A comparative study on fiber laser and CO2 laser welding of Inconel 617

A comparative study on the influence of fiber laser welding (FLW) and CO2 laser welding (CLW) on the weld bead geometry and the microstructure of fusion zone (FZ) of Inconel 617 was investigated. In CLW joints, the weld bead geometry is Y-type shape. In FLW joints, the weld bead geometry transforms from Y-type to I-type with the decrease of the heat input. The minimum heat input required to achieve the full penetration of the weldment in FLW is lower than the CLW. The melting efficiency in FLW is higher than that in CLW. From the top to the root regions, the secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS) in fiber laser welded FZ undergoes a smaller change than that in CO2 laser welded FZ. The elements of Ti, Mo, Cr and Co segregate into the interdendritic regions both in FLW and CLW process. The second phases in CLW with the highest input of 360 J/mm are much larger and more than ones in FLW with the highest heat input of 210.5 J/mm. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.