Magnesium Technology 2003 Edited by Howard I.

Kaplan TMS (The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society), 2003

LASER WELDING OF MAGNESIUM ALLOYS K. G. Watkins Laser Group, Department of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Brownlow Street, Liverpool L69 3GH, UK Abstract There is increasing current interest in the use of magnesium alloys in the automobile industry since the low density (and hence high specific strength) of these alloys may play a part in meeting directives aimed at reducing overall vehicle mass with subsequent reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. However, if the usefulness of these alloys is to be realised in applications of this type, successful joining methods are required. In the achievement of weight reduction based on the use of steel and aluminium alloys, it has been found that a tailored blank strategy based on laser welding has been very successful. This points to the necessity of increasing effort in the adaptation of laser beam welding techniques for the case of magnesium alloys. This paper reviews the joining of magnesium alloys by laser welding. It considers the influence of laser beam process parameters (laser power, welding speed, assist gas and flow rate) on the weldability of these alloys, concentrating on factors such as the elimination of porosity and the achievement of weld ductility and strength. Where appropriate, these factors are related to the metallurgy of the alloys concerned. The joining by laser welding of magnesium alloys to dissimilar alloys (particularly aluminium alloys) is also considered. 1. Background on laser welding Filler wire may be used in gas metal arc welding or gas tungsten arc welding to avoid crack sensitivity, particularly in Mg alloys containing Al. ER AZ61A is often preferred when welding wrought alloys of this type while ER AZ92A has been found to lower crack sensitivity in Mg-Al-Zn and Mg-Al cast alloys. The viscosity and surface tension of magnesium at its melting temperature are lower than for aluminium and significantly lower than for iron /steel, as summarised in Table 1. These low values could contribute to an unstable weld pool [7], production of spatter and poor weld surface quality. The relatively high vapour pressure of liquid magnesium compared with aluminium points to the potential problem of evaporative losses, particularly if zinc is also present as an alloying addition. The low thermal conductivity compared with aluminium points to the possibility of welding with lower distortion while the depth of penetration in welding may be aided by the presence of a highly absorbing vapour inside the keyhole [8]. Thus, if the problems associated with low viscosity and surface tension can be overcome by selection of the minimum
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the energy density at a lower level, conduction limited welds can still be produced by the laser based technique [2] and that there may be systems in which this approach has advantages (for example to allow the excellent conversion efficiency and process flexibility of high power direct diode lasers to be used). In the achievement of weight reduction based on the use of steel and aluminium alloys in the automobile industry, it has been found that a tailored blank strategy based on laser welding has been very successful [3 6]. This points to the necessity of increasing effort in the adaptation of laser beam welding techniques for the case of magnesium alloys. 2. Background on magnesium alloys

While magnesium alloys are considered to be readily weldable by conventional arc and resistance welding techniques, it is recognized that for alloys with more than 1 per cent zinc, hot shortness may be produced which may result in weld cracking. In addition, a number of magnesium alloys are susceptible to stress corrosion cracking and could only be considered for use after stress relieving has been carried out. For work hardened alloys, the strength in the fusion zone may be lower than in the parent material as a result of the recrystallisation that takes place during welding.

Laser welding (after cutting and marking) is the third most widespread process employing high power lasers. The main reason for the relatively rapid take-up of the process is that unlike conventional welding processes such as MIG and TIG, laser welding is not confined to the production of conduction limited welds. The generation of laser keyhole welds allows in effect the introduction of a line heating source throughout the material thickness [1] and this has significant advantages over the surface point heat source achieved in the conventional method. Welds produced by keyholing are narrower with much reduced heat affected zone and deliver up to an order of magnitude increase in weld penetration and weld speed. The only other method that can produce the high energy density required to initiate and sustain keyhole welding is the use of a high power electron beam and this has the significant disadvantage that processing is required to be carried out in vacuum (at least in current realizations of the process). Hence, laser welding has demonstrated significant process advantages over conventional welding with improved process flexibility over electron beam welding and this is the basis for its widespread uptake despite significantly higher capital investment costs than in the conventional techniques. However, it should be noted that by means of the selection of

power intensity for effective penetration, good prospects for keyhole laser welding exist. Table 1 Thermophysical properties of Mg, Al and Fe
Thermophysical property Melting temperature, C Boiling temperature, C Thermal coefficient expansion, m x10-6 / K Specific kJ/kgK heat of Mg 649 1110 25 1.01 143 1.2 360 0.56 Al 660 2450 23.8 0.88 238 1.0 10-6 0.91 Fe 1536 3000 25.0 0.44 72 4 2.3 1.87

