Now showing 1 - 10 of 17
  • Publication
    Hybrid Laser-Arc Welding of Thick-Walled, Closed, Circumferential Pipe Welds
    ( 2022)
    Üstündag, Ömer
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    Bakir, Nasim
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    ; ;
    The application of hybrid laser-arc welding (HLAW) for joining closed circumferential welds is a challenge due to the high risk of forming a defective overlap area with a shrinkage void or solidification cracks in the material thickness. A series of HLAW experiments were performed to understand the development of a faulty overlap area when closing the circumferential weld. Welding trials on flat specimens and pipe segments were supported by numerical analyses in which the thermomechanical behavior of the welds in the overlap area was investigated. Different process control strategies were tested, including variations in defocusing levels and the overlap length. The newly developed HLAW head, including laser optics with a motor-driven collimation system, made it possible to defocus the laser beam during welding without disturbing the stability of the welding process. High-level defocusing of the laser beam of more than 40 mm relative to the specimen surface with a resulting beam diameter of > 2.9 mm, and in combination with a short overlap length of 15 mm, was promising with respect to the formation of a desired cup-shaped weld profile that is resistant to solidification cracks.
  • Publication
    Hybrid laser-arc welding of laser- and plasma-cut 20-mm-thick structural steels
    ( 2022)
    Üstündag, Ömer
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    Bakir, Nasim
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    ; ;
    It is already known that the laser beam welding (LBW) or hybrid laser-arc welding (HLAW) processes are sensitive to manufacturing tolerances such as gaps and misalignment of the edges, especially at welding of thick-walled steels due to its narrow beam diameter. Therefore, the joining parts preferably have to be milled. The study deals with the influence of the edge quality, the gap and the misalignment of edges on the weld seam quality of hybrid laser-arc welded 20-mm-thick structural steel plates which were prepared by laser and plasma cutting. Single-pass welds were conducted in butt joint configuration. An AC magnet was used as a contactless backing. It was positioned under the workpiece during the welding process to prevent sagging. The profile of the edges and the gap between the workpieces were measured before welding by a profile scanner or a digital camera, respectively. With a laser beam power of just 13.7 kW, the single-pass welds could be performed. A gap bridgeability up to 1 mm at laser-cut and 2 mm at plasma-cut samples could be reached respectively. Furthermore, a misalignment of the edges up to 2 mm could be welded in a single pass. The new findings may eliminate the need for cost and time-consuming preparation of the edges.
  • Publication
    Verfahren zum fehlerfreien Laserstrahl-Hybridschweißen von geschlossenen Rundnähten
    In diesem Beitrag werden Ergebnisse der Untersuchungen eines Verfahrens zum fehlerfreien Laserstrahl-Hybridschweißen von geschlossenen Rundnähten vorgestellt. Das Verfahren zielt auf die Vermeidung von Schweißimperfektionen im Überlappbereich einer laserstrahlhybridgeschweißten Rundnaht. Eine Strategie der Prozessführung beim Schließen der Rundnaht wurde entwickelt, mit der ein fehlerfreier Überlappbereich durch die Kontrolle der Erstarrungsbedingungen am Schweißnahtende erreicht wird.
  • Publication
    Laserstrahlschweißen von additiv gefertigten Bauteilen: Einsetzbarkeit bestehender Bewertungsvorschriften
    ( 2021)
    Jokisch, Torsten
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    Üstündag, Ömer
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    Bei der additiven Fertigung im Pulverbett ist die Bauteilgröße durch den Bauraum begrenzt. Das Verbindungsschweißen additiv gefertigter Teile bietet eine Möglichkeit diese Größenbegrenzung aufzuheben. Aufgrund des spezifischen Spannungs- und Gefügezustandes im additiv aufgebauten Material ist jedoch unklar, inwiefern bestehende Bewertungsvorschriften des Verbindungsschweißens auch für Schweißnähte an additiven Bauteilen geeignet sind. Dies wird anhand des Laserstrahlschweißens von additiv gefertigten Rohrverbindungen untersucht. Die Schweißnähte werden mittels visueller Prüfung, metallographischer Untersuchungen sowie Computertomographie ausgewertet. Die festgestellten Fehlerarten sind vergleichbar zu konventionellen Bauteilen. Dies ist ein Indikator dafür, dass bestehende Bewertungsvorschriften die möglichen auftretenden Defekte auch für Schweißnähte an additiven Bauteilen abbilden.
