Effect of process parameters on the morphology of aluminum/copper alloy lap joints by red and blue hybrid laser welding

In order to overcome the problems of many pores,large deformation and unstable weld quality of traditional laser welded aluminumcopper alloy joints,a red-blue dual-beam laser source and a swinging laser were introduced for welding.T2 copper and 6063 aluminum thin plates were lap welded by coaxial dual-beam laser welding.The morphology of weld cross section was compared to explore the influence of process parameters on the formation of lap joints.The microstructure characteristics of the weld zone were observed and compared by optical microscope.The results show that the addition of laser beam swing can eliminate the internal pores of the weld.With the increase of the swing width,the weld depth decreases,and the weld width increases first and then decreases.The influence of welding speed on the weld cross section morphology is similar to that of swing width.With the increase of welding speed,the weld width increases first and then decreases,while the weld depth decreases all the time.This is because that the red laser is used as the main heat source to melt the base metals,with the increase of red laser power,the weld depth increases.As an auxiliary laser source,blue laser reduces the total energy consumption,consequently,the effective heat input increases and the spatter is restrained effectively.As a result,the increase of red laser power has an enhancement effect on the weld width and weld depth.When the swing width is 1.2 mm,the red laser power is 550 W,the blue laser power is 500 W,and the welding speed is 35 mm/s,the weld forming is the best.The lap joint of T2 copper and 6063 aluminum alloy thin plate can be connected stably with the hybrid of blue laser.The effect rules of laser beam swing on the weld formation were obtained,which improved the quality of the joints.

Optimization of chemistry and process parameters for control of intermetallic formation in Mg sludges

Intermetallic formation in sludge during magnesium(Mg)melting,holding and high pressure die casting practices is a very important issue.But,very often it is overlooked by academia,original equipment manufacturers(OEM),metal ingot producers and even die casters.The aim of this study was to minimize the intermetallic formation in Mg sludge via the optimization of the chemistry and process parameters.The Al8Mn5 intermetallic particles were identified by the microstructure analysis based on the Al and Mn ratio.The design of experiment(DOE)technique,Taguchi method,was employed to minimize the intermetallic formation in the sludge of Mg alloys with various chemical compositions of Al,Mn,Fe,and different process parameters,holding temperature and holding time.The sludge yield(SY)and intermetallic size(IS)was selected as two responses.The optimum combination of the levels in terms of minimizing the intermetallic formation were 9 wt.%Al,0.15 wt.%Mn,0.001 wt.%(10 ppm)Fe,690℃ for the holding temperature and holding at 30 mins for the holding time,respectively.The best combination for smallest intermetallic size were 9 wt.%Al,0.15 wt.%Mn,0.001 wt.%(10 ppm)Fe,630℃ for the holding temperature and holding at 60 mins for the holding time,respectively.Three groups of sludge factors,Chemical Sludge(CSF),Physical Sludge(PSF)and Comprehensive Sludge Factors(and CPSF)were established for prediction of sludge yields and intermetallic sizes in Al-containing Mg alloys.The CPSF with five independent variables including both chemical elements and process parameters gave high accuracy in prediction,as the prediction of the PSF with only the two processing parameters of the melt holding temperature and time showed a relatively large deviation from the experimental data.The Chemical Sludge Factor was primarily designed for small ingot producers and die casters with a limited melting and holding capacity,of which process parameters could be fixed easily.The Physical Sludge Factor could be used for mass production with a single type of Mg alloy,in which the chemistry fluctuation might be negligible.In large Mg casting suppliers with multiple melting and holding furnaces and a number of Mg alloys in production,the Comprehensive Sludge Factor should be implemented to diminish the sludge formation.

Process Parameters Optimization of Laser Cladding for HT200 with 316L Coating Based on Response Surface Method

In order to improve the sealing surface performance of gray cast iron gas gate valves and achieve precise molding control of the cladding layer,as well as to reveal the influence of laser cladding process parameters on the morphology and structure of the cladding layer,we prepared the 316L coating on HT 200 by using Design-Expert software central composite design(CCD)based on response surface analysis.We built a regression prediction model and analyzed the ANOVA with the inspection results.With a target cladding layer width of 3.5 mm and height of 1.3 mm,the process parameters were optimized to obtain the best combination of process parameters.The microstructure,phases,and hardness variations of the cladding layer from experiments with optimal parameters were analyzed by the metallographic microscope,confocal microscope,and microhardness instrument.The experimental results indicate that laser power has a significant impact on the cladding layer width,followed by powder feed rate;scan speed has a significant impact on the cladding layer height,followed by powder feed rate.The HT200 substrate and 316L can metallurgically bond well,and the cladding layer structure consists of dendritic crystals,columnar crystals,and equiaxed crystals in sequence.The optimal process parameter combination satisfying the morphology requirements is laser power(A)of 1993 W,scan speed(B)of 8.949 mm/s,powder feed rate(C)of 1.408 r/min,with a maximum hardness of 1564.3 HV0.5,significantly higher than the hardness of the HT200 substrate.

