Electron beam welding of 304 stainless steel to QCr0.8 copper alloy with copper filler wire

Electron beam welding （EBW） of 304 stainless steel to QCr0.8 copper alloy with copper filler wire was carried out. Orthogonal experiment was performed to investigate the effects of process parameters on the tensile strength of the joints, and the process parameters were optimized. The optimum process parameters are as follows：beam current of 30 mA, welding speed of 100 mm/min, wire feed rate of 1 m/min and beam offset of-0.3 mm. The microstructures of the optimum joint were studied. The results indicate that the weld is mainly composed of dendriticαphase with little globularεphase, and copper inhomogeneity only occurs at the top of the fusion zone. In addition, a melted region without mixing exists near the weld junction of copper side. This region with a coarser grain size is the weakest section of the joints. It is found that the microhardness of the weld decreases with the increase of the copper content in solid solution. The highest tensile strength of the joint is 276 MPa.

Influence of electron-beam superposition welding on intermetallic layer of Cu/Ti joint

QCr0.8 was electron-beam welded to TC4 and the effect of the intermetallic layer （IMC-layer） on the mechanical properties of the joint was investigated. The IMC-layers are joint weaknesses at the Cu fusion line in centered welding and at the Ti fusion line when the beam is deviated towards Cu. A new method referred to as electron-beam superposition welding was presented, and the optimal welding sequence was considered. The IMC-layer produced by centered welding was fragmented and remelted during Cu-side non-centered welding, giving a finely structured compound layer and improved mechanical properties of the joint. The tensile strength of joint is 276.0 MPa, 76.7% that of the base metal.

Effect of hot working on microstructure and mechanical properties of TC11/Ti_2AlNb dual-alloy joint welded by electron beam welding process

The influence of hot working on the microstructures of TC11/Ti2 Al Nb dual-alloy joints welded by electron beam welding(EBW) process was investigated. The tensile tests were performed at room temperature for specimens before and after thermal exposure. The results show that the fusion zone of TC11/Ti2 Al Nb dual-alloy joint welded by EBW is mainly composed of β phase. After deformation and heat treatment, the grain boundaries of the as-cast alloy are broken and the fusion zone mainly consists of β, α2and α phases. The fusion zone performs poor property in the tensile test. Specimens before and after thermal exposure all fail in this area under different deformation conditions. The ultimate tensile strength of specimens after heat treatment is up to 1190 MPa at room temperature. The joints by water quenching after deformation have better plasticity with an elongation up to 4.4%. After thermal exposure at 500 °C for 100 h, the tensile strength of the specimen slightly rises while the ductility changes a little. SEM observation shows that the fracture mechanism is predominantly transgranular under different deformation conditions.

Influences of different filler metals on electron beam welding of titanium alloy to stainless steel

Electron beam welding experiments of titanium alloy to stainless steel were carried out with different filler metals, such as Ni, V, and Cu. Microstructures of the joints were examined by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. Mechanical properties of the joints were evaluated according to tensile strength and microhardness. As a result, influences of filler metals on microstructures and mechanical properties of electron beam welded titanium-stainless steel joints were discussed. The results showed that all the filler metals were helpful to restrain the Ti-Fe intermetallics. The welds with different filler metals were all characterized by solid solution and interfacial intermetallics. For each type of the filler metal, the type of solid solution and interfacial intermetallics depended on the metallurgical reactions between the filler metals and base metals. The interfacial intermetallics were Fe2Ti＋Ni3Ti＋NiTi2, TiFe, and Cu2Ti＋CuTi＋CuTi2 in the joints welded with Ni, V, and Cu filler metals, respectively. The tensile strengths of the joints were dependent on the hardness of the interfacial intermetallics. The joint welded with Ag filler metal had the highest tensile strength, which is about 310 MPa.

INVESTIGATION OF LASER BEAM WELDING PROCESS OF AZ61 MAGNESIUM-BASED ALLOY

Laser welling process of AZ61 magnesium alloys is investigated using a special CO2 laser experimental system. The effect of processing parameters including laser power, welling speed, and protection gas flow at the top and bottom is researched. The results show that an ideal well bead can be formed by choosing the processing parameters properly. An optimized parameter range is obtained by a large number of experiments. Among them, laser power and welling speed are the two main parameters that determine the well width and dimensions. The protect gas flow rate has a slight effect on the well width, but it directly effects the surface color of the well. The test results for typical welds indicate that the microhardness and tensile strength of the well zone are better than that of the base metal A fine-grained well region has been observed and no obvious heat-affected zone is found. The well zone mainly consists of small α-Mg phase, （α ＋ Al12Mg17）, and other eutectic phases. The small grains and the eutectic phases in the joint are believed to play an important role in the increase of the strength of wells for AZ61 magnesium alloys.

