New possibilities for laser welding of highly loaded transmission components by strategic use of simulation methods

Laser welding in transmission manufacturing opens up completely new kinds of product solutions with excellent properties in terms of wear, corrosion resistance, and service life. Current welding designs are characterized in particular by difficult-to-weld material combinations (e.g., steel versus cast iron) and a high component stiffness, which is correlated with high residual welding stresses. The major challenge for these mass-produced components remains both their crack-free weldability and their complex cyclic load capacity [U. Stamm, “Rissfreies Laserstrahlschweißen von Mischverbindungen aus Gusseisen und Einsatzstahl, Jahresbericht Fraunhofer IWS 2006” (2006); X. Shu, “Untersuchungen zum Laserstrahlschweißen von Werkstoffkombinationen aus Gußeisen und Stahl,” Dissertation, Shaker, Band 4/94 (1994), ISBN: 3-8265-0098-9; G. Göbel, “Erweiterung der Prozessgrenzen beim Laserstrahlschweißen heißrissgefährdeter Werkstoffe,” Dissertation, Fraunhofer-IRB-Verlag (2007), ISBN: 978-3-8167-7671-0]. Therefore, this contribution presents practical solutions for weld-compatible joint constructions and the reduction of residual stresses on the basis of a representative transmission design. Specifically, a systematic study is being conducted to understand and qualitatively evaluate effective methods for reducing residual weld stresses in circumferential welds. The recommendations developed as part of this study take particular account of the influence of process modifications, material conditions, and geometric aspects on weldability and component distortion. Here, structural welding simulations are performed and verified by experimental welding trials, including metallographic examinations. To ensure the required component fatigue strength, a practical concept for determining Wöhler curves is presented, which is based on structural mechanical simulations and multiaxial fatigue strength tests on simplified test specimens. The adaptations developed in this way facilitate the production of difficult-to-weld and highly stressed transmission components. In particular, time-consuming and cost-intensive iterations of laser welding tests can be significantly reduced or even eliminated [Brenner et al., “Neuere Ergebnisse zum Schweißen von Eisenbasiswerkstoffen mit Faserlasern, 5. Laser-Anwenderforum,” Strahltechnik Band 28 (2006), pp. 139–148, ISBN: 3-933762-18-9, S]. Furthermore, the systematic investigations provide effective recommendations for phenomenological understanding and solving typical welding challenges in practice [J. Standfuß, “Ganzheitliche innovative fügetechnische Konzepte am Beispiel des PKW-Antriebsstranges,” Fraunhofer Verlag (2010), ISBN: 978-3-8396-0125-9]. This applies, in particular, to load-transmitting components in the fields of e-mobility, aerospace, and industrial engineering [Wagner et al., “Entwickeln und Auslegen von lasergeschweißten Getriebe-komponenten für die Luftfahrt,” DVS-Berichte Band 365 (2020), pp. 62–69, ISBN: 978-3-96144-098-6].