The porosity formation mechanism in the laser-welded butt joint of 8 mm thickness Ti-6Al-4V alloy: Effect of welding speed on the metallurgical pore formation

The high energy density beam welding techniques, such as laser and electron beam welding process, have been widely used in industrial applications. In this study, the butt structures of Ti-6Al-4V alloys with the thickness up to 8 mm are successfully joined by the laser welding process. The macromorphology and microstructures of the welded joints are investigated by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The penetration increases from 5.91 mm to 9.37 mm with the decrease of welding speed from 1.2 m/min to 0.8 m/min under the condition of equal laser power. The acicular [Formula: see text] is formed in the fusion zone, resulting from high cooling rate during the process. The metallurgical porosity formation is proposed by investigating the distribution of Al and H elements around the pores. It is concluded that the pores in the weld bead are induced by aluminum vapor and hydrogen gas from the molten pool. The diameter of metallurgical pore has a tendency to increase with the decrease of welding speed.