Laser-Gma Hybrid Welding of 13.5 mm thick duplex stainless steel

Abstract

Single-pass solid-state laser welding of plates in the thickness range of 10 to 20 mm became possible with the invention of the fibre laser. This new technique provides excellent beam quality at powers as high as 20 kW or more, and has proved applicable in several industrial applications. By replacing conventional methods with the fibre laser, it is possible to avoid multiple-pass welding that requires time-consuming bevelling. The high energy density of the fibre laser beam also reduces the heat input and consequently the distortion. However, the rapid solidification and cooling associated with laser welding can cause imbalance of the microstructure of duplex stainless steel weldments, where excessively high ferrite contents may reduce the corrosion resistance and the ductility of the material. The solution is normally to add nickel-based filler wire and to increase the heat input. By using a hybrid welding process where the laser beam and the gas metal arc (GMA) process act in a common process zone, filler metal can be added to the molten pool at higher heat input and at the same time, higher welding speed and deeper penetration can be achieved. In this work, 13.5 mm thick 2205 (EN 1.4462, UNS S31803) was fibre laser-GMA hybrid welded in a single-pass using 14 kW of laser power and ISO 22 9 3 N L as filler wire for the GMA process. The resulting welds were free from defects, with smooth surfaces and full penetration. The investigation examines the weld metal microstructure and the effect on corrosion resistance and mechanical properties. The option to add nickel foil, when hybrid welding, was also investigated, as comparison, and the effect on austenite formation was evaluated.