Product Code: ICA12_1403

Investigation of the Keyhole in Laser Welding of Different Joint Geometries by Means of X-Ray Videography - Invited Presentation - 40 Minutes
Authors:
Mikko Vänskä, Lappeenranta Univ. of Technology, Institut für Strahlwerkzeuge, Univ. of Stuttgart; Ostfildern-Nellingen Germany
Felix Abt, Institut für Strahlwerkzeuge, Univ. of Stuttgart; Stuttgart Germany
Rudolf Weber, Institut für Strahlwerkzeuge, Univ. of Stuttgart; Stuttgart Germany
Antti Salminen, Lappeenranta Univ. of Technology, Machine Technology Center Turku Ltd; Lappeenranta Finland
Thomas Graf, Institut für Strahlwerkzeuge, Univ. of Stuttgart; Stuttgart Germany
Presented at ICALEO 2012

The keyhole geometry has a direct effect to the weld dimensions and the welding dynamics. The keyhole size, being one of the main aspects that affect the welding and weld quality, should be known better and included for correct parameter selection. Accurate determination of the keyhole geometry is very complicated, especially with traditional weld monitoring systems. X-ray videography allows examining the keyhole geometry, i.e. measuring angles, longitudinal keyhole dimensions and penetration depth.

The driving force of our experiments was to study the welding process and observe what actually causes the differences in welds with different process parameters, such as different joint geometries, welding speeds and defocusing. This paper describes welding experiments, in which the keyhole geometry is observed with x-ray videography. Keyhole dimensions were taken and then compared for different joint types.