Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.7
3.1
Journals
Metals
Special Issues
Research Progress of Laser Welding Technology of Metals and Alloys
share announcement

Research Progress of Laser Welding Technology of Metals and Alloys

A Special Issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701) belonging to the section "Welding and Joining".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 October 2026 | Viewed by 1141

Editors

Dr. Zhibin Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Dalian Jiaotong University, Dalian 116028, China
Interests: laser welding; laser–arc hybrid welding; welding process optimization, defect detection and suppression, microstructure evolution and mechanical property characterization
Dr. Cheng Jin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Dalian Jiaotong University, Dalian 116028, China
Interests: laser welding; laser–arc hybrid welding; welding process optimization, defect detection and suppression, microstructure evolution and mechanical property characterization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Due to the significant advantages of high efficiency, superior quality, widespread applicability, easy automation, and environmental friendliness, laser welding has been widely applied in industrial manufacturing field. With the rapid development of the new metals and alloys, such as HSLA steel, aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, high-entropy alloy, and so on, laser welding still faces numerous challenges, including process optimization, defect control, and microstructure regulation. To promote academic and technical communication in this field, the present Special Issue focuses on the latest research achievements and application progress in laser welding of metals and alloys, aiming to build a communication bridge between the academia and industry.

This Special Issue focuses on articles related to laser welding technologies of metals and alloys, including, but not limited to, laser welding, laser–arc hybrid welding, dissimilar metals welding, welding process optimization, defect detection and suppression, microstructure evolution, mechanical property characterization, and processing simulation.

This Special Issue encourages interdisciplinary research, covering fields such as materials science, mechanical engineering, and optical technology. I sincerely invite you to submit a manuscript to this Special Issue, and jointly promote the theoretical development and technological progress of laser welding. Full articles and reviews are very welcome.

Dr. Zhibin Yang
Dr. Cheng Jin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • laser welding
  • laser–arc hybrid welding
  • metals and alloys
  • dissimilar metals
  • welding process
  • welding metallurgy
  • microstructure and properties
  • defect detection and suppression
  • processing simulation

