Laser welding of energy storage aluminum alloy

Can laser welding be used for aluminum alloys?

Welding is an essential joining process for aluminum alloys, but it poses several challenges, such as porosity, cracking, and distortion. Laser welding has emerged as a promising technique for welding aluminum alloys due to its high precision, minimal heat input, and fast processing speed.

What are the disadvantages of laser welding of aluminium alloys?

The main difficulties in laser welding of aluminium alloys are [18, 30]: High reflectivity with high thermal conductivity. Therefore, higher power density (as compared to steel) must be supplied to the welding area to melt aluminium, and it may lead to softening in the heat affected zone and weld metal.

Can laser beam welding improve porosity-free welds?

Recently, Tao and Yang found that the use of circular oscillations in laser beam welding and very fast welding speeds (>40 m/s) provided porosity-free welds with improved mechanical properties using scanning optics. The results were improved with increased laser beam power. 8.2.2. Autogenous Laser Beam Keyhole Welding

How can a laser be used to reduce porosity in a weld?

By variation in the welding speed (from 1.0 to 2.5 m/min at 3.0 kW) at lower laser power, no pores were generated since the process was in heat conduction mode with wide weld geometry at shallower penetration depth. As an alternative, a defocussed laser beam may be applied to reduce porosity.

Which laser has the highest absorption of aluminium alloys?

Hummel et al. reported that shorter wavelengths than infrared lasers such as blue lasers (wavelength of 450 nm) can have much higher absorption for aluminium alloys. During the Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm) welding of AA1xxx, 70% absorption (at 3.2 kW) was obtained at stationary conditions .

Can laser welding be used to join other materials?

Further research is needed to explore the potential of laser welding for joining other materials and to optimize the process parameters for specific applications. Overall, this book chapter contributes to advancing the knowledge and understanding of laser welding of aluminum alloys, as well as its practical implications for the industry.