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Laser Welded Joint And Laser Welding Method

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide: a laser welded joint having exceptional joint strength in which annular welding beads are prevented from cracking during lap laser welding of a steel plate in which the beads are formed in multiple layers said joint comprising welding beads solely in the quantity necessary for joint strength; and to provide a laser welding method. The present invention is a laser welded joint having exceptional joint strength in which annular welding beads are prevented from cracking during lap laser welding of a steel plate in which the beads are formed in multiple layers said joint comprising welding beads solely in the quantity necessary for joint strength wherein the laser welded joint is characterized in being manufactured by a method provided with a step for stacking a plurality of metal plates and forming a first welding bead by laser irradiation and a step for sequentially forming two or more welding beads by laser irradiation on the outside of the first welding beads the surface hardness of the welding beads increasing from the inside beads to the outside beads.

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Patent Information

Application #
Filing Date
17 March 2017
Publication Number
33/2017
Publication Type
INA
Invention Field
ELECTRICAL
Status
Email
remfry-sagar@remfry.com
Parent Application
Patent Number
Legal Status
Grant Date
2023-10-31
Renewal Date

Applicants

NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
6 1 Marunouchi 2 chome Chiyoda ku Tokyo 1008071

Inventors

1. NAITO Yasuaki
c/o NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION 6 1 Marunouchi 2 chome Chiyoda ku Tokyo 1008071
2. MIYAZAKI Yasunobu
c/o NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION 6 1 Marunouchi 2 chome Chiyoda ku Tokyo 1008071

Specification

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to a welded joint obtained by overlaying a plurality of metal sheets and spot welding them by a laser, mo^e particularly relates to a laser welded joint given multiple weld beads, improved in quality, and excellent in joint strength and to a laser welding method for th% same. Background Art [0002] For example, in recent years, to respond to the demands for improvement of the fuel efficiency of automobiles and enhancement of safety or the like, high strength thin-gauge steel sheets have been used in large amounts in automobile body. Use o,f laser welding to weld these steel sheets at a faster s$eed has been sought. Furthermore, when overlaying and laser welding high strength thin-gauge steel sheets, it is preferable that a high strength of the joints can tje stably obtained. [0003] Laser welding uses las&r beam as a heat source, so enables more reliable and easier control of the heat input compared with arc welding £jUch as TIG welding and MIG welding. For this reason, by suitably setting the welding speed, the irradiation pc>wer of the laser beam, the flow rate of the shielding g^s, and other welding conditions, the welding deformation can be reduced. Further, laser welding enables welding from one side, so is preferable for. welding for assembling complicated members such as the body of automobiles [0004] In recent years, high efficiency remote laser welding using a mirror for positioning a laser beam at a high speed and moving it between weld locations in a short time has been spreading. [0005] In remote laser welding, for example, as shown - 2 - in FIG. 5, a plurality of weld points of the flange part 50a of a hat-shaped member 50 are laser welded with weld beads 51. [0006] In laser welding, if a load is applied to the weld zone, stress concentrates near the portion where the fusion line of the weld bead (weld interface) and the overlaid part of the steel sheets intersect. For this reason, depending on the magnitude of the load, sometimes this leads to fracture. [0007] PLT 1 discloses a method of dealing with this problem by, as shown in FIG. 4, further forming a second weld bead 61 at the inside of a first weld bead 60 to make the weld bead multiple beads and thereby further improve the j oint strength of the steel sheets 5, 5 and tempering the first bead 60 by the heat of the second bead 61. Due to this, the ductility of the weld interface of the weld bead is improved, the concentration of stress at the overlaid part at the time of application of load is eased, and the tolerance to the applied load becomes higher. [0008] PLT 2 discloses the method of forming three beads in the order of the main bead, compression field providing bead, and tempered bead and preventing cracking of the -beads. Citation List Patent Literature [0009] PLT 1: International Publication No. WO2012/050097A PLT 2: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2012-240086A Summary of Invention Technical Problem [0010] When like in PLT 1 forming multiple ring-shaped weld beads to laser weld steel sheets, when forming the second weld bead inside the first weld bead, sometimes a longitudinal crack forms at the inside weld crack depending on the material of the steel sheets welded or the size of the weld bead. 10011] If a load is applied to a weld in which a crack has occurred, the value of the stress generated near the portion where the fusion line of the bead and the overlaid surfaces of the steel sheets intersect becomes higher compared with when no crack has occurred. As a result, it becomes difficult to secure strength against shear load parallel to the overlaid surfaces of the steel sheets and strength against the load in the peeling direction. [00X2] In PLT 2, when the joint strength is not sufficient with a 3-circular beads, a 3+2n ("n" is an integer of 0 or more) number of beads are formed like with a 5-circular beads or 7-circular beads so as to form more than the number of beads required for securing the j oint strength. [0013] At this time, when welding a location with a limited area such as a flange, the distance between the beads is predetermined, so once formed beads axe again welded. As a result, due to spatter, the thickness of the weld metal in the sheet thickness direction is reduced. Further, due to the excessive heat input, there are the defects that the heat affected zone is softened and the joint strength falls. [0014]• The present invention, in consideration- of the above situation, has as its object to provide a laser welded joint excellent in joint strength preventing a bead from cracking and comprised of exactly the number of weld beads required for joint strength and a laser welding method for the same in overlay laser welding of steel sheets forming multiple ring-shaped weld beads. Solution to Problem [0015] The inventors studied the causes for cracks of an inside bead as described above in laser welding of metal sheets by multiple beads. [0016] As a result, they discovered that the crack occurring in an inside bead when successively forming ring-shaped or open ring-shaped weld beads from the outside to the inside is a solidification crack and the solidification crack is affected by tensile residual stress generated at the time of outside welding. [0017] Therefore, they discovered that when forming multiple beads, it is possible to successively form ringshaped or open ring-shaped weld beads from the inside toward the outside to prevent cracks of the beads and form multiple beads. Further, they discovered that by adjusting the time interval when forming the inside and outside beads, or by forming the outside bead partially overlapping the inside bead, it is possible to further improve the tolerance of the welded joint to the applied load. [0018] The present invention is a result of studies conducted based on these discoveries and has as its gist the following: [0019] (1) A laser welded joint obtained by welding a plurality of overlaid metal sheets, comprising triple or more ring-shaped or open ring-shaped weld beads, wherein a surface hardness of the weld beads increases from an inside bead to an outside bead. [0020] (2) A laser welding method overlaying a plurality of metal sheets and forming multiple ringshaped -or open ring-shaped weld beads to thereby weld together the overlaid metal sheets by laser irradiation, comprising the steps of forming a ring-shaped or open ring-shaped first weld bead by laser irradiation and successively forming a further two or more ring-shaped or open ring-shaped weld beads from the inside toward the outside at the outside of the first weld bead by laser irradiation. [0021] (3) The laser welding method according to (2), wherein an outside weld bead is formed after the elapse of: 0.5 sec or more from the finish time of forming an inside weld bead. [0022] (4} The laser welding method according to (2) or (3), wherein the metal sheets are steel sheets with a C content of 0.8% or less and the second and later weld beads start to be formed after the temperature of the inside weld bead becomes the Ms point-50°C or less. [0023] (5) The laser welding method according to any one of (2) to (4), wherein both the first weld bead and the weld bead formed at the outside of the same are formed so as not to be overlaid. [0024] (6) The laser welding method according to any one of (2) to (4), wherein the weld bead formed at the outermost side is formed so as to partially overlap the inside weld bead. [0025] (7) The laser welding method according to any one of (2) to (6), wherein the weld beads are formed by remote laser welding. [0026] Therefore, a "ring-shaped weld bead" means a bead" with a circular, elliptical, oval, or polygonal path or such a bead with a partially constricted part wherein the bead path is continuous and the bead surrounds a specific range. Further, an "open ring-shaped weld bead" means a bead with a circular, elliptical, oval, or polygonal path or such a bead with a partially constricted part wherein the bead path includes a partially discontinuous part and the bead and line