Production and joining of components for energy industries(wind, oil and gas) for cold climate applications is achallenging task. Joining of thick steels is usually performedby using arc techniques such as submerged arc welding(SAW) or Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW). To fill thicksections, wide gap preparation is made and gradually filled inseveral weld passes. To reduce the number of weld passes,high power laser-arc hybrid welding (LAHW) is a promisingalternative, but can also weld at higher travel rates therebyreducing the total heat input and reduced filler material.LAHW is applied using a metal-cored wire, demonstratingwelding in 45 mm thick steel sheets. Setup and selection ofprocess parameters are essential for obtaining high processstability, penetration efficiency and material mixingthroughout the depth of the weld. Each weld where repeatedand performed on 500x200x45 mm (x,y,z) steel sheets withmilled joint edges. Using LAHW and selected materials, largeamounts of acicular ferrite was formed in the upper half of thejoint, gradually having increasingly more bainitic structurescloser to the weld root.
From these results, it is concluded thatLAHW has high potential for increased production efficiencyand lowered costs, potentially replacing arc welding for thesetypes of applications.