Optimization of AZ80 magnesium alloy squeeze cast process parameters using morphological matrix

The squeeze cast process parameters of AZ80 magnesium alloy were optimized by morphological matrix. Experiments were conducted by varying squeeze pressure, die pre-heat temperature and pressure duration using L9（33） orthogonal array of Taguchi method. In Taguchi method, a 3-level orthogonal array was used to determine the signal/noise ratio. Analysis of variance was used to determine the most significant process parameters affecting the mechanical properties. Mechanical properties such as ultimate tensile strength, elongation and hardness of the components were ascertained using multi variable linear regression analysis. Optimal squeeze cast process parameters were obtained.

Effects of process parameters on mechanical properties and microstructures of creep aged 2124 aluminum alloy

A series of tests were carried microstructures of 2124 aluminum alloy in increase of aging time, temperature and low-to-peak-to-low manner. No significant out to investigate the effects of process parameters on mechanical properties and creep aging process. The results show that creep strain and creep rate increase with the applied stress. The hardness of specimen varies with aging time and stress in a effect of temperature on hardness of material is seen in the range of 185-195 ℃. The optimum mechanical properties are obtained at the conditions of （200 MPa, 185 ℃, 8 h） as the result of the coexistence of strengthening S＂ and S＇ phases in the matrix by transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. TEM observation shows that applied stress promotes the formation and growth of precioitates and no obvious stress orientation effect is observed in the matrix.

Effects of process parameters on microstructure and wear resistance of TiN coatings deposited on TC11 titanium alloy by electrospark deposition

In the present study,the effects of process parameters(output voltage x,nitrogen flux l and specific strengthening time s)on the microstructure and wear resistance properties of TiN coatings prepared by electrospark deposition(ESD)were investigatedsystematically.The microstructure of the coatings was characterized for thickness(TOC),content of TiN(CON)and porosity(POC).A statistical model was developed to identify the significant factors affecting the microstructure and wear resistance of the coatings.The results show that the output voltage x and nitrogen flux l present significant effects on majority of the evaluation indexes such asTOC,friction coefficient(COF)and wear mass loss(Id),while the specific strengthening time s has a significant effect on POC and asmall effect on the other indexes.The optimal process parameters were obtained as follows:output voltage(x,60V),nitrogen flux(l,15L/min)and specific strengthening time(s,3min/cm2).The variation of wear mass loss(Id)by the variation of the outputvoltage(x)and nitrogen flux(l)is attributed to the change of wear mechanisms of TiN coatings.The main wear mechanism of TiNcoating prepared under optimal process parameters is micro-cutting wear accompanied by micro-fracture wear.

Process forces and heat input as function of process parameters in AA5083 friction stir welds

AA5083 friction stir welds were produced using systematic experimental design, the process forces and heat input with varying parameters were studied. Helpful empirical models were developed in designing friction stir welding （FSW） tools and FSW welders. These models may be further helpful for making process parameter choice for this sort of alloy, defining welding program and control of process parameters by using computer numerical control friction stir welding welders. The results show that tool rotational speed, welding speed and tool shoulder diameter are most significant parameters affecting axial force and heat input, while longitudinal force is significantly affected by welding speed and probe diameter.

Influence of process parameters and aging treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al Si8Mg3 alloy fabricated by selective laser melting

Many studies have investigated the selective laser melting(SLM)of AlSi10Mg and AlSi7Mg alloys,but there are still lack of researches focused on Al-Si-Mg alloys specifically tailored for SLM.In this work,a novel high Mg-content AlSi8Mg3 alloy was specifically designed for SLM.The results showed that this new alloy exhibited excellent SLM processability with a lowest porosity of 0.07%.Massive lattice distortion led to a high Vickers hardness in samples fabricated at a high laser power due to the precipitation of Mg_(2)Si nanoparticles from theα-Al matrix induced by high-intensity intrinsic heat treatment during SLM.The maximum microhardness and compressive yield strength of the alloy reached HV(211±4)and(526±12)MPa,respectively.After aging treatment at 150℃,the maximum microhardness and compressive yield strength of the samples were further improved to HV(221±4)and(577±5)MPa,respectively.These values are higher than those of most known aluminum alloys fabricated by SLM.This paper provides a new idea for optimizing the mechanical properties of Al-Si-Mg alloys fabricated using SLM.

