Application of high-power YAG laser welding to stainless steel tanks

Laser beam welding is used where high quality and efficiency are required for precision parts such as core internal parts in nuclear power plant. To weld large-scale and thick-wall products, high-power laser beam must be transferred and welding be capable of deep penetration. In this paper the authors transferred a 7 kW-class high power YAG laser via optical fiber and developed pulsed laser welding to obtain deep penetration. We have applied this procedure to the welding of stainless steel tanks for nuclear fuel reprocessing plant. (author)