Abstract
Hybrid plasma is an important physical phenomenon in fiber laser-MIG hybrid welding. It greatly affects the stability of the process, the quality of the weld, and the efficiency of energy coupling. In this paper, clear and direct proofs of these characteristics are presented through high-speed video images. Spectroscopic analysis is used to describe the characterization of hybrid plasma. The hybrid plasma forms a curved channel between the welding wire and the keyhole during the fiber laser-MIG hybrid welding process. The curved channel is composed of two parts. The laser-induced plasma/vapor expands due to the combined effect of the laser and the MIG arc, forming an ionization duct, which is one part of the curved channel. The resistance of the duct is smaller than that of other locations because of the rise in electrical conductivity. Consequently, the electrical arc is guided through the duct to the surface of the material, which is the other part of the curved channel. The spectral intensities of metal elements in laser-MIG hybrid welding are much stronger than those in MIG-only welding, whereas the spectral intensities of shielding gas element in laser-MIG hybrid welding are much weaker.
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This paper was recommended for publication in revised form by Editor Dae-Eun Kim
Jun Wang received his M.A. degree in Material Processing Engineering from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), China, in 2008. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree at the School of Materials Science and Engineering at HUST in Wuhan, China. His research is focused on laser materials processing.
Chun-ming Wang is an Associate Professor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), China. His research interest is laser materials processing. He is the author of 20 published papers.
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Wang, J., Wang, C., Meng, X. et al. Interaction between laser-induced plasma/vapor and arc plasma during fiber laser-MIG hybrid welding. J Mech Sci Technol 25, 1529–1533 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-011-0410-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-011-0410-3