Effect of Process Parameters on Morphology and Grain Refinement Efficiency of TiAl_3 and TiB_2 in Alumimum Casting

This paper presents the effects of different process parameters in producing Al-STi-1B grain refiner,i.e.various sequences and reaction time,on grain refinement efficiency of aluminum castings.It was found that different process parameters resulted in different morphology and size distribution of TiAl-3 and TiB-2 in grain refiner. The experiment was carried out by adding KBF-4 and K-2TiF-6 to molten aluminum.The melting temperature was controlled at 800℃in an electric resistance furnace.Three different sequences of KBF-4 and K-2TiF-6 additions were applied,i.e.,adding KBF-4 before K-2TiF-6,adding K-2TiF-4 before KBF-4 and mixing both KBF-4 and K-2TiF-6 before adding to molten aluminum.Three different holding time at 1 min,30 min and 60 min were applied.The results showed that no significant difference of morphology and size distribution was found by varying three different sequences.Whereas,the different holding time provided major differences in both morphology and size distribution,which are technically expectable from diffusion and agglomeration between particles resulting in larger particle size and wider range of size distribution of TiAI3 and TiB2.If the reaction time was longer than 30 rain,morphology of both TiAl-3 and TiB-2 became too large.If the reaction time was too short,less reaction between TiAl-3 and TiB2 to form would be obtained.For grain refinement efficiency, it was found that mixing KBF-4 and K-2TiF-6 before adding to molten aluminum with a holding time of 30 min resulted in best grain refinement efficiency.

Optimization of investment casting process parameters to reduce warpage of turbine blade platform in DD6 alloy

The large warping deformation at platform of turbine blade directly affects the forming precision. In the present research, equivalent warping deformation was firstly presented to describe the extent of deformation at platform. To optimize the process parameters during investment casting to minimize the warping deformation of the platform, based on simulation with Pro CAST, the single factor method, orthogonal test, neural network and genetic algorithm were subsequently used to analyze the influence of pouring temperature, shell mold preheating temperature, furnace temperature and withdrawal velocity on dimensional accuracy of the platform of superalloyDD6 turbine blade. The accuracy of investment casting simulation was verified by measurement of platform at blade casting. The simulation results with the optimal process parameters illustrate that the equivalent warping deformation was dramatically reduced by 21.8% from 0.232295 mm to 0.181698 mm.

Effects of process parameters on warpage of rapid heat cycle moulding plastic part

The effects of process parameters in rapid heat cycle moulding （RHCM） on parts warpage were investigated. A vehicle-used blue-tooth front shell （consisting of ABS material） was considered as a part example manufactured by RHCM method. The corresponding rapid heat response mould with an innovational conformal heating/cooling channel system and a dynamic mould temperature control system based on the Jll-W-160 type precise temperature controller was proposed. During heating/cooling process, the mould was able to be heated from room temperature to 160 ~C in 6 s and then cooled to 80 ~C in 22 s. The effects of processing conditions in RHCM on part warpage were investigated based on the single factor experimental method and Taguchi theory. Results reveal that the elevated mould temperature reduces unwanted freezing during the injection stage, thus improving mouldability and enhancing part quality, whereas the overheated of mould temperature will lead to defective product. The feasible mould temperature scope in RHCM should be no higher than 140 ~C, and the efficient mould temperature scope should be around the polymer heat distortion temperature. Melt temperature as well as injection pressure effects on warpage can be divided into two stages The lower stage gives a no explicit effect on warpage whereas the higher stage leads to a quasi-linear downtrend. But others affect the warpage as a V-type fluctuation, reaching to the minimum around the heat distortion temperature. Under the same mould temperature condition, the effects of process parameters on warpage decrease according to the following order, packing time, packing pressure, melt temperature, injection pressure and cooling time, respectively.

