Effect of concentric intensity distributions on spatter formation in full penetration welding of high-alloy steels

Welding of high-alloy steels results in spatter formation addressing high welding speeds above 8 m/min, i.e., the seam quality is significantly reduced due to material losses and adhering spatter. A reduction of spatter can be addressed by using concentric intensity distributions consisting of core and ring, by affecting melt and metal vapor flow. In this paper, the understanding of spatter formation on sheet top and bottom side is significantly enhanced for full penetration welds of AISI 304. Therefore, different concentric intensities and tophat distributions were systematically studied and compared. Fundamental interactions between concentric intensity distributions and spatter formation during full penetration welding were determined and summarized in model concepts. In particular, spatter formation can be reduced on both sheet sides using a concentric intensity distribution due to a smaller keyhole geometry with a smaller angle of inclination of the keyhole front.