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Effect of power modulation frequency on porosity formation in laser welding of SAE 1020 steels

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Abstract

This study aimed to assess and to understand the effect of modulation frequency on weld bead porosity. A fiber laser source with a maximum power of 10 kW was used on SAE 1020 plates. A square wave modulation with pulse power at 4 kW and base power at 0 kW was applied, which resulted in a power average of 2 kW. Welding speed was set at 1 m/min, and frequency varied from 20 to 100 Hz. To analyze the pores, longitudinal cross-sections were prepared. The results indicate that the welds produced at low frequencies (20 Hz and 25 Hz) contained a significant amount of large spherical pores. On the other hand, a reduced number of smaller pores were found for high frequencies (50 Hz and 100 Hz). This can be correlated to the penetration depth oscillation, linked to the weld pool fluid flow and the keyhole collapse, which was greater at lower frequencies. In addition, other effects could be noted, such as the widening of the weld bead for low-frequency values, which can be beneficial when the process requires low geometrical tolerances and higher penetration depths for increased degrees of overlap at higher frequencies.

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Funding

Partial financial support was received from Brazilian governmental agencies Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Precision Engineering Laboratory - Laser Division (LMP-Laser), Mechanical Engineering Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianopolis, Brazil

    Francisco Cavilha Neto, Milton Pereira & Marcio Celso Fredel

  2. Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Center for Research and Development of Welding Processes (LAPROSOLDA), Federal University of Uberlandia (UFU), Uberlandia, Brazil

    Luiz Eduardo dos Santos Paes

  3. Education and Mathematics Center, Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil

    Luiz Fernando Bossa

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  1. Francisco Cavilha Neto
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  2. Milton Pereira
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  3. Luiz Eduardo dos Santos Paes
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  4. Marcio Celso Fredel
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  5. Luiz Fernando Bossa
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All authors contributed to the experimental process, writing, and revision.

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Correspondence to Francisco Cavilha Neto.

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Cavilha Neto, F., Pereira, M., dos Santos Paes, L.E. et al. Effect of power modulation frequency on porosity formation in laser welding of SAE 1020 steels. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 112, 2509–2517 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-020-06482-5

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