A comparative study on laser beam and electron beam welding of 5A06 aluminum alloy

With the increasing of laser power and energy density, laser welding has the potential to replace electron beam welding for aluminum alloy in many conditions. This paper present an comparison investigation between laser beam welding and electron beam welding for 5A06 aluminum alloy. The characteristics of laser beam and electron beam welded joints are compared, including the micro-structure, mechanical property, area of melting zone and depth-to-width ratio. Moreover, the component distribution in different zones of the welded joints is analyzed. It is found that the micro-structure and mechanical property of electron beam welded joint is better than that of laser beam welded joint.