Grain refinement of Mg-Al alloys by optimization of process parameters based on three-dimensional finite element modeling of roll casting

To study the influence of roll casting process parameters on temperature and thermal-stress fields for the AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets,three-dimensional geometric and 3D finite element models for roll casting were established based on the symmetry of roll casting by ANSYS software.Meshing method and smart-sizing algorithm were used to divide finite element mesh in ANSYS software.A series of researches on the temperature and stress distributions during solidification process with different process parameters were done by 3D finite element method.The temperatures of both the liquid-solid two-phase zone and liquid phase zone were elevated with increasing pouring temperature.With the heat transfer coefficient increasing,the two-phase region for liquid-solid becomes smaller.With the pouring temperature increasing and the increase of casting speed,the length of two-phase zone rises.The optimized of process parameters（casting speed 2 m/min,pouring temperature 640 ℃ and heat transfer coefficient 15 kW/（m2·℃） with the water pouring at roller exit was used to produce magnesium alloy AZ31 sheet,and equiaxed grains with the average grain size of 50 μm were achieved after roll casting.The simulation results give better understanding of the temperature variation in phase transformation zone and the formation mechanism of hot cracks in plates during roll casting and help to design the optimized process parameters of roll casting for Mg alloy.

Influence of process parameters on microstructure of reactive plasma cladding TiC-Fe-Cr coating

A certain amount of Ti was added to the plasma cladding Fe-Cr-C coating in the early stage in order to improve the quality and properties of the coating.Ti-Fe-Cr-C composite powder was prepared by precursor carbonization-composition process.In situ synthesized TiC-Fe-Cr coatings were fabricated on substrate of Q235 steel by plasma cladding process with the composite powder.Microstructures of the coatings with different process parameters,including cladding current,cladding speed,number of overlapping cladding layers,were analyzed by scanning electron microscope.The results show that the structure of the TiC-Fe-Cr coating is greatly affected by the cladding current,the cladding speed and the overlapping cladding process.In this test,when the cladding current of 300 A and the cladding process parameter of the cladding speed of 50 mm/min are clad with three layers,a well-formed and well-structured TiC-Fe-Cr coating can be obtained in this test.TiC-Fe-Cr coating has good wear resistance and good load characteristics under dry sliding wear test conditions.

Influence of process parameters on deep drawing of AA6111 aluminum alloy at elevated temperatures

To gain a deep insight into the hot drawing process of aluminum alloy sheet, simulations of cylindrical cup drawing at elevated temperatures were carried out with experimental validation. The influence of four important process parameters, namely,punch velocity, blank holder force(BHF), friction coefficient and initial forming temperature of blank on drawing characteristics(i.e.minimum thickness and thickness deviation) was investigated with the help of design of experiments(DOE), analysis of variance(ANOVA) and analysis of mean(ANOM). Based on the results of ANOVA, it is shown that the blank holder force has the greatest influence on minimum thickness. The importance of punch velocity for thickness deviation is 44.35% followed by BHF of 24.88%,friction coefficient of 15.77% and initial forming temperature of blank of 14.995%. After determining the significance of each factor on forming characteristics, how the individual parameter affects characteristics was further analyzed by ANOM.

Effects of process parameters on morphology and distribution of externally solidified crystals in microstructure of magnesium alloy die castings

During the cold-chamber high pressure die casting(HPDC) process, samples were produced to investigate the microstructure characteristics of AM60B magnesium alloy. Special attention was paid to the effects of process parameters on the morphology and distribution of externally solidified crystals(ESCs) in the microstructure of magnesium alloy die castings, such as slow shot phase plunger velocity, delay time of pouring and fast shot phase plunger velocity. On the basis of metallographic observation and quantitative statistics, it is concluded that a lower slow shot phase plunger velocity and a longer delay time of pouring both lead to an increment of the size and percentage of the ESCs, due to the fact that a longer holding time of the melt in the shot sleeve will cause a more severe loss of the superheat. The impingement of the melt flow on the ESCs is more intensive with a higher fast shot phase plunger velocity, in such case the ESCs reveal a more granular and roundish morphology and are dispersed throughout the cross section of the castings. Based on analysis of the filling and solidification processes of the melt during the HPDC process, reasonable explanations were proposed in terms of the nucleation, growth, remelting and fragmentation of the ESCs to interpret the effects of process parameters on the morphology and distribution of the ESCs in the microstructure of magnesium alloy die castings.

