Application of Hybrid Laser arc Welding for the Joining of Large Offshore Steel Foundations

To reduce the costs of the fabrication of offshore wind turbine foundations it is necessary to investigate new fabrication technologies. Hybrid laser arc welding is a potentially well-suited process for this because it requires less groove preparation to achieve deep weld penetration and lower heat input, compared to traditional arc welding. A skirt section of a suction bucket in 16 mm steel was used as a case to investigate the hybrid laser-arc welding in order to demonstrate which types of weld and which weld positions are possible. Three types of weld joints were chosen and welded with different welding positions; a butt joint of a bended section, a butt joint of a flat section and a lap joint. Stable welds with sufficient penetration were achieved for the flat welding position of the butt joint of bended section and butt joint of flat section.