Anisotropic fusion profile and joint strength of lotus-type porous magnesium by laser welding

The effect of pore growth direction on the weld fusion zone profile and the mechanical property of lotus-type porous magnesium joints were investigated by laser welding through experiments and numerical simulations. The dependencies of the pore growth direction on the weld fusion zone profile were evaluated on the basis of the temperature distribution calculated using the ABAQUS FE code with user subroutines. The calculated weld fusion zone profiles were in good agreement with the experimental results, thereby suggesting that thermal conductivity affects weld fusion zone profiles significantly. Moreover, the effect of pore growth direction on the joint strength of lotus-type porous magnesium was investigated. The anisotropy of the tensile strength of the lotus-type porous magnesium with regard to the pore growth direction was observed. The joints with pores parallel and perpendicular to the tensile direction were fractured at the fusion boundary and the base metal, respectively.