Investigation on laser-assisted TIG arc welding technology with the high strength aluminum alloy

The 2014 high strength aluminum alloy was welded by the laser-assisted TIG arc welding technology.The impacts from low- power laser on the performance of 2014 high strength aluminum alloy welding joints and the TIG arc power were investigated through the analysis of welding current,welding voltage and the resistance to stress corrosion test data.The results showed that the voltage between the anode and cathode would drop significantly at EN (electrode is negative) Period when the 500 W-laser was inserted into the arc space,but the voltage of EP period would not change obviously.The power at the peak pulse and the base pulse both decreased significantly.Furthermore,compared with TIG welding,the laser-assisted TIG arc welding may have larger weld penetration, smaller weld width,smoother weld surface and narrower heat affected zone.The grains of welding joint can be refined in some degrees and the resistance to stress corrosion of welding joint can also be improved.