Product Code: ICAL06_304

Study of Porosity Formation during Laser Welding of Ti6Al4V
Authors:
Eric Stiles, Fraunhofer USA, Center for Coatings & Laser Applications; Plymouth MI USA
Konrad Bartkowiak, Fraunhofer USA, Center for Coatings and Laser Applications; Plymouth MI USA
Ralph Dienemann, Fraunhofer USA, Center for Coatings and Laser Applications; Plymouth MI USA
Steffen Mueller, Fraunhofer USA, Center for Coatings and Laser Applications; Plymouth MI USA
Presented at ICALEO 2006

Laser welding is increasingly being looked at by the aerospace industry as a process for making titanium alloy structural components, due to the reduced material usage vs. machining to shape from large blocks. However, stringent quality requirements make understanding of the formation of defects such as subsurface pores critical. This paper describes the results from a Design of Experiments study of laser-cold wire welding process parameters and their effect on porosity formation.