Influence of axial magnetic field on shape and microstructure of stainless steel laser welding joint

The morphology and microstructure of the weld joint have significant influence on mechanical properties of welded specimens. In this paper, the mechanism on how the external magnetic field affected weld profile and microstructure was discussed by applying the longitudinal steady magnetic field to laser welding for SUS301 stainless steel. The optimal and scanning electron microscopes were used to measure the shape of the cross section and observe the microstructure after welding. The results showed that the shape of the cross section and microstructure could be significantly changed using the external magnetic field. Moreover, joint shape changed distinctly with the magnetic field intensity changing. With the increasing of magnetic flux density, the weld profile of the full penetration model changed from funnel to X type; meanwhile, the bottom weld width increased by 40%. In addition, the partial fusion zone occurred, and the weld width decreased by 20% while penetration increased by 18% when magnetic flux density turned into 380 mT. As far as microstructure of weld joint was concerned, it appeared that application of axial magnetic field led to indistinct fusion line and blocky austenite in big size rather than columnar grain in the center of the cross section. This phenomenon could be explained by numerical simulation results.