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

20 pages, 3694 KB  
Article
Plasma Characteristics in Underwater Laser Welding via In Situ Observation and Optical Emission Spectroscopy
by Chengyong Ma, Jie Su, Yang Yang, Qiren Zhao, Qing Guo, Manpeng Wu and Zhen Luo
Metals 2026, 16(9), 1005; https://doi.org/10.3390/met16091005 - 9 Sep 2026
Abstract
During underwater laser welding, the coupling among water cooling, gas–liquid interface disturbances, and metal-vapor recoil pressure means that the relationships among plasma evolution, the thermal state of the keyhole, and spatter behavior remain insufficiently understood. In this study, 304NG stainless steel was welded [...] Read more.
During underwater laser welding, the coupling among water cooling, gas–liquid interface disturbances, and metal-vapor recoil pressure means that the relationships among plasma evolution, the thermal state of the keyhole, and spatter behavior remain insufficiently understood. In this study, 304NG stainless steel was welded in air and under local dry underwater conditions using a 10 kW continuous-wave fiber laser with a wavelength of 1070 nm to investigate the effects of laser power on the energy state and process stability of underwater welding. The underwater experiments were conducted in deionized water, with the workpiece positioned approximately 100 mm below the free water surface and without additional pressurization. High-speed imaging, infrared thermography, and spectroscopy were employed to characterize the transient evolution of the plasma and spatter, the apparent thermal state near the keyhole opening, and the spectral characteristics of the underwater plasma, respectively, while the plasma excitation temperature was calculated using the Boltzmann multi-line fitting method. The results showed that as the laser power increased from 2000 to 4000 W, the plasma size and temporal persistence increased significantly in both air and underwater environments; the transverse width of the underwater plasma at T0 + 0.8 ms increased from approximately 2.7 to 5.8 mm, while the average maximum apparent temperature near the keyhole opening increased from approximately 2477 to 3071 °C. Meanwhile, the intensities of the characteristic Fe I lines increased overall, and the plasma excitation temperature increased from 5977 to 6510 K, consistent with the expansion of the plasma-emitting region, the enhanced persistence of the high-temperature core, and the increase in the apparent temperature near the keyhole opening. This study aims to provide a new systematic understanding and technical insights into plasma evolution during underwater laser welding. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress of Laser Welding Technology of Metals and Alloys)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 17331 KB  
Article
Microstructural Characteristics and Mechanical Properties of Laser–Arc Hybrid Welded Joints for HSLA Steel
by Xin Zhao, Shujing Dong, Rui Guo, Yuanbo Chu, Dongzhe Song and Zhibin Yang
Metals 2026, 16(9), 953; https://doi.org/10.3390/met16090953 - 30 Aug 2026
Viewed by 222
Abstract
Laser–arc hybrid multi-layer multi-pass welding is adopted to fabricate high-quality joints in 25 mm thick A710 steel, and the microstructure and mechanical properties of the welded joints are systematically studied. The results indicate that the weld is well-formed and free of obvious defects. [...] Read more.
Laser–arc hybrid multi-layer multi-pass welding is adopted to fabricate high-quality joints in 25 mm thick A710 steel, and the microstructure and mechanical properties of the welded joints are systematically studied. The results indicate that the weld is well-formed and free of obvious defects. The weld zone microstructure consists of acicular ferrite, bainitic ferrite, and polygonal ferrite, while the heat-affected zone consists of polygonal ferrite and bainitic ferrite. The inter-layer of the weld is composed of coarse ferrite blocks formed by the recrystallization of acicular ferrite. Moreover, the weld zone consists of fine-grained columnar structures with a high density of high-angle grain boundaries. The grains in the heat-affected zone are coarse, with numerous low-angle grain boundaries. The average ultimate tensile strength of the welded joints is 696 MPa, the average yield strength is 619 MPa, and the average elongation is 32%. All tensile specimens fracture within the weld zone and exhibit ductile fracture characteristics. The average microhardness value of the upper heat-affected zone (291 HV) is higher than that of the weld zone (228 HV). In comparison, the average microhardness value of the lower weld zone (267 HV) is higher than that of the heat-affected zone (255 HV). The average impact toughness at −40 °C is 111 J for the weld zone and 91 J for the heat-affected zone. The fibrous region in the weld zone fracture occupies a larger area than that in the heat-affected zone, and is characterized by larger dimples. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress of Laser Welding Technology of Metals and Alloys)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

52 pages, 5978 KB  
Review
AI-Enabled Post-Process Surface Inspection in Laser-Welded Al–Cu Battery Interconnects: A Critical Review
by Maricruz Hernández-Hernández and Adriana Gallegos-Melgar
Metals 2026, 16(8), 841; https://doi.org/10.3390/met16080841 - 2 Aug 2026
Viewed by 428
Abstract
The growth of electric vehicles has increased the need for reliable, low-resistance Al–Cu battery interconnects. Laser welding provides localized heat input, high productivity, and automation potential, but Al–Cu joining remains limited by thermophysical mismatch, unstable energy coupling, and brittle intermetallic compound formation, which [...] Read more.
The growth of electric vehicles has increased the need for reliable, low-resistance Al–Cu battery interconnects. Laser welding provides localized heat input, high productivity, and automation potential, but Al–Cu joining remains limited by thermophysical mismatch, unstable energy coupling, and brittle intermetallic compound formation, which can lead to visible defects, hidden discontinuities, and performance variability. This review focuses on artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled post-process surface inspection of laser-welded Al–Cu battery interconnects. Process–structure–property relationships, defect mechanisms, process enablers, and in-process monitoring are discussed as supporting context to distinguish surface-visible evidence from attributes requiring complementary validation. The review critically examines controlled imaging, illumination and reflectivity effects, defect taxonomy, annotation, dataset design, AI task selection, and risk-based quality decisions. Classification, detection, segmentation, and anomaly detection are compared in terms of annotation requirements, traceability, metrics, and limitations. The main contribution is a post-process inspection framework that links controlled image acquisition, defect taxonomy, weld-level datasets, AI inference, benchmarking, and accept–review–reject decision logic with functional validation. The framework supports reproducible, risk-sensitive, and functionally validated quality assurance for Al–Cu battery welds while preserving expert review for uncertain cases and for the acceptance of welding technologies, process windows, and critical quality decisions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress of Laser Welding Technology of Metals and Alloys)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop