Numerical analysis of the effect of energy distribution on weld width during oscillating laser welding of aluminum alloy

The weld morphology of aluminum alloy oscillating laser welding has an important influence on the quality of welded joints. To understand the formation process of the weld morphology, the three-dimensional numerical simulation model and energy distribution model for circular shaped oscillating laser welding of 6061 aluminum alloy are developed in this paper to analyze the characteristics of weld morphology and the effect of the energy distribution on the weld width. The cross section of the weld and the energy distribution on the processing surface are obtained under the conditions of different oscillation frequencies. It is found that the left width of the weld is larger than the right width of the weld and the energy density on the left side of the weld is more concentrated than that on the right side of the weld. With the oscillation frequency increases, the weld width and peak of energy density decrease. Furthermore, the formation mechanism of the difference in weld width is revealed based on the energy distribution law of the oscillating laser welding process, which is of great significance for improving the quality of aluminum alloy oscillating laser welding.