Abstract:The laser-welded 2A97-T3 aluminum-lithium (Al-Li) alloy joints were sampled from upper horizontal surface, transverse section, longitudinal section, and lower horizontal surface to develop the comprehensive and spatial understandings for microstructure and microtexture evolution. Various characterization methods in terms of electron backscattered diffraction such as orientation imaging microscopy, pole figure, inverse pole figure, misorientation angles distribution, orientation distribution function, and numerical simulation were used. The results show obvious differences in the grain morphology, orientation, and microtexture in different areas of the joint, due to the nonequilibrium characteristic of cold rolling and laser beam welding. The laser beam can induce the formation and growth of dynamic recrystallization and sub-structure grains in the heat affected zone. Moreover, the original microtexture characteristics of the base metal is weakened and thus eliminated in both the heat affected zone and the weld zone.