Uni- and bi-axial deformation behavior of laser welded advanced high strength steel sheets

Bead-on-plate butt joints of 2.5 mm hot rolled DP600/DP600 and 1.2 mm cold rolled TRIP700/TRIP700 steel sheets were performed using 6 kW CO2 laser beam welding. The welding speed ranged from 1.5 to 3.0 and from 2.1 to 3.9 m/min in DP/DP and TRIP/TRIP steel weldments respectively. A top surface helium gas was used as a shielding gas at a flow rate of 201/min. Metallographic examinations and transverse tensile testing (DIN EN 895: 1995) were carried out to characterize the weldments. The formability of base metals and weldments were investigated by standard Erichsen test (DIN EN ISO 20482). It was found that the uniaxial plastic behavior of both DP600 and TRIP700 base metals was in agreement with Swift and modified Mecking-Kocks models respectively. In a perpendicular tensile test to the weld line, all specimens were fractured at the base metal however the strengths were somewhat higher than those of base metal. There was a significant reduction in formability caused by welding of both DP/DP and TRIP/TRIP steel weldments and the formability has been improved with the increase of the welding speed. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.