Laser shock welding of aluminum/aluminum and aluminum/copper plates

•Laser shock welding have been investigated experimentally for small scales parts.•The wavy interface and flat wave were observed for same and different metals.•The micro-hardness of the welding interface zone increased after laser shock welding.

This work describes an advanced technique for metal welding and composite production, namely laser shock welding. A series of laser shock welding experiments were conducted to verify the welding ability of aluminum/aluminum and aluminum/copper plates. Two kinds of interface morphologies were observed by metallographic investigation on cross-sections of the joint areas, including the linear and wavy interfaces. Besides, micro-hardness testing results show the welded interface has a much greater hardness than the base metals. The lap shearing test was used to characterize the joint. According to the experimental results, it can be imply that this kind of technique shares the same bonding mechanism with explosive welding and magnetic welding.