  • Publication
    Method for defect-free hybrid laser-arc welding of closed circumferential welds
    This paper presents investigation results of a process for defect-free hybrid laser arc welding (HLAW) of closed circumferential welds. The process aims to avoid weld imperfections in the overlap area of a HLAW circumferential weld. A process control strategy for closing the circumferential weld was developed to achieve a defect-free overlap region by controlling the solidification conditions at the end of the weld. The controlled heat flow is achieved by adjusting the parameters of both welding processes involved, the laser beam as well as gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process. Experimental investigations were carried out on 12 mm to 15 mm thick tube sections. The influence of process parameters such as the laser power ramp, the change in magnification scale and the defocusing of the laser beam on the solidification conditions at the end of the circumferential weld was investigated to find an optimum strategy for ramping out the process energy. Within the framework of the experimental studies, it was demonstrated that defocusing the laser beam in the range between 60 mm and 100 mm over a short run-out area of the weld of approximately 15 mm led to a significantly better weld formation in the overlap area. A favorable cup-shaped weld shape could be achieved without a tendency to crack. The laser optics with a motor-driven lens system made it possible to increase the laser beam diameter without changing the position of the GMAW arc relative to the component surface.
  • Publication
    Verfahren zum fehlerfreien Laserstrahl-Hybridschweißen von geschlossenen Rundnähten
    In diesem Beitrag werden Ergebnisse der Untersuchungen eines Verfahrens zum fehlerfreien Laserstrahl- Hybridschweißen von geschlossenen Rundnähten vorgestellt. Das Verfahren zielt auf die Vermeidung von Schweißimperfektionen im Überlappbereich einer laserstrahlhybridgeschweißten Rundnaht. Eine Strategie der Prozessführung beim Schließen der Rundnaht wurde entwickelt, mit der ein fehlerfreier Überlappbereich durch die Kontrolle der Erstarrungsbedingungen am Schweißnahtende erreicht wird. Die kontrollierte Wärmeführung wird durch eine Anpassung der Parameter von beiden beteiligten Schweißprozessen, dem Laserstrahl- sowie MSG Schweißprozess realisiert. Experimentelle Untersuchungen wurden an 12 mm bis 15 mm dicken Rohrabschnitten durchgeführt. Der Einfluss von Prozessparametern wie der Laserleistungsrampe und Rampenzeit, der Veränderung des Abbildungsmaßstabes und der Defokussierung des Laserstrahls auf die Erstarrungsbedingungen am Ende der Rundnaht wurde untersucht, um eine optimale Strategie zum Herausführen der Prozessenergie zu finden. Im Rahmen der experimentellen Untersuchungen konnte gezeigt werden, dass eine Defokussierung des Laserstrahls im Bereich zwischen 60 mm und 100 mm über einen kurzen Auslaufbereich der Naht von ca. 15 mm zu einer deutlich besseren Nahtausbildung im Überlappbereich führte. Es konnte eine günstige kelchförmige Schweißnahtform ohne eine Tendenz zur Rissbildung erzielt werden. Die Laseroptik mit motorisch angesteuertem Linsensystem ermöglichte dabei eine Vergrößerung des Laserstrahldurchmessers ohne eine Veränderung der Position des MSG-Lichtbogens relativ zur Bauteiloberfläche.
  • Publication
    Hybrid laser-arc welding of thick-walled pipe segments with optimization of the end crater
    The study deals with the application of the high-power hybrid-laser arc welding process on up to 15 mm thick pipe segments with the intention to avoid end crater imperfections during closing of the circumferential welds, where the pipes were turned during welding in 1G- and 2G-positions. Different techniques such as laser power ramp-down, abrupt switch-off of the laser power and change of the magnification of the laser spot diameter and defocusing of the laser beam relative to the workpiece were tested to remove the laser energy from the process. It could be shown that a high defocusing of the optic system above 40 mm with a resulting beam diameter > 2.9 mm in a short overlap length of approx. 20 mm leads to the formation of a cup-shaped weld seam, which is preferred for avoidance of cracks and pores in the end crater. A laser optics with motor-driven lens system was used for the welding experiments to defocuse the laser beam without changing the position of the arc.
