Waterway structure laser welding process and waterway structure

Abstract

The application discloses a water channel structure laser welding process and a water channel structure, and relates to the technical field of laser welding, wherein the water channel structure laser welding process comprises the following steps: milling a plurality of support columns in a middle region, so that the height dimension of the plurality of support columns in the middle region is lower than the height dimension of a plurality of support columns located in an outer peripheral region, and a positioning groove is formed; placing a connecting sheet into the positioning groove; using a laser to perform laser welding on the connecting sheet and the plurality of support columns located below the connecting sheet; covering a second plate body on a first plate body; using the laser to perform laser welding on the periphery of the first plate body and the second plate body; and using the laser to perform laser welding on the second plate body and the connecting sheet; and the technical scheme provided by the application improves the compression resistance of the water channel structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of laser welding technology, and in particular to a laser welding process for waterway structures and a waterway structure. Background Technology

[0002] In fields such as automotive inverters, high-power devices like IGBTs generate a significant amount of heat during operation. To ensure their efficiency and lifespan, a liquid-cooled water channel structure is typically used for heat dissipation. This water channel structure usually consists of two welded plates, forming internal coolant channels. To withstand internal fluid pressure and prevent excessive deformation of the plates under pressure, multiple support pillars are usually designed inside the water channel; these pillars also serve as connection points between the upper and lower plates.

[0003] Currently, brazing is the most common manufacturing process for waterway structures. Specifically, brazing filler metal is applied to the perimeter of the upper and lower plates and the tops of the internal support columns. This filler metal is then melted by heating, connecting the upper plate, support columns, and lower plate into a single unit. However, because the connection between the support columns and the upper plate is a point-to-surface connection, the connection area is limited. Under long-term and alternating internal fluid pressure, the brazing joint is prone to fatigue cracks due to stress concentration, ultimately leading to connection failure. This can result in deformation of the upper plate and even coolant leakage. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The main objective of this invention is to propose a laser welding process and a waterway structure, which aims to improve the pressure resistance of the waterway structure.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention proposes a laser welding process for waterway structures, providing a first plate, a second plate, and connecting pieces. The first plate has a central region and an outer peripheral region surrounding the central region, both the central region and the outer peripheral region being provided with multiple support columns. The laser welding process for the waterway structure includes:

[0006] The plurality of support columns in the central region are milled so that the height of the plurality of support columns in the central region is lower than the height of the plurality of support columns in the outer peripheral region, thereby forming a positioning groove;

[0007] Place the connecting piece into the positioning slot;

[0008] The connecting piece is laser welded to the plurality of support columns located below the connecting piece using a laser.

[0009] Cover the first plate with the second plate;

[0010] The periphery of the first plate and the second plate are laser welded using a laser.

[0011] The second plate is laser-welded to the connecting piece using a laser.

[0012] In one embodiment, in the step of laser welding the connecting piece to the plurality of support columns located below the connecting piece using a laser, the welding power of the laser is 1300W and the welding speed is 200mm / s.

[0013] In one embodiment, in the step of laser welding the peripheries of the first plate and the second plate using a laser, the welding power of the laser is 700W and the welding speed is 30mm / s.

[0014] In one embodiment, in the step of laser welding the second plate to the connecting piece using a laser, the welding power of the laser is 1300W and the welding speed is 200mm / s.

[0015] In one embodiment, the positioning groove is a rectangular groove, and the connecting piece is a rectangular structure.

[0016] In one embodiment, the positioning groove has a depth of 1.9 mm and the connecting piece has a thickness of 2 mm.

[0017] In one embodiment, the connecting piece has a textured structure on both opposite sides.

[0018] In one embodiment, the laser is a continuous laser.

[0019] The present invention also proposes a waterway structure, obtained by the laser welding process of the waterway structure described above, wherein the waterway structure includes a first plate, a second plate, and a connecting piece;

[0020] The first plate has a central region and an outer peripheral region surrounding the central region. Both the central region and the outer peripheral region are provided with a plurality of support columns. The height of the plurality of support columns located in the central region is lower than the height of the plurality of support columns located in the outer peripheral region, so as to form a positioning groove.

