Possible Problems and Limitations
The material melted by the beam shrinks during cooling after solidification, which may have unwanted consequences, like cracking, deformations and changes of shape, depending on conditions.
The butt weld of two plates will result in bending of the weldment due to the fact that more material has been melted at the head than at the root of the weld. This effect is of course not as substantial as by arc welding.
Another potential danger is the emergence of cracks in the weld. If both parts are rigid, the shrinkage of the weld produces high stress in the weld which may lead to cracks if the material is brittle (even if only after remelting by welding). Consequences of the weld contractions should always be considered by the construction of the parts to be welded.
Read more about this topic: Electron Beam Welding
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