Heat source model for laser beam welding of steel-aluminum lap joints

In this study, a three-dimensional thermal conduction model based on the finite element analysis was established to predict a heat distribution during laser welding in overlap configuration of austenitic stainless steel 1.4301 and hardenable aluminum alloy 6016. A hybrid model based on two expanded curve-rotated volumetric heat sources is suggested to capture the complex weld geometry. Since thermal flow in the overlap area is a crucial part of the model, an analytic calculation of a thermal contact conductance between the plates and its subsequent implementation in the FE model through a superposition of two contact surfaces are described in details in this paper. Full thermal cycles, weld shapes, and thus mixing grades were successfully predicted by means of the developed model for different parameter combinations.