Effect of an Inert Gas Positive-Pressure Environment on Beryllium Melting under a Pulsed Laser

Beryllium is widely used in the manufacturing of precision instruments because of its high thermal and mechanical properties. However, because beryllium is expensive, and processing it generally uses subtractive manufacturing methods, the cost is high, the utilization rate of cutting the materials is low, and the processing is difficult. Additionally, it is extremely prone to cracking, brittle fracturing, and fracturing during the machining process. In this paper, a new method for manufacturing beryllium laser additives under a pressure atmosphere is proposed. Via the single-point and single-pass laser melting of beryllium materials in an inert gas (Ar) pressure atmosphere, the results of the experiments conducted in the pressure range of 1 to 30 bar indicated the following: (1) beryllium can absorb the laser and form a molten pool, and the contour area of the upper surface of the molten pool is approximately 80% of that of 304 stainless steel under the same energy input; (2) severe oxidation occurs on and near the molten pool surface under low pressure, and oxidation is eliminated when the pressure is increased; (3) as ambient pressure increases, the surface profile of the molten pool gradually exhibits an irregular shape, and the cracks on the surface of beryllium change from “divergent” to “shrinkage”, which can eliminate cracking. At higher pressures, the “small hole” phenomenon in the molten pool disappears, forming a wide and shallow molten pool shape that is more conducive to stable deposition. The experimental results indicate that the laser-additive manufacturing of beryllium in a pressure atmosphere is a meaningful developmental direction for beryllium processing in the future.