[0021] The connecting piece is disposed in the positioning groove, and the connecting piece is fixedly connected to the plurality of support columns located below the connecting piece;

[0022] The second plate covers the first plate, and the periphery of the second plate is sealed to the periphery of the first plate. The middle part of the second body is fixedly connected to the connecting piece.

[0023] In one embodiment, the first plate, the second plate, the connecting piece, and the support column are all made of aluminum.

[0024] In the technical solution of the present invention, by setting a connecting piece, the second plate and the support column are indirectly connected through the connecting piece. The connecting piece provides a large area and high strength connection, resulting in high connection strength and good fatigue resistance. It avoids deformation of the second plate due to cracking of the support point and improves the compressive strength of the waterway structure. Attached Figure Description

[0025] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.

[0026] Figure 1 A schematic flowchart of an embodiment of the laser welding process for waterway structures provided by the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 This is a partial structural diagram of an embodiment of the waterway structure provided by the present invention.

[0028] Explanation of icon numbers:

[0029] 10. First plate; 11. Support column; 20. Second plate; 30. Connecting piece.

[0030] The realization of the objective, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indicators are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of the components in a specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indicators will also change accordingly.

[0033] Furthermore, if the embodiments of this invention involve descriptions such as "first" or "second," these descriptions are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features. Additionally, the use of "and / or" or "and / or" throughout the text includes three parallel solutions. For example, "A and / or B" includes solution A, solution B, or a solution where both A and B are satisfied simultaneously. Furthermore, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed by this invention.

[0034] This invention proposes a laser welding process for waterway structures.

[0035] Please see Figure 1 In one embodiment of the present invention, the laser welding process for the waterway structure provides a first plate 10, a second plate 20, and a connecting piece 30. The first plate 10 has a central region and an outer peripheral region surrounding the central region, and both the central region and the outer peripheral region are provided with multiple support columns 11. The laser welding process for the waterway structure includes:

[0036] Step S10: Milling is performed on the multiple support columns 11 in the central region so that the height of the multiple support columns 11 in the central region is lower than the height of the multiple support columns 11 in the outer peripheral region, forming a positioning groove;

[0037] Step S20: Place the connecting piece 30 into the positioning groove;

[0038] Step S30: Use a laser to laser weld the connecting piece 30 to the plurality of support columns 11 located below the connecting piece 30;

[0039] Step S40: Cover the first plate 10 with the second plate 20;

[0040] Step S50: Use a laser to laser weld the periphery of the first plate 10 and the second plate 20;

[0041] Step S60: Use a laser to laser weld the second plate 20 to the connecting piece 30.

[0042] The first plate 10, the second plate 20, the support column 11, and the connecting piece 30 are all made of aluminum.

[0043] Multiple support columns 11 in the central region of the first plate 10 are milled. Specifically, a CNC milling machine is used to precisely mill off the top surface of all support columns 11 in this region by a predetermined height. After machining, the height of the support columns 11 in the central region is uniformly reduced, thus lower than the height of the support columns 11 in the surrounding unmilled peripheral region. The top surfaces of these reduced support columns 11 collectively form a recessed, well-defined positioning groove.

[0044] The pre-prepared connecting piece 30 is placed into the positioning groove. The size of the connecting piece 30 matches the contour of the positioning groove, allowing it to be stably placed on the top surface of the milled central support column 11. A laser is used to laser weld the connecting piece 30 to the multiple central support columns 11 below it. The laser beam scans the surface of the connecting piece 30, causing the connecting piece 30 to melt and firmly bond with the top of the support column 11.

[0045] The second plate 20 is placed over the first plate 10, such that the periphery of the second plate 20 contacts the periphery of the first plate 10, and the middle part of the second plate 20 contacts the connecting piece 30.

[0046] A laser was used to seal the periphery of the first plate 10 and the second plate 20, forming the main sealing profile of the waterway structure. The laser welding ensured the airtightness and strength of the periphery weld.

[0047] Finally, a laser is used to laser weld the second plate 20 to the connecting piece 30. The connecting piece 30 provides a large-area, high-strength connection for the second plate 20, reducing the risk of deformation of the second plate 20.

