Laser welding of 3 mm thick laser-cut AISI 304 stainless steel sheet

The objective of the present work was to study the laser weldability of laser-cut 3 mm thick AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel sheet (using oxygen as an assist gas). For minimizing heat input during laser cutting, which is an important factor influencing the thickness of the oxide layer on the cut surface, laser cutting was performed in pulsed mode. The results of the study demonstrated that although the laser welding of laser-cut specimens did not result in the formation of weld defects, the resultant laser weldments exhibited reduced ductility with respect to base metal and bead-on-plate laser weldments. Laser-cut and laser-welded specimens also displayed higher notch sensitivity than the base metal. However, laser-cut and laser-welded specimens still possessed enough ductility to pass guided bend tests.