Joining of cemented carbides to steel by laser beam welding

Welding of dissimilar materials such as steel and cemented carbides (hardmetals, cermets) is particularly challenging e.g. because mismatches in their thermal expansion coefficients and thermal conductivities result in residual stress formation and because of the formation of brittle intermetallic phases. Laser beam welding of cemented carbides to steel appears as an attractive complementary technique to conventional brazing processes due to its high precision, high process speed, low heat input and the option of welding without filler. Here a laser welding process including pre-heat treatment and post-heat treatment was applied successfully to joining as-sintered and nitrided hardmetals and cermets to low alloyed steel. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the welds are investigated by microscopy, X-ray diffraction, microhardness measurements, and bending tests. The results reveal that the three-step laser beam welding process produced crack-free and non-porous joints. Nitridation of the cemented carbides results in a significant reduction of the amount of brittle intermetallic phases. The mechanical properties of the joints are competitive to those of the conventional brazed steel-cemented carbide joints.