Review of Laser and Hybrid Laser-Arc Welding

摘要

The state of the art in laser and laser-arc hybrid welding of thick steelrncomponents is reviewed, particularly with respect to possiblernapplications in the oil and gas industry. The most relevant informationrncomes from the shipbuilding industry, where the CO_2 laser-GMAWrnprocess was taken in use about 15-20 years ago. The different aspectsrnof these welding techniques are briefly discussed, including differentrnlaser-arc hybrid techniques and mechanical properties of welds. A briefrnreview of numerical welding simulation techniques is performed withrnmain focus on the use of the WeldsimS software, which allowsrnpredictions of heat flow, microstructure and residual stresses afterrnwelding.