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Studies on the weldability, microstructure and mechanical properties of flux assisted Nd:YAG laser welds of AISI 904L

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 August 2015

K. Devendranath Ramkumar ,
Gangineni Chaitanya ,
Jelli Lakshmi Narasimha Varma ,
Ayush Choudhary ,
N. Arivazhagan  and
R. Oyyaravelu
K. Devendranath Ramkumar*
Affiliation:
School of Mechanical & Building Sciences, VIT University, Vellore – 632014, Tamil Nadu, India
Gangineni Chaitanya
Affiliation:
School of Mechanical & Building Sciences, VIT University, Vellore – 632014, Tamil Nadu, India
Jelli Lakshmi Narasimha Varma
Affiliation:
School of Mechanical & Building Sciences, VIT University, Vellore – 632014, Tamil Nadu, India
Ayush Choudhary
Affiliation:
School of Mechanical & Building Sciences, VIT University, Vellore – 632014, Tamil Nadu, India
N. Arivazhagan
Affiliation:
School of Mechanical & Building Sciences, VIT University, Vellore – 632014, Tamil Nadu, India
R. Oyyaravelu
Affiliation:
School of Mechanical & Building Sciences, VIT University, Vellore – 632014, Tamil Nadu, India
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

This research article investigates the effect of SiO2 flux on Nd:YAG laser welding of 5 mm thick plates of super-austenitic stainless steel, AISI 904L. Microstructure studies revealed multidirectional grain growth comprising columnar and cellular dendrites along with a prominent, fine equiaxed dendritic growth at the centerline of the fusion zone. Tensile studies showcased the fracture at the fusion zone in all the trials. The average tensile strength reported for the flux assisted laser weldments was found to be 587 MPa which was slightly lower than the parent metal. The impoverishment of tensile strength could be attributed to the formation of centerline equiaxed grains. Similarly the impact toughness of the joints was found to be 58 J. The studies demonstrated the possibility of using a 2 kW Nd:YAG laser welding machine to weld 5 mm thick plate with the use of SiO2 flux. A detailed study on the structure–property relationship of flux assisted Nd:YAG laser weldment was carried out using the combined techniques optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive x-ray analysis.

Keywords

Nd:YAG laser weldingSiO2 fluxAISI 904Lmicrostructuremechanical properties
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 30 , Issue 15 , 14 August 2015 , pp. 2369 - 2379
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2015 

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