[0048] In the technical solution of the present invention, by setting the connecting piece 30, the second plate 20 and the support column 11 are indirectly connected through the connecting piece 30. The connecting piece 30 provides a large area and high strength connection, which results in high connection strength, good fatigue resistance, avoids deformation of the second plate 20 due to cracking of the support point, and improves the compressive strength of the waterway structure.

[0049] Specifically, in one embodiment of the present invention, in the step of laser welding the connecting piece 30 to a plurality of support columns 11 located below the connecting piece 30, the welding power of the laser is 1300W and the welding speed is 200mm / s. The 1300W power provides sufficient heat input to penetrate the connecting piece 30 and form sufficient penetration on the support columns 11 below it, ensuring that the weld has strong tensile strength and fatigue resistance. At the same time, the high-speed welding of 200mm / s effectively controls the total heat input, avoiding overheating that could lead to coarse grains, decreased mechanical properties, or excessive thermal deformation affecting the dimensional accuracy of the waterway.

[0050] Similarly, in one embodiment of the present invention, in the step of laser welding the second plate 20 to the connecting piece 30 using a laser, the laser welding power is 1300W and the welding speed is 200mm / s. Using high-power, high-speed welding parameters ensures that a deep-penetration metallurgical bond can be formed between the second plate 20 and the connecting piece 30. Furthermore, using the same welding parameters between the second plate 20 and the connecting piece 30, and between the connecting piece 30 and the support column 11, simplifies the process debugging process and improves the stability and controllability of the entire process.

[0051] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, in the step of laser welding the peripheries of the first plate 10 and the second plate 20 using a laser, the welding power of the laser is 700W and the welding speed is 30mm / s. The peripheral weld is the most important sealing barrier and load-bearing structure of the waterway structure. Compared with internal welding, a lower power and a slower speed are used here to increase the heat input per unit length, ensuring that the weld can achieve complete penetration. The slower welding speed allows the molten pool more time to flow and solidify, which helps to form a wide and flat weld, sealing potential leakage paths and ensuring sealing reliability.

[0052] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the positioning groove is a rectangular groove, and the connecting piece 30 is a rectangular structure. The rectangular structure includes squares and rectangles with rounded corners. The rectangular groove can be efficiently machined using a CNC milling machine with simple linear interpolation motion, resulting in simple programming and high precision. Similarly, the rectangular connecting piece 30 is easy to manufacture by stamping or cutting, has low cost, and has no rotational freedom restrictions when placed into the rectangular positioning groove, ensuring fast and accurate positioning.

[0053] Specifically, in one embodiment of the present invention, the depth of the positioning groove is 1.9 mm, and the thickness of the connecting piece 30 is 2 mm. The 1.9 mm depth of the positioning groove means that after the central support column 11 is milled, its top surface is lowered by 1.9 mm relative to the top surface of the outer peripheral support column 11. The 2 mm thickness of the connecting piece 30 means that the thickness of the connecting piece 30 is 0.1 mm greater than the groove depth. When the 2 mm thick connecting piece 30 is placed into the 1.9 mm deep positioning groove, the top surface of the connecting piece 30 will be 0.1 mm higher than the bottom surface of the groove. When the second plate 20 is placed on top, this 0.1 mm height difference ensures that the top surface of the connecting piece 30 is tightly fitted to the inner surface of the second plate 20. This eliminates any possible assembly gap between the connecting piece 30 and the second plate 20. During subsequent laser welding, this close contact ensures that the laser energy is efficiently absorbed and used to form a molten pool, rather than being consumed in filling gaps, thereby avoiding defects such as incomplete fusion, incomplete welding, or weld depressions caused by gaps. Specifically, in this embodiment, the dimensions of the rectangular groove are 70mm*35mm*1.9mm, and the dimensions of the connecting piece 30 are 69.6mm*34.6mm*2mm.

[0054] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the two opposing sides of the connecting piece 30 are provided with textured structures. The two opposing sides of the connecting piece 30 refer to the surfaces in contact with the connecting piece 30 and the support column 11, and the surfaces in contact with the connecting piece 30 and the second plate 20; the textured structure refers to a rough surface with a specific morphology formed on the metal surface by mechanical or chemical methods (such as knurling, sandblasting, laser etching, or chemical etching). Thus, during the welding process, the molten metal will wet and fill the pits and grooves of the texture. When the weld solidifies, the solidified metal will interlock with the textured structure to form a mechanically interlocked structure, which significantly improves the fatigue resistance of the weld.