For AZ91D alloy, Haferkamp et al [8] found that high weld speed (for example 8 m / min with a Nd:YAG laser) resulted in significant grain refinement and hence an increase in hardness of the fusion zone compared with the same alloy welded at lower speed (1 m / min). 4. Porosity in laser welding of magnesium alloys While pore formation in the laser welding of aluminium alloys has received considerable attention, there has been less study of laser welding induced porosity in magnesium alloys. For aluminium, pore formation has been attributed to hydrogen rejection during solidification, imperfect collapse of the keyhole and turbulent flow in the keyhole. Zhoa and Debroy [10] point out that there are some similarities between Mg alloy and Al alloys; both aluminium and magnesium have significantly higher solubility for hydrogen in the liquid phase compared with the solid phase. Mikucki at al [11] found that porosity in AZ91 magnesium alloy was dependent on the amount of dissolved hydrogen in the alloy. They also found that rejection of hydrogen from intermetallic compounds such as Mg17Al12 assisted in the nucleation and growth of microporosity during the last stages of solidification following welding of this alloy. Following Nd:YAG laser welding, Haferkamp [8] observed more porosity in the fusion zone of an AM60B alloy compared with a AZ91D alloy, the latter being vacuum die cast and containing a lower concentration of gas inclusions in the base metal than the former material, the suggestion being that preexisting pores in the base material play a role in the formation of larger pores in the fusion zone. Using a 3 kW continuous wave Nd:YAG laser, Zhoa et al [10] found that porosity in the fusion zone of laser welded AM60B was often greater than that of the base alloy and attributed this to the coalescence and expansion of small preexisting pores in the base metal. By choosing laser process parameters that minimized excessive heat input, they found that the effect could be controlled to the extent that porosity in the fusion zone was no greater than that in the base alloy. Lehner et al [12,13] consider that for automotive applications the preexisting porosity in die cast AZ91 alloy is responsible for new porosity in the weld bead, as discussed above. Using a 3kW fibre delivered Nd:YAG laser and a 6 kW CO2 laser, it was found that use of laser process parameters that emphasise lower laser power and hence slower welding speed led to better results since there was better degasification of the weld pool (and hence lower porosity). The optimum power level for Nd:YAG was 1.5 2 kW and that for CO2 was 1.5 kW. These workers also point to the possible problem of sag of the weld pool as a result of the low viscosity of molten magnesium. 5. Use of filler wire Shumacker et al [14] have reported recently that problems in the welding of high strength aluminium alloys for aerospace applications have been overcome by the use of a suitable filler wire during laser welding. The avoidance of hot cracking in the welding of AA6013 alloy was made possible by the use of the filler wire AA4047. The approach has also been used in
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capacity,

Thermal conductivity, W/mK Dynamic viscosity at melting temperature, mPa Vapour pressure at melting temperature, Pa Surface tension at melting temperature, N/m

3. Effects of alloy composition and laser type Haferkamp et al [8] used CO2 and Nd:YAG lasers to process a wide range of magnesium alloy types (including AZ21A, AZ31B, AZ61B wrought alloys AM50B, AM60B and AZ91D die casting alloys). It was observed that a higher welding efficiency was shown by Nd:YAG compared with CO2 laser welding. For example, for a weld speed of 5 m / min and a beam power of 1.5 kW and a similar spot size, weld depth was 2mm for Nd:YAG but only 0.7 mm for CO2. This can be attributed to the increased plasma penetration of the 1064 nm radiation. A similar conclusion was reached by Sanders et al [7, 9] who compared the weldability of AZ31B alloy with high power Nd:YAG and CO2 lasers. For 1.8 mm thick AZ31B sheet, sound penetrative welds were produced with Nd:YAG at a power of 0.8 kW and a travel speed of 3 cm / sec whereas for CO2 sound penetrative welds were only produced at 2.5 kW and 12.7 cm / s. In addition, it was possible to use shear cut edges in the Nd:YAG case whereas milled edges were required for CO2. This was because poor joint fit up was a more serious concern for the smaller beam diameter CO2 laser. It was also found [8] that difference in thermophysical properties between the alloys had a considerable effect. For example, under the same laser process conditions, the conductivity of AZ91D at 51 W/K.m compared with that of AZ21A at 139 W/K.m resulted in conditions where a significantly higher weld depth and weld volume was produced in the former case.

