The penetration efficiency of thick plate laser-arc hybrid welding

Double-sided fiber laser-arc hybrid welding was used to join 45 mm thick high strength steel over a wide range of parameters in order to investigate the efficiency of the process. Air gap size, I- and Y-groove type preparation, pulsed and cold metal transfer pulsed arc modes, arc-laser setup, and travel speeds were compared, and in all cases, sufficient filler material was provided to fully fill the gap. The welds were investigated using high speed imaging and cross-sectional analysis to identify penetration depths, morphology, and imperfections. Larger joint air gaps were found to contribute most to weld penetration depth. Surprisingly, increased line energy decreased penetration efficiency in most cases. The laser-arc interdistance was also investigated, revealing an arc size and melt flow dependency for achieving higher penetration depth for a leading arc. It was found that, although penetration can be optimized, solidification cracking can be a limiting factor in the application of deep penetration hybrid welding for thick steel section joining.