Gap Bridging Ability in Laser GMA Hybrid Welding of Thin 22MnB5 Sheets

In this paper, laser GMA hybrid welding of thin ultra-high-strength steel sheets (22MnB5) is investigated. A single-mode laser beam oscillating transversal to the welding direction is used in order to minimize the heat input during the process. The sheets have a thickness of 1.5mm each and are fixed in overlap configuration. The gap between the sheets was 0.8mm during experiments in order to simulate typical gap width in industrial manufacturing processes. It is shown that a stable weld seam has been achieved for this gap width in case of a welding speed of 6m/min. The gap bridging ability is caused by the interaction of the arc and the laser beam process. The laser beam process produces deeper penetration in the bottom sheet. Thus, the arc is stabilized by the laser beam.