Comparison of laser-MIG hybrid and autogenous laser welding of M250 maraging steel thick sections—understanding the role of filler wire addition

The present work is directed towards understanding the role of filler addition in laser-MIG hybrid welding (LHW) process as compared with that in autogenous laser welding (ALW) process during welding of 10-mm-thick maraging steel plates. Addition of filler wire is beneficial in improving the edge bridging between the parts to be welded and also in improving the fusion zone microstructure. Single-pass LHW of the 10-mm-thick maraging steel plates was performed using a combination of 3.5-kW CO₂ laser and synergic pulse MIG welding power source at a welding speed of 1 m/min. MIG filler wire with reduced solutes such as Mo and Ti contents was used for the LHW process. Simultaneously, double-sided single-pass ALW of similar plates was performed. The role of filler wire addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the LHW fusion zone (FZ) was studied and compared with that of ALW FZ. The usage of filler wire resulted in less solutes in the LHW FZ after welding, and hence, the volume fraction of “reverted austenite (RA)” formed during aging was minimized when compared with ALW FZ. During transverse weld tensile testing, the ALW welds yielded higher tensile properties when compared with the LHW weld due to their fine grain structure and high number density of precipitates. Whereas the K_Ic fracture toughness of the ALW FZ was low with the K_Ic value of 49.5 MPa√m due to the presence of the high amount of RA as compared with LHW which exhibited the K_Ic value of 77.5 MPa√m. The study vividly brings out the advantages of LHW process in improving the microstructure of the fusion zone due to the addition of filler wire.