segment connecting the parts of the bead surround a specific range. [0027] Further, the "outside diameter of the bead" means the maximum length of a line segment connecting any two points on the line connecting.the fusion lines at the outsides of the bead (weld toe). Advantageous Effects of Invention [0028] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a crack in the beads and form multiple beads by successively forming weld beads from the inside toward the outside in laser lap welding of metal sheets forming multiple ring-shaped or open ringshaped weld beads. As a result, it is possible to provide a laser welded joint more excellent in joint strength than the past. Further, the effect is obtained of improvement of the corrosion resistance of the inside of the beads by forming multiple ring-shaped or open ringshaped weld beads. Brief Description of Drawings [0029] FIGS. 1A and IB are views showing an outline of multiple beads formed by the laser welding method of the present invention, wherein FIG. 1A is a perspective view and FIG. IB is a view showing a cross-section A-A' of FIG. 1A. FIG. 2 is an example of a hardness profile of a weld formed by the laser welding method of the present invention. FIGS. 3A to 3F are views for explaining a bead shape of a ring-shaped weld bead. FIG. 4 is a view for explaining an example of a conventional multiple ring-shaped weld bead. FIG. 5 is a view showing an example of laser welding a flange of a hat shaped member using ring-shaped weld beads. Description of Embodiments [0030] Below, embodiments of the laser welding method of the present invention will be explained in detail while referring to the drawings. First, the basic- mode of the welding method of the present invention will be explained for the case of welding using a circular ringshaped weld bead. [0031] When using laser welding to weld the overlaid parts of metal sheets 5, the characteristics of laser welding are used, as shown in FIG. 5, for laser welding by a ring-shaped path suitable for the size of the nuggets in resistance welding. [0032] The art of PLT 1 forms a first bead 60 serving as the basic weld bead and forms; a second bead 61 at the inside of that to be close to or overlap the first bead 60 to thereby form multiple beads. At that time, sometimes a longitudinal crack occurs at the second bead formed at the inside. [0033] The inventors investigated the causes by observation of the fractured surfaces and as a result learned that the longitudinal crack of the second bead is a solidification crack. Therefore, the inventors further studied the reasons why the inside second bead cracks at the time of solidification. [0034] As a result of the studies of the inventors, it was seen that cracking of the second bead tends to become more remarkable the longer the length of the ring-shaped first weld bead, that is, the larger the diameter of the ring-shaped bead. Further, it was learned that when the first weld bead is small in diameter or when forming a second bead in a region nearer the center, no crack occurs. From these facts, the inventors thought that a crack was caused by the following: [0035] If forming the first bead, in the region surrounded by the bead, residual stress of tension occurs in the direction perpendicular to the weld line in the plane vertical to the sheet thickness direction. If second welding is performed in a region in which the residual stress of tension occurs, the constraints on the steel sheet in the region adjoining the molten bead are lifted; so due to the tensile residual stress, the sheet deforms so as to pull the molten bead in the width direction. For this reason, the second weld bead cracks in the middle of solidification before the completion of the solidification. [0036] Therefore, the inventors studied the method of forming a second bead not affected by the residual stress of tension occurring in a direction perpendicular to the weld line in a plane vertical to the sheet thickness direction in the region surrounded by the first bead. As a result, they discovered that by successively forming a second bead and further beads not at the inside but at the outside of the first bead, it is possible to weld the ^sheets while preventing cracks of the second and later - 8 - beads. [0037] That is, they learned that when forming multiple beads, by successively forming the weld beads from the inside toward the outside, it is possible to 5 form the outside bead 20 without being affected by the residual stress of tension caused at the inside of the previous bead and thereby possible to form multiple beads without causing cracks. [0038] The present invention was made after further 10 studying its embodiments under the above such basic principle. Below, referring to FIG. 1, the requirements and preferable requirements of the present invention will be explained. [0039] Formation of First Weld Bead 15 In the present invention, a plurality of metal sheets 5 are overlaid and a laser beam is irradiated at a scheduled welding position of the overlaid metal sheets to form multiple ring-shaped weld beads and thereby weld together the overlaid metal sheets. 20 [0040] At this time, in the present invention, first, a laser beam is run over a predetermined welding location to form a first weld bead 10 forming the innermost side bead. By setting welding points at a plurality of locations such as in FIG. 5, a welded structural member 25 can be produced, but here welding at a single location will be explained. [0041] The first weld bead 10 for example is formed to an outside diameter of 3 mm to 15.mm. Note that the shape of the bead formed will be explained later, but the weld 30 bead is not limited to a circular shape, so in the present invention, the maximum length of a line segment connecting two points of the line connecting the fusion weld lines at the outsides of the weld bead (weld toe at outsides of weld bead) will be defined as the outside 35 diameter. [0042] Formation of Second Bead and hater Weld Beads Next, a laser beam is run over the^outside region of the - 9 - first weld bead 10 to form the second weld bead 20 and succeeding weld bead 30 successively toward the outside. To obtain the required joint strength, the number of beads from the second weld bead 20 on is made two or more 5 beads. [0043] When applying the present invention to for example welding a structural member of an automobile, the outermost side weld bead (outermost bead) preferably is given an outside diameter of 20 mm or less. The reason is 10 that structural members for automobiles are being made lighter in weight. The widths of the overlaid parts such as the flanges of the members shown in FIG. 5 are also becoming narrower. Further, members are being welded by laser at a high speed by remote welding. 15 [0044] The width of the weld bead formed by laser, while depending on the laser apparatus used, is usually 0.5 to 1.5 mm. The number of beads able to be formed at a single weld point may be determined according to the application of weld joint and is not particularly 20 limited. When applying the present invention to welding of a structural member for automobile use, if considering the outside diameter and bead width of the outermost bead, the maximum number of beads is about 10. [0045]• Hardnesses of Weld Beads (In Description, 25 Unless Otherwise Indicated, Indicating Surface Hardnesses of Weld Beads) By forming the beads in this way, the inside bead softens, so the hardnesses of the weld beads become higher the further to the outside. The hardnesses of the 30 weld beads are obtained by measuring the Vicker's hardnesses at six to eight points or so in the width direction from the bead width and finding the average value. By establishing such a.hardness profile, it is possible to raise the tensile shear strength of the 35 joint, [0046] FIG. 2 shows an example of the hardness profile when using the laser welding method of the present - 10 - invention to form beads at 980 MPa class steel sheets by a laser output of 4kW, welding speed of 4 m/min, in concentric shapes in the order of (j)8 mm,

