Hana Chmelíčková

Pulsed Laser Welding

Metal joining by means of components heating to the melting temperatures was known thousands years ago in old age Greece. Heat sources have been developed from forging furnace to modern methods of plasma arc welding, electric resistance welding, oxy-fuel welding or laser welding. Laser, as a source of intensive light beam, starts to be implemented into industrial welding systems due to its advantages in comparison with classic methods, for example narrow heat affected zone, deep penetration, flexibility and many others. Besides the welding of compatible metals it is also possible to weld plastics.

Non-destructive Real Time Monitoring of the Laser Welding Process

Laser welding is a high power density technology of materials joining that has many advantages in comparison with conventional fusion welding methods, for example, high accuracy, flexibility, repeatability and especially very narrow heat-affected zone which results in minimal workpiece distortions. Since it is still quite expensive technology, minimal spoilage is required. Effective system of quality control and processing parameters optimization must be established to reduce total costs, which is particularly required in industrial production. In this article some results of pulsed Nd:YAG laser welding process monitoring based on the measurement of plasma electron temperature are presented. The ability of designed sensor to detect weld penetration depth has been demonstrated. Plasma spectral lines intensities measurement can discover gap instabilities as well as local sheet thickness reduction.

Energy Losses Estimation During Pulsed-Laser Seam Welding

The finite-element tool SYSWELD (ESI Group, Paris, France) was adapted to simulate pulsed-laser seam welding. Besides temperature field distribution, one of the possible outputs of the welding simulation is the amount of absorbed power necessary to melt the required material volume including energy losses. Comparing absorbed or melting energy with applied laser energy, welding efficiencies can be calculated. This article presents achieved results of welding efficiency estimation based on the assimilation both experimental and simulation output data of the pulsed Nd:YAG laser bead on plate welding of 0.6-mm-thick AISI 304 stainless steel sheets using different beam powers.

Pulsed laser welding of thin metals

Both types of industrial lasers, CO2 and Nd:YAG, are used for welding with wide range of maximal power values. Successful results of laser welding depend on many different factors: energy, diameter, mode structure, polarization and focus position of laser beam; thickness, accurate positioning and gap of welded parts, kind of shielding gas. With LASAG Nd:YAG pulsed laser system KLS 246-102 we made optimization of welding parameters for different metals 0.5 mm thick and some types of the weld geometry. Our experimental results were used for welding of the side joint of the steel motor covers. These precious parts are used in automobile racing models. Finite elements model is used to predict a heat affected zone.

Treatment of dentinal tubules by Nd:YAG laser

Symptom of cervical dentine hypersensitivity attacks from 10% to 15% of population and causes an uncomfortable pain during contact with any matter. Sealing of open dentinal tubules is one of the methods to reach insensibility. Laser as a source of coherent radiation is used to melt dentine surface layers. Melted dentine turns to hard mass with a smooth, non-porous surface. Simulation of this therapy was made in vitro by means of LASAG Nd:YAG pulsed laser system KLS 246-102. Eighty human extracted teeth were cut horizontally to obtain samples from 2 mm to 3 mm thick. First experiments were done on cross section surfaces to find an optimal range of laser parameters. A wide range of energies from 30 mJ to 210 mJ embedded in 0,3 ms long pulse was tested. Motion in X and Y axes was ensured by a CNC driven table and the pulse frequency 15 Hz was chosen to have a suitable overlap of laser spots. Some color agents were examined with the aim to improve surface absorption. Scanning Electron Microscopy was used to evaluate all samples and provided optimal values of energies around 50 J.cm-2. Next experiments were done with the beam oriented perpendicularly to a root surface, close to the real situation. Optical fibers with the diameter of 0,6 mm and 0,2 mm were used to guide a laser beam to teeth surfaces. Laser processing heads with lens F = 100 mm and F = 50 mm were used. The best samples were investigated by means of the Atomic Force Microscopy.

Aluminum laser welding optimization

Pulsed Nd:YAG laser with maximal power 150 W is used in our laboratory to cut, drill and weld metal and non-metal thin materials to thickness 2 mm. Welding is realized by fixed processing head or movable fiber one with beam diameter 0,6 mm in focus plane. Welding of stainless and low-carbon steel was tested before and results are publicized and used in practice. Now the goal of our experiment was optimization of process parameters for aluminum that has other physical properties than steels, lower density, higher heat conductivity and surface reflexivity. Pure alumina specimen 0,8 mm and Al-Mg-Si alloy 0,5 mm prepared for butt welds. Problem with surface layer of Al2O3 was overcome by sanding and chemical cleaning with grinding paste. Critical parameters for good weld shape are specimen position from beam focus plane, pulse length and energy, pulse frequency and the motion velocity that determines percentage of pulse overlap. Argon as protective gas was used with speed 6 liters per second. Thermal distribution in material can be modeled by numerical simulation. Software tool SYSWELD makes possible to fit laser as surface heat source, define weld geometry, and make meshing of specimen to finite elements and compute heat conduction during process. Color isotherms, vectors, mechanical deformations and others results can be study in post-processing.

