Product Code: ICAL09_P104

Fibre Laser Welding of ZN-Coated Steel on AL Alloy For Next Generation Lightweight Vehicles
Authors:
Hui-chi Chen, The University of Manchester; Manchester Great Britain
Andrew Pinkerton, The University of Manchester; Manchester Great Britain
Lin Li, The University of Manchester; Manchester Great Britain
Anil Mistry, Jaguar Cars Limited; Coventry Great Britain
Presented at ICALEO 2009

According to new environmental policies announced by European Union, car manufactures have been asked to avoid unnecessary waste of energy and reduce pollution levels. Replacing steel with lightweight materials on car bodies is considered as one method to lighten the vehicle weight to achieve these requirements. In this study, lap welds of Zinc-coated steel on aluminium alloy, which have recently been utilised in the automotive industry, were carried out using a single mode fibre laser. The interplay of processing parameters was investigated by means of changing processing parameters such as laser power, welding speed and laser pulse duration. Metallurgical observations and mechanical tests were then undertaken to evaluate the weld quality. Results identify a narrow process window necessary to produce defect-free welds and show that porosity readily occurs within the weld with inappropriate welding parameters. Overall heat input and the laser pulse duration are identified as the most significant parameters studied. The work shows that fibre laser welding of these materials can produce higher quality welds of potential benefit to the automotive and other industries.