Laser beam welding of hard to weld Al alloys for a regional aircraft fuselage design - First results

Light weight design of fuselage structures is a major goal for future aircrafts to reduce structural weight for increased efficiency regarding fuel consumption. One objective is to validate and demonstrate the technology that offer the best opportunities of weight reduction and short production time. It involves the development of laser welding technologies for difficult weldable high strength aluminum alloys, containing Cu and / or Li. Another objective is to identify and evaluate approaches for first welding trials on T-joints of the alloy 2139 which are very promising regarding weld seam quality and achieved mechanical properties.