Technical note: Preliminary results on underwater laser beam welding of steels

Journal Article · Fri Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1994 · Welding Journal (Miami); (United States)

OSTI ID:7167914

Shannon, G J; Watson, J; Deans, W F ^[1]; Nuttall, R ^[2]

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1. Univ. of Aberdeen (United Kingdom). Dept. of Engineering
2. North East Corrosion Engineers, Aberdeen (United Kingdom)

An investigation is underway at The University of Aberdeen using a high-power carbon dioxide laser for direct underwater butt joint welding of steels to assess the quality of welds compared to in-air laser welds. This preliminary work forms part of a general study of the application of laser beam welding and cutting within the offshore oil and gas industry. To this end, the feasibility of laser beam welding in both direct wet conditions and in dry hyperbaric conditions is being explored. Considerable advantages may lie in the remote direct wet repair of pipelines and structural members in terms of convenience, low cost and freedom from diver intervention. The laser beam welding mechanism, being fundamentally different from arc welding processes, may be able to overcome the normal problems of weld embrittlement and porosity when wet welding is attempted. In the current work, the primary concern is with the butt joint welding of steel plate without a filler metal. This technical note provides a comparison of underwater and in-air weld characteristics for fully penetrating butt joint welds, and provides an insight into the propagation characteristics of a high-power beam in water. The effect of increasing water depth is also investigated.

• OSTI ID: 7167914
• Journal Information: Welding Journal (Miami); (United States), Vol. 73:7; ISSN 0043-2296
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
STEELS
LASER WELDING
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
PERFORMANCE
UNDERWATER OPERATIONS
WELDED JOINTS
ALLOYS
DATA
EVALUATION
FABRICATION
INFORMATION
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
JOINING
JOINTS
NUMERICAL DATA
WELDING
360101* - Metals & Alloys- Preparation & Fabrication