Investigation of the plume mechanism in high-power laser-arc hybrid welding using spatio-temporal resolved spectroscopy

Abstract

The laser arc hybrid welding process plays an important role in modern industry. Research on the morphology and spectral characteristics of the plume during this process is of great significance for a deeper understanding and improvement of the technology and process. In this paper, we conducted a study of the high-power laser welding, arc welding, and laser-tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding hybrid welding processes. We improved the experimental parameters based on the original imaging and spectral measurement methods, combined with the imaging spectrometer, and designed a spectral measurement method based on high time and space resolution. This was the first study to investigate the high-dynamic plume morphology and spatially resolved spectral characteristics of the welding process on a nanosecond time scale. The temperature and electron density of the plume were found to be significantly increased due to the coupling effect of different heat sources. Furthermore, the spatial variation of the plume temperature and electron density was demonstrated in the experiment, providing a new perspective for a more accurate understanding of the relevant spectral characteristics.