• Proceedings of the KWS Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.612-619
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• 2002

The dynamic behavior of Al-Mg alloys plasma was very unstable and this instability was closely related to the unstable motion of keyhole during laser irradiation. The keyhole fluctuated both in size and shape and its fluctuation period was about 440 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$. This instability has been estimated to be caused by the evaporation phenomena of metals with different boiling point and latent heats of vaporization. Therefore, the authors have conducted the spectroscopic diagnostics of plasma induced in the pulsed YAG laser welding of Al-Mg alloys in air and argon atmospheres. In the air environment, the identified spectra were atomic lines of Al, Mg, Cr, Mn, Cu, Fe and Zn, and singly ionized Mg line, as well as strong molecular spectrum of AlO, MgO and AIH. It was confirmed that the resonant lines of Al and Mg were strongly self-absorbed, in particular in the vicinity of pool surface. The self-absorption of atomic Mg line was more eminent in alloys containing higher Mg. These facts showed that the laser-induced plasma was relatively a low temperature and high density metallic vapor. The intensities of molecular spectra of AlO and MgO were different each other depending on the power density of laser beam. Under the low power density irradiation condition, the MgO band spectra were predominant in intensity, while the AlO spectra became much stronger in higher power density. In argon atmosphere the band spectra of MgO and AlO completely vanished, but AlH molecular spectra was detected clearly. The hydrogen source was presumably the hydrogen solved in the base Metal, absorbed water on the surface oxide layer or H$_2$ and $H_2O$ in the shielding gas. The temporal change in spectral line intensities was quite similar to the fluctuation of keyhole. The time average plasma temperature at 1 mm high above the surface of A5083 alloy was determined by the Boltzmann plot method of atomic Cr lines of different excitation energy. The obtained electron temperature was 3, 280$\pm$150 K which was about 500 K higher than the boiling point of pure aluminum. The electron number density was determined by measuring the relative intensities of the spectra1lines of atomic and singly ionized Magnesium, and the obtained value was 1.85 x 1019 1/㎥.