Coaxial hybrid process of hollow cathode TIG and YAG laser welding

To make progress in laser-arc hybrid welding, especially when applied to thick steel plate, it is essential to get the remarkable synergic effect of deep penetration. It is suggested that the effective process is combining hollow cathode TIG with high beam quality laser welding. Penetration of hollow TIG/YAG hybrid welding was investigated by numerical analysis. A keyhole surface model taking into account the laser beam parameter product (BPP) was developed. The calculated keyhole surface profiles of coaxial hybrid welding are wider and deeper than that of YAG laser welding alone. As a result, single-pass butt welding of 20 mm thickness steel plate was achieved under the conditions of BPP = 0.9 mm mrad at laser power 1.8 kW. To confirm numerical results, coaxial hybrid welding tests with a hollow cathode TIG was conducted. The welding penetration was about two times as deep as a YAG laser alone. It was found that coaxial hybrid welding with hollow TIG/YAG had a large synergic effect.