An analysis of the shielding gas flow from a coaxial conical nozzle during high power CO2 laser welding

An experimental and theoretical study on the role of the nitrogen gas stream, exiting from a conventional conical nozzle tip during a laser welding process, has been carried out. A mathematical model has been used, based on the Navier-Stokes equations which express fundamental conservation laws of mass, momentum and energy for a compressible fluid. Numerical simulations of the gas stream colliding onto a plane surface have been performed showing the effects of variations of inlet gas pressure, nozzle exit diameter and standoff distance on the density and Mach number contours, axis pressure of the gas jet and plate pressure produced on the workpiece surface. Laser welding experiments have been performed on carbon and stainless steel specimens, by varying the process parameters in the same range as in the simulations and keeping constant the incident power and the travel speed. Two different gas stream regimes were found, namely sonic and subsonic, which were experimentally verified to produce cutting and welding conditions, respectively. Weld performances have been evaluated in terms of bead width, penetration depth and melted area. Nozzle standoff distance was found to have a negligible influence, while the exit diameter and the flow rate significantly affect the weld results. The numerical predictions allowed an explanation of the experimental results yielding useful suggestions for enhancing the weld quality, acting simply on the shielding gas parameters.