Studies on welding of thin stainless steel sheets with pulsed nanosecond fiber laser in butt joint configuration

In this work, we report full penetration welding of 1.6 mm thick AISI 304L stainless steel sheets in a butt joint configuration using a pulsed nanosecond fiber laser of an average power of 200 W. The welding was carried out by a focused laser beam oscillating in a circular path. The effects of beam oscillation parameters, e.g., amplitude, frequency, and weld speed, on weld morphology and microstructure were studied. Electron back scattered diffraction was used to characterize the weld microstructure and to map the distribution of austenite and ferrite phases in the weld. The solidification mode of the weld was found to change from the equilibrium FA (Ferrite-Austenite) to AF (Austenite-Ferrite) to A (Austenite) on an increase in the cooling rate with a concomitant drop in the fraction of δ-ferrite. The welds were found to be without any cracks with the sporadic presence of porosities. The welds were found to be mechanically strong.