Optimization of Butt-joint laser welding parameters for elimination of angular distortion using High-fidelity simulations and Machine learning

•In this work, a framework of an optimized processing map by the coupled modeling of a butt-join laser welding with 2 mm thin plate has been established.•The average error between the simulated and experimental values of the width and depth of the melt pool is less than 30%.•The mechanical strengths of butt-joint samples by the selected parameters in the optimized zone can be achieved by 80% of the base material. The high temperature gradient and high cooling rate induced in the butt-joint laser welding process generate a high residual stress, which can result in significant distortion of the final weld. Previous researches usually employed experimental approach to search for optimal parameters which is costly and time consuming. Additionally, there was several studies that used simulation to compute the distortion and to find optimal parameters, however, these studies neglect the effect of solid cooling rate and size of the heat-affected zone (HAZ) in the process of finding optimal parameters. Accordingly, the present study proposes a new systematic framework based on finite element (FE) simulations, regression analysis, and two artificial neural networks (ANNs) for determining the laser welding parameters (i.e., the laser power and welding speed) which minimize the angular distortion of the laser-welded butt joint and enhance the mechanical properties. In the proposed approach, to determine the variables of the selected double-conical heat source model for any combination of the laser power and welding speed is studied within the feasible design space. The variables are then imported into a three-dimensional COMSOL Multiphysics FE model to predict the melt pool dimensions, solid cooling rate, and size of the HAZ as a function of the laser power and welding speed. Finally, the processing map produced by the ANN is screened by four quality criteria based on the melt pool depth, angular distortion, cooling rate, and HAZ width, respectively, to determine the optimal laser welding parameters which minimize the angular distortion and maximize the mechanical properties. It shows that SS316L tensile test specimens fabricated using the optimal parameters have a tensile strength (662 MPa) which is higher than that of the base metal (660 MPa). Furthermore, the angular distortion of the butt-joint samples is less than 564 µm. Thus, the effectiveness of the proposed optimization procedure is confirmed.