YENEPOYA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

SEMINAR REPORT
ON
REVIEW ON HYBRID LASER ARC WELDING

Guided by Submitted by
Prof. J.W.PINTO AKSHAY HADAPAD
Assistant Professor USN : 4DM14ME004
20/3/2018
1 5
INTRODUCTION COMPARISON
Welding and types of With other types of
welding welding

2 6
TYPES OF HLAW APPLICATIONS
Different Combinations
To Form HLAW Industrial Applications

3 7
ARRANGEMENT CONCLUSION
Position of laser and Remarks & Importance
Torch

4 8
.

PARAMETERS REFRENCES
Influencing Referred Paper And
Factors on Process Reviews
.

Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018

 INTRODUCTION
 The history of joining of metals goes back to several millennia since from the iron and bronze ages.
 The middle ages brought some of the advance forge welding , in which black smiths pounded heated
metal repeatedly until bounding occurs
 But the 1st world war cause the major surge in using of welding process
 Welding is the process of permanent joining of two materials(usually metals) through localised
coalescence resulting from suitable combination of temperature and pressure and metallurgical
conditions.
 The welding process are classified into several types based on various criteria but among them
few are Gas metal arc welding, Arc welding , Gas Tungsten arc welding, plasma arc welding,
Laser beam welding, Electron beam welding. etc
 In modern days the laser beam and the few types of welding's are combined to form Hybrid Laser Arc
Welding.
Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018
 Hybrid laser arc welding
 The Hybrid laser arc welding process is introduced in
late 1970s by Prof. W. M. Steen and co-researchers,
and the process is termed as ‘‘arc-augmented laser
welding”.
 Hybrid laser arc welding simultaneously utilizes the
arc welding and the laser welding, in a common
interaction zone.
 The tight focus of the beam allows higher welding
speed, which in turn reduces the heat input and the
chances of thermal distortion in welded parts.
Fig: Schematic representation of HLAW

 When compared with laser and arc welding the hybridization effect compensates the drawbacks of both
the processes and compliments their advantages.
Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018
HYBRID LASER ARC WELDING
Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018
 There are two different approaches of using laser along with electric arc for welding.

Laser assisted arc A high power laser beam is

welding process, where used to perform a deep
the laser is used only to First Approach penetration welding
preheat the metals,
which are to be welded
Second Approach
by the arc welding
process.

 the synergic action of a laser beam having high energy density and an electric arc having high energy
efficiency is used for welding.
 The dynamic interaction of laser radiation, electric arc and the filler droplet govern the formation of
shape and size of the weld bead and the strength of the weld in Processes.
 Hybrid laser arc welding process offers several process advantages over the laser welding and arc
weld processes, such as higher welding speed and penetration depth with increased productivity
Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018
 HYBRID LASER GTAW
PROCESS
Laser with combination of
gas tungsten arc welding

II
HYBRID LASER GMAW HYBRID LASER PAW
PROCESS
Laser With Combination Of PROCESS
Gas Metal Arc Welding. Laser with combination of
plasma arc welding

I III
Types of HLAW

Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018

 1.HYBRID LASER GMAW PROCESS
 Primary heat source : A CO2 laser, Nd:YAG laser
or a fiber laser.
 Secondary heat source: Electric arc.
 Filler material/Electrode: consumable electrode.
 Heat generated between consumable electrode and
the work piece.
A laser generates the key hole at weld pool and

ensures the deep penetration
 The molten electrode fills the root gap and forms the efficient bridging in joint
 The shielding gases like He, Ar and N2 or mixture is used to protect the molten weld
from the atmospheric contamination.
 A pulsed mode GMAW power supply is generally used in hybrid laser GMAW which enables better
control of arc length, formation of metal droplet and its transfer mode, arc stability and spatter
formation during welding.
Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018
 HYBRID LASER GTAW PROCESS
 Primary heat source : A CO2 laser, Nd:YAG laser or a fiber laser.
 Secondary heat source: Electric arc
 Filler material : Filler wire based on required joint.
 Electrode: Non Consumable tungsten Electrode. (dia 0.5 to 6.4mm)
 Heat generated between consumable electrode and work piece
 Shielding gases: oxygen, nitrogen .etc

 A laser generates the key hole at weld pool and ensures the deep penetration and the arc is
struck between the tip of electrode and the workpiece (distance 1.5 to 3mm)

 The high intensity of Laser and arc melts the metal at weld pool the filler material is fills to the
zone and form single piece of metal.