Effect of pulsed laser process parameters on welding quality of automobile fuel injector

In this research, pulverization plate and base of a fuel injector in an automobile electronic-controlled engine was joined by pulsed laser welding. The different welding parameters were evaluated and effect of process parameters on joint characteristics was analyzed. The optimal process parameters were obtained as follows： welding current 120 A, welding speed 600 ram/rain, pulse duration 1.80 ms and pulse frequency 60 Hz. The microstructure of weld metal was investigated. Results show that the fusion zone is austenitic dendrite, the weld center is equiaxed grain, while the transition zone between fusion zone and weld center is mixed crystal with austenitic dendrite and equiaxed grain. The weld layered phenomenon was observed, and eddy caused by keyhole effect is the main reason for the formation of layered structure in molten pool.

Relationship between Microcellular Foaming Injection Molding Process Parameters and Cell Size

In order to study the relationship between the main process parameters and the cell size, the mathematical model of cell growth of microcellular foaming injection process is built. Then numeric simulation is employed as experimental method, and the Taguchi method is used to analyze significance of effect of process parameters on the cell size. At last the process parameters are focused on melt temperature, injection time, mold temperature and pretidied volume. The significance order from big to small of the effect of each process parameters on cell size is melt temperature, pre-filled volume, injection time, and mold temperature. On the basis of above research, the effect of each process parameter on cell size is further researched. Appropriate reduction of the melt temperature and increase of the pre-filled volume can optimize the cell size effectively, while the effects of injection time and mold temperature on cell size are less significant.

Effects of adding chicken manure to cattle manure on aerobic compost process parameters at low temperature

The research was aimed at studying the effect of adding certain proportion chicken manure to cattle manure on compost below 0℃ with aerobic compost method, which was suitable for northern cold climate. The results indicated that the mixed compost completed 3 days earlier than the single compost, the temperature of the mixed compost rose to 50.7℃ at the 1st day,and achieved its highest temperature 74.4℃ at the 3rd day. The temperature of the single compost rose to 40.0℃ at the 1st day,rose to 55.6℃ at the 3rd day,and achieved its highest temperature 70.1℃ at the 5th day. Adding chicken manure had no impact on the variety trend of the process parameters such as moisture content, pH and C/N ratio, hut increased the variety range of these parameters.

Effect of process parameters on interfacial microstructure and mechanical properties of Al/Cu friction stir lap welding joints

In this study,friction stir lap welding(FSLW)was performed for the welding test of 6061 aluminium alloy and T2 pure copper.The effect of process parameters containing rotation rate and travel speed on interfacial microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of Al/Cu dissimilar joints were explored.The experiments were carried out under the rotation rates of 600,900 and 1200 r/min and with the travel speeds of 30,70 and 100 mm/min.The characteristic of interface transition zones(ITZs)and the species of intermetallic compounds(IMCs)were investigated.The Al/Cu interface showed a layered structure composed of Al-Cu IMCs,which will affect the mechanical property.The layer consisting of Al2Cu was formed at lower heat input,and as heat input increased the Al4Cu9 phase started to form.Excessive heat input will increase the thickness of the interface and raise the brittleness of the joints.The thickness of the IMCs layers changed from0.89μm to 3.96μm as the heat input increased.The maximum value of tensile shear loading of 4.65 kN was obtained at the rotation rate of900 r/min and travel speed of 100 mm/min with the interface thickness of 2.89μm.The fracture mode of the joints was a mix of ductile and brittle fracture.

Investigation of the Process Parameters on the Blanking of AISI 304 Stainless Steel by Using Finite Element Method

Blanking is a major process and has a wide range of usage in manufacturing industry. The general concept of blanking seems a simple one but governing parameters are many and have a complex relationship which directly affect the quality of the produced parts （blanks） and also the energy efficiency of the process. The main problem is the lack of prediction capabilities of the effect of these parameters that lead to time, money and labor consuming trial and error procedures in experimental studies. Usage of FEM based programs to simulate blanking to obtain numerical results and observe the shearing mechanism is a cheap and a detailed way for industrial applications. In this study five different clearances （1%, 3%, 5%, 10% and 20%） and three different thicknesses （t = 2 mm, t = 3 mm and t = 4 mm） were used for simulation and experimental studies of the blanking process. Simulations were executed by using the FEM program, Deform 2-D. Investigations were made on the parameters related to crack progression like crack initiation and crack propagation angles, indentation angle, rollover angle and depth and also the related blanking energy values. The results of the present paper are in agreement with the results of experimental studies.