For the constructions of yachts and small ships the application of aluminum/steel joints maybe of some interest due to design criteria demanding to reduce weight in the upper regions of the vessel. In such applications, materials with a thickness of 3 or 5 mm are relevant. However, no commercial technology is available for thermal joining of aluminum to steel in this thickness range. Therefore, a laser MIG hybrid joining process developed. By melting the aluminum side, a wetting of the steel sheet by the aluminum melt is achieved. With this process, aluminum-steel butt joints of 3 mm thickness for ship yard applications were welded successfully. The influence of the process parameters laser power, joining speed, wire speed, laser offset and MIG offset on the joint properties was evaluated, based on an experimental programme developed by DOE (design of experiments). It was established that the intermetallic phase layer thickness, formed between steel and aluminum, and the wetting length both increase with higher energy inputs. Within the experimental programme a maximum tensile strength of the joints of 140 MPa was achieved.
Laser joining of aluminum to steel for modern yacht constructions
Laserfügen von Aluminium und Stahl für den Bau moderner Yachts
2007
5 Seiten, 8 Bilder, 1 Tabelle, 5 Quellen
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Englisch
Seagoing yacht of modern design
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