 Shielding gas is impinge on solidifying weld pool for few seconds to avoid the atmospheric
contamination and increases the strength Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018
 3.HYBRID LASER PAW PROCESS

Primary heat source :A CO2 laser, Nd:YAG laser or a fiber laser.

 Secondary heat source: A constricted plasma arc

 Electrode: Non Consumable tungsten Electrode

 Heat generated between constricting nozzle and work piece

 Shielding gases: oxygen, nitrogen .etc

 plasma forming gas will be feed in through the arc zone, so these plasma forming gas when it is allowed to
pass through the arc zone it is decomposed and ionized under the plasma is formed.
 A water cooled constricting nozzle of small diameter is used inside the welding torch to squeeze the arc which
increases its intensity, and improves stability and shape of the arc.
 In PAW, the arc is established either between the electrode and the constricting nozzle (non-transfer arc) or
between the electrode and the workpiece material (transfer arc).
Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018
 ARANGEMENT
In hybrid laser arc welding, the laser beam is focused on the joint and the welding torch is
held at a suitable position in such a way that the arc is aimed at the same interaction zone.

In paraxial arrangement, arc welding torch In coaxial arrangement the laser beam is
can be positioned in front of the laser beam passed through a coaxially placed hollow arc
(arc leading) or just behind the laser beam welding electrode (non-consumable). This
(laser leading), in a way that they follow the enables the projection of laser beam on the
same weld line and interact at common weld electric arc, and both laser beam and electric
zone. arc share a common central axis
Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018
 HYBRID LASER ARC WELDING PARAMETERS
WIRE FEED
RATE
JOINT
ELECTRODE
CONFIGURATI
ANGLE
ON & EDGE
PREPARATION
LASER
POWER

POSITIONING
WELDING OF FOCAL
SPEED POINT JOINT GAP

LASER TO
ELECTRODE
SEPARATION
RELATIVE POSITION DISTANCE
OF Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018
LASER&ELECTRODE
 1.LASER POWER

 The weld penetration increases with laser power.

 It is observed during hybrid laser MIG welding of AZ31 magnesium alloys that the weld
penetration increases 2–3 mm per kilowatt of laser power, as compared to the increase of 0.5 mm
per kilowatt of arc power.
 It is also found that the laser absorption increases when keyhole is formed at weld zone due to the
application of high power density.
 Welds with higher joint strength without obvious defects can be obtained at favourable laser
power range.

Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018

 2.WELDING SPEED

 Higher welding speed is the characteristic feature of hybrid laser arc welding possess, which
increases the productivity.
 However, weld width and weld penetration are inversely effected by the welding speed.
 The welding speed to filler wire feeding ratio is an important factor for the stability of the
keyhole and for the entire process.
 A too high welding speed may cause improper fusion or lack of penetration of the weld,
whereas, a too low welding speed may create a larger weld pool with deep penetration till
the limit of burn through the material and may cause partial decomposition.
 However, an increase in welding speed can effectively reduce the thermal residual stress
concentration
Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018
3.RELATIVE POSITIONING OF THE LASER BEAM AND THE ELECTRODE

 The laser beam is generally directed perpendicular to the welding direction to get the maximum
possible weld penetration.
 During arc leading process the torch is positioned at a drag angle, and during laser leading process
the welding torch is positioned at a push angle.
 Laser leading setup produces larger width of arc zone, narrow width of laser zone, larger
reinforcement height, and higher penetration depth
 Laser leading process is observed to produce more stable arc than arc leading process due to higher
stability of the keyhole.
 Arc leading configuration during welding of high speed steel using hybrid Nd:YAG laser MAG
welding process results in improved tensile strength and lower impact energy of weld joints than
that of the laser leading process .
20/3/2018
Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT
 4.LASER TO ELECTRODE SEPARATION DISTANCE

 The arc electrode must be in close proximity to the laser beam, to ensure their synergic effect in
the common weld pool.
 The distance between laser and arc significantly affect the arc characteristic, droplet transfer
mode and weld bead geometry.
 The laser to electrode separation distance is typically kept from 0 mm (for co-axial arrangement)
to 5 mm (for paraxial arrangements).
 But increasing the gap between laser beam and electrode may result in loss of the hybridization
effects.
 Co-axial arrangement or a very short gap may lead to a problem of absorption of laser energy by
the arc plasma, which partially blocks the laser beam resulting in lesser penetration

Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018

 5. POSITIONING OF FOCAL POINT

 The maximum weld penetration is generally achieved when the focal point of the laser beam
lies below the surface of the workpiece
 The focus of the laser beam changes when it penetrates the molten pool. The volume of the
weld pool in hybrid laser arc welding is much greater than the laser welding.
 The cup shape weld deposition during hybrid laser arc welding increases the curvature of the
top surface of the melt pool, which changes the focus of the interacting laser beam.
 The focus of laser beam, during hybrid CO2 laser MIG welding, is measured to be reduced by
0.7 mm than in autogenous laser welding
 The optimum focus of the laser beam is shifted from 2 mm to 4 mm during the welding of a
mild steel plate using hybrid CO2 laser MAG welding with 0.6 m/min welding speed
Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018
 6. ELECTRODE ANGLE

 The arc electrode angle is provided in such a way that the shielding gas coming out
from the torch nozzle effectively deflects the laser induced plasma from the weld
zone to increase the laser penetration of the weld.
 The electrode angle is typically set around 45–65 degrees from the workpiece
surface, which reduces the arc length.
 The laser beam is generally directed normal to the workpiece surface to obtain
better penetration.
 However, the laser beam is tilted to an angle during the welding of highly reflective
materials to avoid any damage of the laser head due the reflected beam.

Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018

 7.WIRE FEED RATE

 The selection of wire feed rate is critical to avoid lack of deposition or the supply of

extra material.
 The higher wire feed rate enables the operator to join a weld with higher part gap and
also helps to increase the welding speed.
 With a higher wire feed rate, the higher current is required to increase the rate of
deposition During hybrid laser GMAW welding, an increase of wire feeding rate causes
an increase of current.
 The increase of wire diameter also requires higher current to maintain the constant arc
length. In a constant voltage GMAW set up the wire feed rate is preset.

Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018

 8.JOINT GAP

 The laser beam can weld parts with a gap up to 0.2–0.25 mm only, without visible
defects like undercut or incomplete weld bead.
 However, a joint gap of 1 mm can easily be welded with hybrid laser arc welding
process
 The laser to arc energy ratio, laser arc distance, welding speed and wire feed rate are
the critical parameters which determines the rate of deposition of the filler materials to
fill the joint gap.
 It is observed during the hybrid CO2 laser MIG welding of high strength carbon steel
that the wire feed rate is to be increased with the joint gap.

Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018

 9.JOINT CONFIGURATION AND EDGE PREPARATION

 Butt, corner, edge, lap and tee joints are the basic joint configurations used in welding.
All these joint configurations are also used in hybrid laser arc welding process.
 Due to the small spot diameter of the laser beam the square edges are used for welding,
whereas, grooves are made at joints when using arc welding, especially for thick sections
 Thin metal sheets or metal plates having thickness less than 6–8 mm do not require edge
preparation for welding using hybrid laser arc welding
 The grooves used in parts for laser arc hybrid welding generally have smaller include
angle, narrow root opening and larger land thickness as compared to the grooves used in
arc welding

Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018

 Comparison Of Hybrid Laser Arc Welding With Other Processes

Parameter Arc welding Laser welding Hybrid Laser Arc

Welding
Wide fusion zone Narrow fusion zone Narrow fusion zone
Gap Bridging Good gap bridging Poor gap bridging Better gap bridging

Residual Stress and High heat per unit length Low heat per unit length Low heat per unit length
Distortion High distortion Low distortion Low distortion
Low residual stress High residual stress Low residual stress

Productivity Low welding speed High welding speed Better welding speed
Low productivity High productivity High productivity

High propensity for Formation of brittle Reduced amount of

Cracking Propensity solidification cracking phases increases cracking residual stress low
propensity of cracking

Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018

 Comparison Of Hybrid Laser Arc Welding With Other Processes

Parameter Arc welding Laser welding Hybrid Laser Arc

Welding
Cooling Rates Low cooling rate High cooling rate Low cooling rate

stability Reduced arc stability at Keyhole instability Interaction between

higher welding speed laser and arc stabilises
the arc
Wall plug efficiency High Low High

Reflective material Weld able Difficult to weld Weld able

Formation of welds Less porosity Porosity in deep Less porosity

penetration

Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018

Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018
 It Can Be Used To Weld
Metals Of Ferrous Metals
Like Steels, Stainless Steel,
Non Ferrous Metals Like
Aluminum, Magnesium
,Nickel, Titanium ,Etc

20/3/2018
Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT
 The hybrid laser arc welding
also found its application in
aerospace industry, it is used the
body building and aerofoil
structure manufacturing in
aerospace engineering.

Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018

Different aspects like
automation potential
reduction of cost per unit
length of weld, weldability
of materials lead to use if
HLAW industrial applications
like in shipbuilding, pipeline,
offshore industries, etc.

Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018

 The major applications of
HLAW are found in
automobile industries where a
large number of metallic
components are welded to
build light or heavy vehicles.
The gap bridging capability
with faster processing of
HLAW process makes it a
competent alternative for
Automobile industry

Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018

HLAW process is used in
power industry to weld tight
wall panels and ribbed pipes
of boilers, fabrication of wall
panels and ribbed pipes of
boilers due process stability,
higher joint gap tolerance,
deep penetration and higher
efficiency of the hybrid
welding technique .

Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018

The hybrid laser arc
welding also found its
application in heavy
engineering industry.
Due to its high strength in
weldability HLAW has
been adopted in industries
like pressure pipe
manufacturing, oil tankers
manufacturing .etc

20/3/2018
Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT
 CONCLUSION
I. Hybrid laser arc welding is able to join a wide variety of metals including highly reflective metals like aluminium,
stainless steel, nickel etc. and reactive metals like titanium.
II. This hybridization effect leads to a number of process benefits over laser welding and arc welding such as higher
welding speed, deeper penetration, increased productivity, excellent gap bridging capability, better process stability,
higher process efficiency, etc
III. The hybrid laser arc welding process is 50–100% faster than the autogenous laser welding. It is observed that a small
joint gap is beneficial for hybrid welding
IV. The application hybrid laser arc welding may reduce the cost up to 50% and increase the productivity up to 50%, and
also minimize the effort required for edge preparation and control of seam width.
V. . High welding speed, better seam quality, requirement of less weld passes due to deep penetration also make this
process economical than autogenous laser welding.
VI. High quality welds with perfectly acceptable mechanical properties and enhanced fatigue properties are obtained for
laser arc hybrid welding. The use of laser arc hybrid welding process results in considerable reduction of pores, cracks
and other defects in welds

Dept Of Mech Engg ,YIT 20/3/2018

 REFRENCES
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hybrid LASER-GMA welding of AA6082 aluminum alloy”, Opt. Laser Technol. 44 (2012) 1485–1490.
[2] A. Ascari, A. Fortunato, L. Orazi, G. Campana,” The influence of process parameters on porosity formation in
hybrid LASER-GMA welding of AA6082aluminum alloy”, Opt. Laser Technol. 44 (2012) 1485–1490.
[3] M. Gao, S. Mei, Z. Wang, X. Li, X. Zeng, “Process and joint characterizations of laser–MIG hybrid welding of
AZ31 magnesium alloy”, J. Mater. Process. Technol. 212 (2012) 1338–1346.
[4] M. Ono, Y. Shinbo, A. Yoshitake, M. Ohmura, “Development of laser-arc hybrid welding”, NKK Tech. Rev. (2002)
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[6] P. Seyffarth, I.V. Krivtsun,” Laser-arc Processes and Their Applications in Welding and Material Treatment”, Taylor
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[7] C. Emmelmann, M. Kirchhoff, N. Petri, “Development of plasma-laser-hybrid welding process”, Phys. Proc. 12
(2011) 194–200.
[8] M. Chen, J. Xu, L. Xin, Z. Zhao, F. Wu, S. Ma, Y. Zhang, “Effect of keyhole characteristics on porosity formation
during pulsed laser-GTA hybrid welding of AZ31B magnesium alloy”, Opt. Lasers Eng. 93 (2017) 139–145.
[9] L. Liu, X. Hao, G. Song,”A new laser-arc hybrid welding technique based on energy conservation”, Mater. Trans.
47 (6) (2006) 1611–1614.]
[10] G. Casalino, M. Mortello, P. Leo, K.Y. Benyounis, A.G. Olabi, “Study on arc and laser powers in the hybrid
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[11] Y. Chen, J. Feng, L. Li, S. Chang, G. Ma,” Microstructure and mechanical properties of a thick-section high-
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[12] A. Unt, I. Poutiainen, A. Salminen, “Influence of filler wire feed rate in laser-arc hybrid welding of T-butt joint in
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20/3/2018
 Submitted by
AKSHAY HADAPAD
USN : 4DM14ME004