Documents

Application Documents

# Name Date
1 Translated Copy of Priority Document [17-03-2017(online)].pdf 2017-03-17
2 Priority Document [17-03-2017(online)].pdf 2017-03-17
3 Power of Attorney [17-03-2017(online)].pdf 2017-03-17
4 Form 5 [17-03-2017(online)].pdf 2017-03-17
5 Form 3 [17-03-2017(online)].pdf 2017-03-17
6 Form 18 [17-03-2017(online)].pdf_122.pdf 2017-03-17
7 Form 18 [17-03-2017(online)].pdf 2017-03-17
8 Drawing [17-03-2017(online)].pdf 2017-03-17
9 Description(Complete) [17-03-2017(online)].pdf_121.pdf 2017-03-17
10 Description(Complete) [17-03-2017(online)].pdf 2017-03-17
11 201717009286.pdf 2017-03-20
12 Other Patent Document [25-03-2017(online)].pdf 2017-03-25
13 201717009286-Others-270317.pdf 2017-03-29
14 201717009286-Correspondence-270317.pdf 2017-03-29
15 Other Patent Document [19-04-2017(online)].pdf 2017-04-19
16 Marked Copy [19-04-2017(online)].pdf 2017-04-19
17 Form 13 [19-04-2017(online)].pdf 2017-04-19
18 Description(Complete) [19-04-2017(online)].pdf_91.pdf 2017-04-19
19 Description(Complete) [19-04-2017(online)].pdf 2017-04-19
20 201717009286-OTHERS-210417-.pdf 2017-04-25
21 201717009286-Correspondence-210417-.pdf 2017-04-25
22 abstract.jpg 2017-05-23
23 201717009286-FORM 3 [11-08-2017(online)].pdf 2017-08-11
24 201717009286-FORM 3 [24-01-2018(online)].pdf 2018-01-24
25 201717009286-FORM 3 [18-07-2018(online)].pdf 2018-07-18
26 201717009286-FER.pdf 2019-04-05
27 201717009286-RELEVANT DOCUMENTS [13-06-2019(online)].pdf 2019-06-13
28 201717009286-FORM 13 [13-06-2019(online)].pdf 2019-06-13
29 201717009286-Power of Attorney-170619.pdf 2019-06-25
30 201717009286-OTHERS-170619-.pdf 2019-06-28
31 201717009286-Correspondence-170619-.pdf 2019-06-28
32 201717009286-PETITION UNDER RULE 137 [23-09-2019(online)].pdf 2019-09-23
33 201717009286-OTHERS [23-09-2019(online)].pdf 2019-09-23
34 201717009286-FER_SER_REPLY [23-09-2019(online)].pdf 2019-09-23
35 201717009286-DRAWING [23-09-2019(online)].pdf 2019-09-23
36 201717009286-CLAIMS [23-09-2019(online)].pdf 2019-09-23
37 201717009286-ABSTRACT [23-09-2019(online)].pdf 2019-09-23
38 201717009286-FORM 3 [05-03-2020(online)].pdf 2020-03-05
39 201717009286-FORM 3 [01-09-2020(online)].pdf 2020-09-01
40 201717009286-FORM 3 [19-02-2021(online)].pdf 2021-02-19
41 201717009286-PatentCertificate31-10-2023.pdf 2023-10-31
42 201717009286-IntimationOfGrant31-10-2023.pdf 2023-10-31

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1 searchstrategy_04-04-2019.pdf

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