Effects of process parameters on the bead geometry of laser beam butt welded stainless steel sheets

Laser beam welding (LBW) is a field of growing importance in industry with respect to traditional welding methodologies due to lower dimension and shape distortion of components and greater processing velocity. Because of its high weld strength to weld size ratio, reliability and minimal heat affected zone, laser welding has become important for varied industrial applications. With increased use of laser welding in continuous mode, there will be increased dependence on the use of equations to predict the dimensions of the weld bead. In this paper, the development of mathematical equations using a three factor 5- level factorial technique to predict the geometry of weld bead in butt joint of austenitic stainless steel 304 sheet of 2.5 mm thickness are presented. The models developed have been checked for their significance by using F-test and t-test. The direct and interaction effect of the process variables on bead geometry are presented in graphical form for quick analysis.