Effect of Laser Welding process parameters on Mechanical Properties of Stainless Steel-316

-Laser welding is a high speed welding process, capable of automated production of consistent quality welds. Compared with many other arc welding processes, fewer passes or higher welding speeds can be used, with lower usage of welding consumables. With proper optimization of welding procedures, full advantage can be taken of the low heat input nature of laser welding for a wide variety of materials, producing welds with acceptable hardness and toughness properties.Laser welding input parameters play a very significant role in determining the quality of a weld joint. In this study, the effects of various laser welding parameters on tensile strength and hardness of the weld for Stainless Steel 316 having dimensions 200 mm x 125 mm x 2 mm, welded by laser welding were investigated. The Welding speed, Power and Focal position were chosen as variable parameters. Ultimate tensile strength and Brinell Hardness was measured for each specimen after the welding operations and the effects of the welding parameters on strength and hardness were researched. A plan of experiments based on Taguchi technique has been used to acquire the data. The experiments were conducted based on a Three-factor, Three-level. An Orthogonal array, signal to noise (S/N) ratio are employed to investigate the welding strength and hardness of weld of SS 316 material. Keywords—Laser welding, SS(Stainless Steel) 316, Taguchi methodology(Design of Experiment),Ultimate Tensile Strength(UTS), HRB (Brinell Hardness)