Analysis of Laser Heat Distribution in Al-Cu Welding

A computer simulation was performed to study the effectiveness of temperature on the type of laser heat source in the context of the heterogeneous welding of aluminum and copper materials. Three different types of heat sources were used in the computer simulation: 1) Single Beam Straight Scan, 2) Single Beam Wobble Scan, and 3) Dual Beam Straight Scan. Among these sources, dual beam straight scan was found to be the most effective from the viewpoint of heat source control. Because the difference between the melting temperatures of copper and aluminum is approximately 400°C, a clear separation of heating temperature was required, and the dual beam straight scan provided superior controllability in this regard. When using the dual beam, the temperature of the 90:10 split was considerably easier to control than that of the 50:50 split. The optimal offset was calculated to be 4 mm off to the copper side, where the melting temperature and thermal conductivity were higher. In this manner, computer simulation was effectively used for determining the optimal laser beam hear source control without performing an actual laser welding experiment.