• Proceedings of the KWS Conference
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.139-143
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• 2000

Laser beam weldability of Zircaloy-4 was investigated using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser of 550W average power. Mechanical properties and microstructure of laser butt welded Zircaloy-4 test specimens were examined. The influence of laser generated during laser welding was analyzed and optimum laser welding parameters were investigated.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.517-523
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• 2009

Magnesium alloys have many advantages such as a low density, high strength/weight ratio and well recycle. And joining process is absolutely necessary to expand the field of application of magnesium alloy. The main problems of conventional process such as arc welding for magnesium alloy are the inflammability, a tendency toward crack formation and the appearance of porosity during solidification. Laser welding technology is a promising means for overcoming these difficulties. This study is related to the laser weldability of AZ31 magnesium alloy, an all-purpose wrought alloy with good strength and ductility. The effect of welding conditions on the weldability of butt joints was examined. Also, the mechanical properties of butt welded joints were investigated by tensile test and hardness test.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.30-35
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• 2004

Laser welding is obviously an attractive method to join small, thin parts such as small stainless steel tubes, but it is very sensitive to the joint clearance and tolerance, and this makes laser welding difficult to obtain consistent welding qualities over time. Recently, Plasma Augmented Laser Welding(PALW) is being developed to solve these problems. In this study, plasma arc welding(PAW) was introduced to join conventional V-grooved butt joint of thin stainless steel strips using single laser heat source in manufacturing small stainless steel tubes. The effect of the welding speed enhancement is investigated by the experiments. Effects of welding directions, distance between the heat sources and intensity of arc heat source on the optimal welding speed was investigated. Through this research, it was confirmed that PALW process has higher welding speed and robustness than laser welding process.

• International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.19-23
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• 2005

To minimize the weld defect in manufacturing of the welded tube by using $CO_2$ laser, the monitoring of the welding quality and the seam tracking along the butt-joint lengthwise to the tube axis are studied. The longitudinal butt-joint is shaped from $60kgf/mm^2$ grade steel sheet by 2 roll bending method, and welded by the $CO_2$ laser welding system equipped with the seam tracker and plasma sensor. The laser welded tube has the thickness of 1.5mm, diameter of 105.4mm and length of 2000mm. The precise positioning of the laser beam on the butt-joint to be assembled is obtained within $200{\mu}m$ by the laser vision sensor. The artificial defects in the butt-joint are well observed by the signal of plasma intensity measured from the plasma sensor of UV wavelength range within 400nm. The developed $CO_2$ laser tube welding system has the function of the precision seam tracking and the real-time monitoring of the welding quality. In conclusion, the laser welded tube can be used for manufacturing of automobile chassis and components after hydro-forming.

• Proceedings of the KWS Conference
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• 1996.05a
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• pp.46-50
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• 1996

Continuous wave $CO_2$ laser beam welding and formability of zinc coated steel sheets were investigated. First, optimal welding condition could be obtained in butt welding by using the data for heat input and welding velocity. The highest value of Erichsen test is 79.3% compare to that of base metal. Secondly, Formability of laser welds was investigated by using ball punch tester. Finally, the forming results of butt-welded sheets showed that the joining design was important to apply the laser welded blank in the automotive production.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.82-91
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• 1996

The maximum butt-joint gap size in $CO_2$ laser beam welding of SAPH steel plates with different thicknesses and its bending formability were studied. In the range of the gap size$\geq$0.1mm, the optimal butt welding speed was faster than that of no gap (air gap) condition. This behaviour was independent on the difference of thickness at any combination. Also, the allowable gap size in steel plates with different thicknesses was larger than with same thicknesses. In the range of $T/T_0$(bead shape) $\geq$ 0.8, good bending formability was obtained at any combination of thickness. The formability was improved by reducing the hardness in weld bead using pre-heating process. Finally, FEM result of the laser beam welded underframe with different thicknesses was compared to that of the conventional spot welded underframe.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.145-155
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• 1995

Continuous wave C $O_{2}$ laser beam welding and formability of zinc coated steel plates were investigated. First, the optimal welding condition could be obtained in lap configuration by using the data for heat input, gap size and fracture behaviour. The gap size for fully-penetrated bead could be predicted by the gap model by Akhter et al. AIso, it was found that the joining efficiency was constant. Secondly, the butt welding of dissimilar materials (zinc coated steel plate and cold rolled steel plate) with different thicknesses was investigated. In the thickness range of 0.8-2.0 mm, the maximum welding speed of 10m/min was obtained. In the butt welding of two plates with thickness 2.0 mm and l.6mm, the maximum, welding speed of 6m/min was obtained, Finally. the forming results of butt-welded plates showed that the joining design was important to apply the laser welded blank in the automotive production.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.70-75
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• 2012

This study is related to the laser weldability of AZ31B magnesium alloy, an all-purpose wrought alloy with good strength and ductility. In general, AZ31B is classified into AZ31B-H24 and AZ31B-O depending on temper designation. Thus, in this study, the laser weldability of AZ31B-H24 and AZ31B-O was investigated and compared. CW Nd:YAG laser was used to produce bead and butt joints. And the effects of welding conditions on the weldability of these joints were examined in detail. As a result of this study, AZ31B-H24 was found to have thinner oxide film and smaller grain size compared with AZ31B-O. Due to such difference, in bead welding, AZ31B-H24 had more wide welding range for full penetration compared with AZ31B-O. Furthermore, it was also confirmed that AZ31B-H24 and AZ31B-O have different welding conditions to obtain stable keyhole in butt welding.

• Laser Solutions
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.13-21
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• 2002

Compared to conventional welding process, laser welding does not use additional filler wire generally. However, if laser welding uses the filler wire, the applicability of the method can be broaden. When laser welding uses the filler wire, it is possible to enhance gap bridging ability and to prevent cracking in weld pool by metallurgical control. In this study, we had optimal condition and experimented gap bridging capability for butt welding with 2㎜ Al5052 alloys using the filler wire feeder. As the experimental parameters, wire feed rate and wire diameter are considered and then the performance of wire feed is evaluated under various filler wire welding conditions.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.35-43
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• 2007

Laser welding of metals has been widely used to improve a wear resistance and a corrosion resistance of the industrial parts. The objective of this research works is to investigate the influence of the process parameters, such as the welding for metals with CW Nd:YAG lasers. The bead-on-plate welding tests are carried out for several combinations of the experimental conditions. In order to quantitatively examine the characteristics of the butt welding, the welding quality of the cut section, stain-stress behavior and the hardness of the welded part are investigated. From the results of the investigation, it has been shown that the optimal welding condition without defects in the vicinity of the welded area and with a good welding quality is 1325W of the laser power, and 1.4m/min of laser welding speed.