automobile manufacture. An all welded panel of this type was first introduced in the Airbus A318 in autumn 2000 and it is now proposed to produce stringer to skin-sheet assemblies to replace the conventional riveting technique in further aircraft types. This promises reduced weight, improved corrosion resistance and cost savings since the laser welding process can be carried out at up to 20 times faster than riveting. Hence, for the Airbus 380 it is proposed to utilize 8 laser welded stringer to skinsheet panels of up to 10 m length in which the sheets will comprise AA6013 HDT material and the stringer assembly will comprise extruded AA6110 material. The success of these developments suggests that further work should be carried out on the use of suitable filler wire in the laser welding of magnesium alloys. Haferkamp et al [15] report on the development of filler wire for the Nd:YAG laser welding of die cast magnesium alloys. They note that use of filler wire improves process stability and bridge gapping considerably but that filler wire thickness of 1.6 mm (based on normal practice with aluminium) is not suitable for laser welding of magnesium since very small positioning tolerances are allowed in this situation. As a result, filler wire of thickness 1.2 mm was found to be more satisfactory since positioning tolerances could be doubled in this case. Butt joints in sheet metal of thickness 2.5 mm could be produced using 2 kW of laser power and at a rate of 3-4 m / min with addition of filler wire selected from a wide range of magnesium alloy types (AZ, AM, ZM, ZA). It was found that AM and AZ alloys could be welded with filler wires in the AM and AZ compositions, respectively. The ductility of the weldment increased with increasing aluminium content in the wire. Since there was little effect of filler wire composition on the mechanical properties of the weld, it was concluded that it will not be necessary to produce a wide range of filler wire types. However, there will be a significant advantage of the laser welding route in this case since whereas MIG welding requires 10 15 meters of filler wire per meter of seam, only 2 meters of filler wire per meter of seam is required for laser welding and (because of the poor workability of magnesium which leads to relatively high production costs of the wire) this will lead to cost advantages. Haferkamp [8] reports mechanical property determination for the Nd:YAG laser welding of AZ31B using filler wire AZ61A. The fracture strain of the fusion zone was no more than 16 per cent lower than of that of the base metal. The fracture position was mainly in the heat affected zone because of the absence of features in the weld zone such as notches in the top bead and underbead. Because of the presence of such features in the same material welded without filler wire and welded at 8 m / min, the fracture strain of the joint was reduced by about 64 per cent compared with the base metal. Work on the CO2 laser welding of experimental magnesium alloy WE43 (Mg-8Y-4Nd-0.65Zr) has produced autogenous welds in thickness up to 6 mm with little porosity and good weld properties[16,17].
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6. Laser welded tailored blanking Welded combinations of magnesium alloys as wrought sheet material and structural cast material would be attractive in taking further the reduction in motor vehicle mass and the development of performance advantages begun with the introduction of laser tailored welded blank technology currently in use with steel and Al alloys. Here it has been found that weight savings of up to 30% have been developed solely by the combination of steel sheet of optimum thickness for the load bearing requirements of the part under consideration. If this is translated into an overall reduction in car body weight, then improvement in fuel efficiency can be developed. The use of continuous seam welds in place of spot welds has additionally provided increase in rigidity and crash worthiness in the lighter body. With the incorporation of aluminium alloy, magnesium alloy and composite materials based on these alloys, there is the prospect of further improvement in car body design. Key to the full development of this capability will be the determination of conditions for the joining of dissimilar metal and alloy types. Investigation of the Nd:YAG laser welding of 1.4 mm sheet AZ31B wrought alloy with 2 mm AZ91D die cast alloy [8] with 1.7 kW laser power and a weld speed of 2 m / min produced a regular, well formed joint with a maximum hardness of 80 Hv in the weld metal, showing that for this combination at least, laser welding for tailored blanking is feasible. Work by Geiger et al [16] has investigated the Nd:YAG laser joining of AZ91 magnesium alloy to metal matrix composite (MMC) material, an advanced tailored blanking strategy. The MMC comprised AZ91 reinforced with 20 v/o T300 J carbon fibre or Al2O3 fibre and is intended to extend the usability of AZ91 at elevated temperature with respect to creep resistance. While direct laser radiation of the composite material resulted in destruction of the fibres, a novel method involving the lateral shifting of the beam towards the unreinforced AZ91 sheet was found to produce sound welds in which there was sufficient melting of the metallic material in the MMC to promote joining without fibre degradation. Conclusions The following main observations can be made regarding the laser welding of magnesium alloys: 1) Porosity in the fusion zone may be related to the level of preexisting porosity in the magnesium alloy, particularly in the case of die cast alloys, Nd:YAG lasers are more efficient than CO2 lasers in providing weld penetration for a given laser power, most probably as a result of the increased penetration of the plasma at 1064 nm, Different alloy types have been shown to develop different weld depth and weld width under the same laser process conditions because of difference in

