Analysis of the Metal Vapour during Laser Beam Welding

This article provides an insight into the radiation emission during laser beam welding of an aluminium alloy. The core issue is the development of a system to monitor the welding process of challenging alloys with respect to their chemical composition in the melt pool. This manuscript presents spectroscopic investigations used to analyse laser beam welding processes to gain insight into the metal vapour behaviour. Empirical results are accompanied by theoretical considerations about the excitation temperature and degree of different alloying elements. Both need to be investigated to develop a control system for the chemical composition of the melt pool.