Non-circular electron beam spot welds in stainless steel alloys
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Circularly symmetric-shaped spot welds are desirable for welding applications as they relate to heat and fluid flow conditions in the melt pool with predictable weld penetrations and repeatable results. Non-circular spot welds on the other hand result in undesirable and unpredictable weld penetrations or non-bridging of the liquid melt pool across the joint. Two known causes for non-circular melt pools occur when welding dissimilar metals, or when welding with skewed electron or laser beams that are not perpendicular to the surface. A largely unexplored additional factor, shown here, is an asymmetric power density distribution within the beam that can create non-circular melt pools even though the beam dimensions are much smaller than the melt pool itself.
Authors: John W Elmer, Gordon Gibbs
Institution: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,400
OpenAlex ID: W4414159334