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Joining metallic alloys can be an intricate task, being necessary to take into account the material characteristics and the application in order to select the appropriate welding process. Among the variety of welding methods, pulsed laser technology is being successfully used in the industrial sector due to its beneficial aspects, for which most of them are related to the energy involved. Since the laser beam is focused in a concentrated area, a narrow and precise weld bead is created, with a reduced heat affected zone. This characteristic stands out for thinner material applications. As a non-contact process, the technique delivers flexibility and precision with high joining quality. In this sense, the present review addresses the most representative investigations developed in this welding process. A summary of these technological achievements in metallic metals, including steel, titanium, aluminium, and superalloys, is reported. Special attention is paid to the microstructural formation in the weld zone. Particular emphasis is given to the mechanical behaviour of the joints reported in terms of microhardness and strength performance. The main purpose of this work was to provide an overview of the results obtained with pulsed laser welding technology in diverse materials, including similar and dissimilar joints. In addition, outlook and remarks are addressed regarding the process characteristics and the state of knowledge.

Due to its excellent resistance to corrosive environments and its superior mechanical properties, the Ni-based Hastelloy C-276 alloy was chosen as the material of the stator and rotor cans of a nuclear main pump. In the present work, the Hastelloy C-276 thin sheet 0.5 mm in thickness was welded with filler wire by a pulsed laser. The results indicated that the weld pool geometry and microstructure were significantly affected by the duty ratio, which was determined by the pulse duration and repetition rate under a certain heat input. The fusion zone area was mainly affected by the duty ratio, and the relationship was given by a quadratic polynomial equation. The increase in the duty ratio coarsened the grain size, but did not obviously affect microhardness. The weld geometry and base metal dilution rate was manipulated by controlling pulsed parameters without causing significant change to the performance of the weld. However, it should be noted that, with a larger duty ratio, the partial molten zone is a potential weakness of the weld.