Joining porous and compact titanium under laser welding and plastic deformation

The process of joining porous powder parts (porosity 40-45%) produced by pressing and sintering of titanium powder and compact titanium under conditions of laser welding and plastic deformation has been investigated. The welding was performed with the use of a pulsed-periodic Nd:YAG laser (λ = 1.06). It was shown that mechanical treatment of porous surfaces improves the quality of a weld and that the weld can be made with no additives. Optimal welding regimes were determined. Stable joints can also be produced by local plastic deformation of the embraced porous part and 'flowing in' of its material in the slot of the embracing part. The optimal technological and constructive parameters such as the degree of relative deformation, the width of the deformation zone, and the relative height of the slot were determined.