  • Publication
    Avoidance of end crater imperfections at high-power laser beam welding of closed circumferential welds
    The present work deals with the development of a strategy for the prevention of end crater defects in high-power laser welding of thick-walled circumferential welds. A series of experiments were performed to understand the influence of the welding parameters on the formation of end crater defects such as pores, cracks, root excess weld metal and shrinkage cavities in the overlap area. An abrupt switch-off of the laser power while closing the circumferential weld leads to a formation of a hole which passes through the whole welded material thickness. A laser power ramp-down causes solidification cracks which are initiated on the transition from full-penetration mode to partial penetration. Defocusing the laser beam led to promising results in terms of avoiding end crater defects. Cracks and pores in the overlap area could be effectively avoided by using defocusing techniques. A strategy for avoiding of end crater imperfections was tested on flat specimens of steel grade S355 J2 with a wall thickness of between 8 and 10 mm and then transferred on the 10 mm thick pipe sections made of high-strength pipeline steel API5L-X100Q.
  • Publication
    Hybrid laser arc welding of thick high-strength pipeline steels of grade X120 with adapted heat input
    The influence of heat input and welding speed on the microstructure and mechanical properties of single-pass hybrid laser arc welded 20 mm thick plates of high-strength pipeline steel X120 were presented. The heat input was varied in the range of 1.4 kJ mm-1 to 2.9 kJ mm-1, while the welding speed was changed between 0.5 m min-1 and 1.5 m min-1. A novel technique of bath support based on external oscillating electromagnetic field was used to compensate the hydrostatic pressure at low welding velocities. A major advantage of this technology is, that the welding speed and thus the cooling time t8/5 can be variated in a wide parameter window without issues regarding the weld root quality. The recommended welding thermal cycles for the pipeline steel X120 can be met by that way. All tested Charpy-V specimens meet the requirements of API 5 L regarding the impact energy. For higher heat inputs the average impact energy was 144 ± 37 J at a testing temperature of -40 °C. High heat input above 1.6 kJ mm-1 leads to softening in the weld metal and heat-affected-zone resulting in loss of strength. The minimum tensile strength of 915 MPa could be achieved at heat inputs between 1.4 kJ mm-1 and 1.6 kJ mm-1.
  • Publication
    Investigation of the mechanical properties of single-pass hybrid laser-arc welded thick X120 pipeline steel plates
    With global increases in clean energy demand, the natural gas is gaining in importance. Pipelines are the safest and most cost-effective way of transporting natural gas. Due to high transport volume and resulting high operation pressure, the demand for ultra-high strength steel grades such as X120 is very strong. As a result of the fact that these steels are produced by thermo-mechanical controlled processing, the welding process must be selected accordingly. Based on investigations, a high heat input such as by submerged arc welding process leads to softening in the weld metal and loss of strength whereas pure laser beam welding results in high cooling rates and deteriorate toughness of the weld metal. The objective of this research is to investigate the influence of heat input to mechanical properties of hybrid laser-arc welded pipeline steels of grade X120. Test specimens with a thickness of 20 mm could be welded without preheating in a single-pass with different welding velocities to observe the largest possible parameter window of the heat input. The achieved V-notch impact energy for hybrid laser-arc welded samples was 144±37 J at a testing temperature of -40 °C. With a tensile strength of 930±4 MPa the requirements of API 5L was achieved. To prevent gravity drop-outs at the slow welding speeds, an electromagnetic weld pool support system was used, which works contactless and is based on generating Lorentz forces. It was therefore possible to control the cooling rate in order to meet the requirements of the mechanical properties. By adapting the electromagnetic weld pool support to the laser and laser hybrid welding process, the application potential of these technologies for industrial implementation can be drastically increased.