The Effects of Position of the Laser Beam on the Pulsed Nd: YAG Laser Weld Microstructure of AISI 630 and AISI 321 Stainless Steels

The study was conducted to investigate the effects of laser beam position on the weld microstructure of AISI 630 and AISI 321 stainless steels. The optical and scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction of the weld microstructures were carried out. The results showed that if the laser beam was focused at the interface, austenite, marensite and ferrite microstructures were formed at the weld region. If the laser beam was focused toward the AISI 630 stainless steel denoted as sample P in the manuscript, the martensitic-ferritic microstructures were produced in the weld cross section. If the laser beam was focused toward the AISI 321 stainless steel designated as sample A in the text, the austenitic microstructure was produced in the weld bead. The maximum hardness in all samples was occurred at the AISI 630 interface.