Identification of Optimum Laser Beam Welding Process Parameters for E110 Zirconium Alloy Butt Joint Based on Taguchi-CFD Simulations

Excerpt

The welding of zirconium alloys is one of the most critical manufacturing processes of nuclear reactor fuel assembly components. In recent years use of Zr-Nb alloy has increased in nuclear and chemical industry due to its corrosion resistance and enhanced strength compared to tin based zirconium alloys. To select suitable welding parameters to achieve quality weld, understanding of temperature and velocity fields during process in fusion zone and heat affected zone are essential [1, 2]. The non-linear relationship between the laser welding process parameters and welding bead geometry is complicated. The laser welding process parameters determined by trial and error methods demand many numerical and experimental simulations, which will be expensive and sometimes may not yield fruitful results. Satyanarayana et al. [3] have developed a generic model using Fluent ANSYS V16.0 with VC++ code and demonstrated its validity by considering the test results of different materials and welding processes. By specifying appropriate properties, this model can be used for laser welding of the materials. There is a possibility of identifying the contribution of each process parameter on the output responses with less number of numerical experiments utilizing the Taguchi’s design of experiments and analysis of variance (ANOVA) [4‐12]. …