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thermal properties of the alloys (such as thermal conductivity), 4) High laser weld speed has been associated with increased tendency to brittleness in the fusion zone of a number of alloys, Use of filler wire can reduce susceptibility to fusion zone brittleness and stress corrosion cracking. In addition, since a larger weld gap can be used, porosity may be reduced as a result of enhanced degasification during welding, Where filler wire is required, rate of usage of filler wire is 5 times smaller for Nd:YAG laser welding compared with MIG, offering cost savings in this respect, Potential exists for the development of laser welded tailored blank technology for magnesium alloys where it has been shown that wrought and cast magnesium alloy component and wrought and metal matrix composite component combinations can be successfully joined. References 1. 2. D.T. Swift-Hook and A.E.F. Gick, Penetration Welding with Lasers, Welding Journal (November 1973), 492s P. Okon, G. Dearden, K. G. Watkins, M. Sharp, P. French Laser Welding of Aluminium Alloy 5083, Proc ICALEO 2002, Vol 94, ( Orlando, Laser Institute of America, 2002) J. C. Mombo Christian, V. Lobring, W. Prange and A. Frings, Tailored Welded Blanks: A New Alternative in Automobile Body Design, Industrial Laser Handbook (Orlando, Laser Institute of America, 1992) 89 E. Schubert, M. Klasssen, I. Zenner, C. Walz and G. Sepold, Light-weight Structures Produced by Laser Beam Joining for Future Applications in Automobile and Aerospace Industry, Journal of Materials Processing Technology 115 (2001), 2 8 B. L. Mordike and T. Ebert, Magnesium: Properties Applications Potential, Materials Science and Engineering A302 (2001), 37 45 H. Friedrich and S. Schumann, Research for a New Age of Magnesium in the Automotive Industry Journal of Materials Processing Technology 117 (2001), 276 281 K. H. Leong, G. Kornecki, P. G. Sanders and J. S. Keske, Laser Beam Welding of AZ31B-H24 Magnesium Alloy Proc ICALEO 1998 (Orlando, Laser Institute of America, 1998) Section F pp 28 36 H. Haferkamp, R. von Alensleben, I. Burmester and L. Niemeyer, The Characteristics of Laser Beam Welded
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Magnesium Alloys Proc ICALEO 1997 (Orlando, Laser Institute of America, 2002) Section G 140 149 9. P. G. Sanders, J. S. Keske, K. H. Leong and G. Kornecki, High Power Nd:YAG and CO2 Laser Welding of Magnesium, Journal of Laser Applications 11 (1999), 96 103

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10. H. Zhao and T. Debroy, Pore Formation During Laser Beam Welding of Die-Cast Magnesium Alloy AM60B Mechanism and Remedy, Welding Research Supplement (August 2001) 204s 210s 11. B A Mickucki and J D Shearhouse Proc Magnesium and Magnesium Properties and Applications for Automobiles Conference, (Detroit, SAE Inc, 1993) 107 115 12. C. Lehner, R. Reinhart and L. Schaller, Welding of DieCasted Magnesium Alloys on Production Machines, Proc ICALEO 1998 (Orlando, Laser Institute of America, 1998) Section F pp 18 27 13. C. Lehner, R. Reinhart, Welding of Die-Casted Magnesium Alloys on Production Machines, Journal of Laser Applications 11(1999), 206 215 14. J. Schumacher, I. Zerner, G. Neye and K. Thormann, Laser Beam Welding of Aircraft Fuselage Panels Proc ICALEO 2002 (Orlando, Laser Institute of America, 2002) 15. H. Haferkamp, M. Goede, A. Bormann and P. Cordini, Laser Beam Welding of Magnesium Alloys New Possibilities Using Filler Wire and Arc Welding Proc LANE 2001, M. Geiger, A. Otto. eds (Bamberg, Meisenbach GmbH, 2001) 333-338 16. M. Dhahri, J. E. Masse, J. F. Mathiue, G. Barreau and M. Autric, CO2 Laser Welding of Magnesium Alloys High Power lasers in Manufacturing Proc SPIE 3888 (2000) 725 732 17. M Dhahri, J E Masse, J F Mathiue, G Barreau and M Autric, Laser Weld ability of WE43 magnesium Alloy for Aeronautic Industry Proc LANE 2001, M. Geiger, A. Otto. eds (Bamberg, Meisenbach GmbH, 2001) 297310 18. R. Klausecker, M. Geiger A. Otto and C. Heberling, Laser Beam Joining of Magnesium Matrix Composites with Magnesium Alloys Proc LANE 2001, M. Geiger, A. Otto. eds (Bamberg, Meisenbach GmbH, 2001) 323332

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