Effect of surface cleaning technology on porosity in sheet joints made of Al—Mg alloys

The effect of various methods of surface preparation of aluminum alloys of the Al—Mg system on the porosity of welds is studied. Three methods of surface preparation are considered: mechanical cleaning with a brush, chemical etching and laser cleaning. It is found that laser cleaning of the surface made it possible to significantly reduce the number and size of pores in welds compared to mechanical brushing. The number of pores is reduced by about half, and the average pore diameter decreased to 0.13 mm. The results of the study confirmed the effectiveness of laser cleaning of the surface of aluminum alloys before fusion welding to reduce the porosity of welds.