Preliminary results of an investigation on laser welding of AISI 301 stainless steel thin sheet are presented. Welds were made with a CO2 continuous wave laser, varying power density and welding speed. The welds were studied by optical and electron scanning microscopy, X-ray diffraction and hardness tests. Experimental results show that under appropriate conditions, sound welds are obtained, with a negligeable heat affected zoneanda fine microstructure in the fusion zone. The fusion zone shows a cellular - dendritic microstructure, with austenite and ferrite as the major constituents. Ferrite, whose content is 5 to 7%, is predominantly intradendritic with both vermicular and acicular morphologies. However some interdendritic ferrite may also be present. The characteristics of the structure suggest that the solidification mode of AISI 301 stainless steel is essentially ferritic.
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