Laser treatment of alumina-based ceramics using second harmonics of Q-switched Nd:YLF laser

This paper is dedicated to laser engraving and drilling process of the alumina ceramics. Both processes are characterized by exquisite features in comparison with conventional ones. The main benefits are high speed, high precision and good quality along with flexibility. Moreover ceramics are hardly processed by conventional methods due to their high hardness and brittleness. Analysis of Nd:YLF laser engraving alumina ceramics concerning the influence of parameters like output power, processing speed and number of runs on various mark characteristics was carried out. Mark width, mark depth and contrast were evaluated and it was found out that output power determines both mark depth and width. Higher power caused generation of deeper and wider marks characterized by high contrast. Processing speed controls the overlapping of spots and the laser-material interaction time, thus having impact on the mark depth and contrast. Laser drilling was examined in dependence of output power that had crucial effect on the hole depth not on diameter. The research clarified that high output powers are necessary for producing deep holes so as high output powers together with low processing speeds are the optimal parameters to get maximal mark width and depth with satisfactory quality during engraving. Samples were analyzed using confocal microscope and contact profilometer.

High power diode laser remelting of metals

This article is focused on the laser surface remelting of the steel samples with predefined overlapping of the laser spots. The goal of our experimental work was to evaluate microstructure and hardness both in overlapped zone and single pass ones for three kinds of ferrous metals with different content of carbon, cast iron, non-alloy structural steel and tool steel. High power fibre coupled diode laser Laserline LDF 3600-100 was used with robotic guided processing head equipped by the laser beam homogenizer that creates rectangular beam shape with uniform intensity distribution. Each sample was treated with identical process parameters - laser power, beam diameter, focus position, speed of motion and 40% spot overlap. Dimensions and structures of the remelted zone, zone of the partial melting, heat affected zone and base material were detected and measured by means of laser scanning and optical microscopes. Hardness progress in the vertical axis of the overlapped zone from remelted surface layer to base material was measured and compared with the hardness of the single spots. The most hardness growth was found for cast iron, the least for structural steel. Experiment results will be used to processing parameters optimization for each tested material separately.

Optical and contact non-destructive measurement of the laser re-melting layers

Laser beam of the infrared pulsed Nd:YAG laser was used to re-melting PVD coatings on the steel substrates. Chemical composition of these layers contains carbide Cr3C2 with alloy NiCr or nitrides TiN, TiAlN, TiAlSiN and CrAlSiN. First coatings were prepared by method of high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) that protects the machine component surfaces from abrasion, corrosion or ensures thermal isolation, nitrides by PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition). Processing parameters such as pulse energy, pulse length and frequency were optimized in many experiments to achieve the sufficient surface energy density to melting without vaporization of the material. Multimode beam diameters about some millimetres were computed and adjusted in the suitable distance from focus plane. High laser power re-melting decreases their porosity, increases adhesion to basic material. In case of high laser energy gas vapours escape from basic material and cause fissures, re-melted surfaces have to be carefully controlled. New approach to evaluation of the quality surface structure was realized by laser confocal microscopy. Direct measuring or 3D surface model is possible with resolution less than hundred nanometres, depressions along laser beam path or rises on the laser spot edges were determined. Particles and grains with dimensions about one micron in re-melting structures can be observed better then by optical microscopy. Parallel measurements of the surface roughness were realized by the contact inductive profilometer Talysurf, collected data were displayed by software tool Talymap in a plane or spatial pictures.

Surface modification of steel by moving laser beam with SiC powder

Material surface modification was carried out by laser alloying technology with an additional material. The final effects are based on micro-structural changes in the surface layer, furthermore by changing the material composition in the surface. Sic powder was applied on CSN 41 20 10 steel into melting pool generated by interaction with the moving C02 laser beam. Numerical modelling of the temperature field on the substrate appears like a good way to optimalization of process parameters. The final surface structures are presented and analysed by scanning electron microscopy. The microhardness of treated layers in comparison with substrate is described too.