Nd:YAG pulsed laser welding of TC4 Ti alloy to 301L stainless steel using Ta/V/Fe composite interlayer

The present article reports the feasibility of Nd:YAG laser welding of Ti alloy to stainless steel through composite layer Ta/V/Fe. The laser beam was focused on the centerline of Ta and Fe sheets respectively to ensure that V interlayer was not completely melted. Two pass welding was employed involving creation of a joint with two weld zones separated by remaining unmelted V. Composite interlayer Ta/V/Fe was used to prevent the formation of Ti-Fe intermetallics and improve microstructure and properties of the Ti alloy-SS joint. The joint fractured at the unmelted V with the tensile strength of 627 MPa.