Effect of beam deflection oscillations on the weld geometry

• Electron beam welding with beam oscillations at various focus positions is studied.
• Weld and HAZ profiles at beam oscillations along and across joint are determined.
• Statistical analysis of the experimental data is executed and discussed.
• At low focus position and longitudinal oscillations the radius of weld root increases.
• Dagger-like weld shape in all other cases confirm hypothesis for beam self-focusing.

The changes of seam profiles and of heat affected zones during electron beam welding at use of local beam deflection oscillations, directed across or along the joint, are studied. The possibility to control the beam cross-sectional profile on base of beam power, focus position and welding velocity is limited. In contrast to expectance an increased weld root radius and lack of spiking were found only when the position of the beam focus was significantly below the weld surface (about 18 mm), and when the oscillations were longitudinal to the work-piece movement. In all other studied regimes (at sharp focus on 13 mm bellow the work-piece surface, at focus positions situated less deeply or above the surface of the work-piece, at the oscillations along the joint, and at all beam focus positions for transverse beam oscillations) dagger-like shapes of the weld cross-sections were observed. The oscillations in the impinging electron beam had a small affect on the shape of the weld root, leading to the hypothesis of beam self-focusing in the bottom part of the keyhole, through which the beam reaches the root peaks. The regimes in which wider and more uniform cross-sectional weld shafts are connected to more soft thermal cycles of crystallisation in the weld pool (the joint become more acceptable), lead to lower weld depth (that is disadvantage). Statistical analyses of the experimentally observed weld geometric parameters are implemented and discussed. At linear longitudinal oscillations with frequency Fosc = 745 Hz, the weld depth not depend practically from the oscillation amplitudes at down focus positions, and maximal weld depths are observed at focusing currents in range 840–850 mA and at oscillation amplitudes 2–2.7 mm. At transverse sinusoidal oscillations the maximal weld depth is observed at higher oscillation amplitudes for focus positions bellow the sample surface and at small oscillation amplitudes at upper focus positions. There at oscillation amplitudes of order of 0.4–0.5 mm the sharp focus is coinciding with the sharp focus at not oscillating beam.