Reductions in the Laser Welding Deformation of STS304 Cylindrical Structure Using the Pre-Stress Method

Welding deformation occurs due to non-uniform thermal expansion, thermal contraction, restraint, and phase transformation in a metal by a local welding heat source. This causes problems such as low buckling strength and the reduced workability of the production process. Correcting welding deformations in stainless steel using heat—such as by linear heating—causes metal sensitization, which should be avoided. Herein, welding deformation was reduced by applying tension stress instead of correcting the deformation by heating. A deformation-prevention jig was used to reduce welding deformation during the manufacturing of a cylinder made of STS304 by laser welding. The tensile stress was induced by pushing the cylinder shell outward using the deformation-prevention jig. A thermo-elastoplastic analysis was performed to investigate the effects of the magnitude of the tensile stress on welding deformation. Furthermore, the parametric results—which indicated a reduction in welding deformation—were verified through experiments. The thermo-elastoplastic analysis suggested that deformation did not occur when the magnitude of tensile stress was approximately 50% of the yield stress of the base metal. Moreover, the deformation was experimentally reduced by 11–20% when a tensile stress of 30 MPa was applied to the cylinder, compared with that in the absence of tensile stress.