Some people use high power lasers… …For evil

We use ours for good Our goal is to provide laser joining solutions for light weight alloys that reduce vehicle emissions and improve fuel efficiency, all while improving the recyclability of automobiles to reduce the environmental impact of the cars we drive

Problems to solve with joining light-weight alloys Porosity Cracking Pre-existing pores Large freezing temperature range Coating on surface Large solidification shrinkage Hydrogen pores High coefficient of thermal expansion Collapse of unstable keyhole Evaporation of elements Low melting point intermetallic constituents Irregular Surface appearance

Thermal simulation of the laser joining process Numerical modeling to determine temperature distribution during the welding process High-speed imaging of molten pool during joining process to improve understanding of weld pool dynamics

Process Monitoring High-speed imaging to clearly see the molten pool Thermal imaging to study plasma formation Optical Spectroscopy to determine light signature Electron temperature correlated to defects

Laser Joining of Light-Weight Alloys By: Perry Leggett and Masoud Harooni Advisor: Dr. Kovacevic RCAM-Lab 001