[0055] Specifically, in one embodiment of the present invention, the laser is a continuous laser. A continuous laser can provide a stable energy flow, forming a uniform, dense, high-quality weld.

[0056] Please see Figure 2 The present invention also proposes a waterway structure, which is obtained by the laser welding process of the above-mentioned waterway structure; the waterway structure includes a first plate 10, a second plate 20, and a connecting piece 30; the first plate 10 has a central region and an outer peripheral region surrounding the central region, and both the central region and the outer peripheral region are provided with a plurality of support columns 11, the height of the plurality of support columns 11 located in the central region is lower than the height of the plurality of support columns 11 located in the outer peripheral region, so as to form a positioning groove; the connecting piece 30 is disposed in the positioning groove, and the connecting piece 30 is fixedly connected to the plurality of support columns 11 located below the connecting piece 30; the second plate 20 is covered on the first plate 10, the periphery of the second plate 20 is sealed to the periphery of the first plate 10, and the middle part of the second plate 20 is fixedly connected to the connecting piece 30. The connecting piece 30 is fixedly connected to the support column 11 below the connecting piece 30 by laser welding. The periphery of the second plate 20 is sealed to the periphery of the first plate 10 by laser welding. The middle part of the second plate 20 is fixedly connected to the connecting piece 30 by laser welding.

[0057] Specifically, in one embodiment of the present invention, the first plate 10, the second plate 20, the connecting piece 30, and the support column 11 are all made of aluminum.

[0058] The above description is merely an exemplary embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structural transformations made using the contents of the present invention specification and drawings under the technical concept of the present invention, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields, are included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A laser welding process for waterway structures, characterized in that, A first plate, a second plate, and a connecting piece are provided. The first plate has a central region and an outer peripheral region surrounding the central region. Both the central region and the outer peripheral region are provided with multiple support columns. The laser welding process for the waterway structure includes: The plurality of support columns in the central region are milled so that the height of the plurality of support columns in the central region is lower than the height of the plurality of support columns in the outer peripheral region, thereby forming a positioning groove; Place the connecting piece into the positioning slot; The connecting piece is laser welded to the plurality of support columns located below the connecting piece using a laser. Cover the first plate with the second plate; The periphery of the first plate and the second plate are laser welded using a laser. The second plate is laser-welded to the connecting piece using a laser. In the step of laser welding the connecting piece to the plurality of support columns located below the connecting piece using a laser, the welding power of the laser is 1300W and the welding speed is 200mm / s; In the step of laser welding the periphery of the first plate and the second plate using a laser, the welding power of the laser is 700W and the welding speed is 30mm / s; In the step of using a laser to laser weld the second plate to the connecting piece, the laser has a welding power of 1300W and a welding speed of 200mm / s.

2. The laser welding process for waterway structures as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The positioning groove is a rectangular groove, and the connecting piece is a rectangular structure.

3. The laser welding process for waterway structures as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The positioning groove has a depth of 1.9 mm, and the connecting piece has a thickness of 2 mm.

4. The laser welding process for waterway structures as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The connecting piece has a textured structure on both opposite sides.

5. The laser welding process for waterway structures as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The laser is a continuous laser.

6. A waterway structure, characterized in that, The waterway structure obtained by the laser welding process of any one of claims 1 to 5 includes a first plate, a second plate, and a connecting piece. The first plate has a central region and an outer peripheral region surrounding the central region. Both the central region and the outer peripheral region are provided with a plurality of support columns. The height of the plurality of support columns located in the central region is lower than the height of the plurality of support columns located in the outer peripheral region, so as to form a positioning groove. The connecting piece is disposed in the positioning groove, and the connecting piece is fixedly connected to the plurality of support columns located below the connecting piece; The second plate covers the first plate, the periphery of the second plate is sealed to the periphery of the first plate, and the middle part of the second plate is fixedly connected to the connecting piece.

7. The waterway structure as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The first plate, the second plate, the connecting piece, and the support column are all made of aluminum.

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