Effect of Swing-Spiral-Trajectory on pulsed fiber laser welding stainless steel/Copper dissimilar metals

• Copper and steel were successfully lap joined via laser welding with swing-spiral-trajectory. • Forming intertwined nails for enhancing the interfacial jointing strength were demonstrated. • The intergranular brittle fracture mode in the molten pool were elucidated. • The laser welding parameters on mechanical properties and microstructure was clarified. The dissimilar metal combinations of SUS303 stainless steel and C19210 pure copper with a thickness of 0.2 mm by utilizing a nanosecond pulsed fiber laser was performed in lap welding with swing-spiral-trajectory. The weld effect was evaluated by means of microstructural and mechanical examinations. The influence of pulse frequency, speed and swing frequency as well as pulse waveform on mechanical properties and microstructure was clarified. The metallurgical behavior and weld penetration inside the fusion zone were observed with microscopic inspection of the welded joints and the welded surface. Part of molten pool materials inserted into copper plate formed an intertwined nails for enhancing the interfacial bonding strength was observed in the cross-section of the weldment. Additionally, the presence of a thin intertwined transition layer with solid solutions accomplished by the copper and liquid stainless steel mutual diffusion at the fusion line, indicated that the swing spiral welding pattern can strengthen the interface fusion. Some defects, such as porosities and microcracks, were also found in the welded joints. They were mainly due to the significantly different linear expansion coefficients of copper and steel. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis confirmed that the interdiffusion and dissolution of copper and stainless steel occurred inside the molten pool, and the surface composition of the weld pool was dominated by iron. The microhardness (MH) study showed that the heat-affected zone (HAZ) was harder than the fusion zone on the stainless steel side, and the fusion interface microhardness much variation indicated microstructural change alongside the weld interface. The tensile test results revealed that the fracture location was in the molten pool on the stainless steel side, the fracture was protruded and the fracture mode was intergranular brittle fracture.