Force control strategies to reduce weld distortion and cold cracking in laser beam welding

Abstract

In recent years, lightweight construction and the demand for resource and energy efficiency have increasingly supported the use of high-strength steels. Laser beam welding (LBW) of these materials is used in industrial mass production to efficiently manufacture high-precise components and parts with the highest quality requirements. Avoiding welding-related defects such as weld distortion and cold cracking is critical. Conventional applications currently meet this requirement to a limited extent due to very restricted process tolerances and the use of non-critical materials, which limits the potential of the joining process. Based on FE welding process simulations, concepts have been developed to reduce distortion and cracking through active control of the LBW process. The underlying models consider the weld induced temperature field, microstructure transformations, and residual stresses to calculate distortion. In addition, the local hydrogen concentration is calculated, and the results of the welding process simulation are evaluated using a cold cracking tool that includes material- specific cracking criteria. The ability to simulate distortion and cold cracking behavior opens up the possibility of parameter variation. From the data collected, concepts of active force introduction with dynamic workpiece clamping have been derived that lead to distortion and cold cracking reduction and promote the weldability of high-strength materials.