Parametric Investigation on Laser Beam Welding of Aluminum Alloy 5052-H32 using Finite Element Analysis

The primary issues with welded components are heat-affected zones (HAZ) and residual stresses, which may compromise the structural and component integrity. Its determination is fairly sophisticated and may prove to be a challenging endeavor, regardless of whether it is based on numerical simulations or experimental methods. Predicting the longitudinal residual Von Mises stress distribution theoretically is made possible by this study, which is based on a parameterized multi-source model for thermal field modeling in laser welding followed by experimental validation. To simulate the welding process and the intermediate performance indicators (IPIs), (peak temperature, HAZ volume, cooling rate and structural deformation), a three-dimensional heat transfer model is built using the finite element approach. Among the IPIs, the weld quality is indicated by the cooling rate and HAZ volume, while the welding mode is shown by the peak temperature. In order to quickly calculate IPIs instead of requiring lengthy numerical simulations, a regression relationship is built between the parameters of the welding process and the IPIs.