Microstructure and property of the Ti-24Al-15Nb-1.5Mo/TC11 joint welded by electron beam welding

The Ti-24Al-15Nb-1.5Mo alloy, in the as-forged and heat-treated states, was joined to the as-forged TC 11 titanium alloy by electron beam welding with the heat inputs of 135 and 150 kJ/m. Then the microstructure and property of the Ti-24Al-15Nb- 1.5Mo/TC 11 welding interface were investigated. The results show that the phase constitution of the weld is not related to the heat input, and is mainly composed of α＇ phase. Moreover, the intermetallic phases of TiEAlNb, MoNb, NbaAl, and TiAl3 are formed in the weld zone. Therefore, the microhardness value of the weld zone is higher than that of the other portions in the same sample. The profile of the weld is asymmetrically fimnel-like. The grain sizes of the weld and its heat-affected zones are increased with increasing heat input. There is an obvious difference in the element content of the welding interface; only the alloying elements in the fusion zone reach a new balance during solidification.

Electron beam welding of Re and BT5-1 titanium alloy

Based on the binary alloy phase diagram of Re-Ti, the weldability of Re and BT5-1 titanium alloy was analyzed. Using two methods of direct electron beam welding （EBW-D） and intergradafion electron beam welding （EBW-I）, Re and BT5-1 was welded. Experimental results show that the joint figuration of EBW-D between Re and BT5-1 is not fine, and the joint is inclined to brittleness rupture. The joint figuration of EBW-I between Re and BT5-1 is fine. No cracking and other disfigures occur in the intergradation joint. The element distribution of Re, Me, and Ti in the weld metal is progressional diversification.

Improvement of Weld Quality Using a Weaving Beam in Laser Welding

This paper describes a way to improve the weld quality through suppressing the porosity formation and restraining the growth of columnar grains by using a weaving beam in laser welding. The experimental results show that the N2 porosity of beam-weaving laser welding low carbon steel can be remarkably reduced with increasing weaving frequency, and porosity can be eliminated when the weaving amplitude is only 0.5 mm; and the Ar porosity in the weld metal is decreased with increasing weaving frequency and amplitude when the welding speed is higher than 0.5 m/min. The beam-weaving laser welding of ultra-fine grained steel has been investigated. The experimental results show that beam-weaving laser welding with appropriate amplitude and frequency can partly restrain the growth of the columnar grain and improve the tensile strength of the weld metal.

A survey on future research about electron beam welding for aerospace applications

Electron beam welding plays an important role in the aerospace industry where components like sensors,gears,actuators and air frames used in aircraft and rocket engines were welded using this technique.Welding is normally performed in a vacuum to avoid the scatter of electron due to the presence of gas molecules in the atmosphere and hence electron beam welding process provides the greater results.But still joining of dissimilar metals is challenging.This paper represents review of process,generation and distribution of heat source various input parameters,materials,microstructure,mechanical strength and the possibilities of joining dissimilar metals using electron beam welding.

Effect of shielding gas and defocusing on porosity during laser beam welding of 7A52 alloy

Laser beam welding is used to fabricate the 7A52 aluminum alloy plates.Effects of shielding gas and defocusing on porosities are investigated.Porosities are divided into hydrogen porosities and keyhole-induced porosities.With the increasing flow rate of the front shielding gas,the porosity ratio firstly decreases,then increases.The porosity ratio is lowest under the flow rate of 25 L/min.When the flow rate is 30 L/min,the porosity ratio is higher because the large flow rate can affect the stability of the keyhole.The porosity ratio is also higher when the flow rate is less than 25 L/min because the protection is weakened.With the increase of the defocusing,the porosity ratio firstly decreases,then increases.When the defocusing is-2 mm,the porosity ratio is lowest.When the defocusing is more than 0 mm or less than-4 mm,the porosity ratio is higher due to the movement of the instable keyhole.

Effects of welding parameters on weld shape and residual stresses in electron beam welded Ti_2AlNb alloy joints

In order to estimate the residual stresses in Ti2AlNb alloy jointed by electron beam welding (EBW), a computational approach based on finite element method was developed. Meanwhile, experiments were carried out to verify the numerical results. The comparison between the simulation results and measurements suggests that the developed computational approach has sufficient accuracy to predict the welding residual stress distributions. The results show that the central area of the fusion zone suffers tensile stresses in three directions. When the other parameters remain unchanged, the focus current has great impact on the weld shape and size, and then affects the residual stress level significantly. Moreover, the thick plate full-penetrated EBW weld suffers near 1000 MPa tensile stress of Z-direction in the center of the fusion zone. The wider weld has lower tensile stress in Z-direction, resulting in lower risk for cracking.

Effects of laser beam welding parameters on mechanical properties and microstructure of AZ31B magnesium alloy

The effects of laser beam welding process parameters such as laser power,welding speed and focal position on mechanical properties and microstructure of AZ31B magnesium alloy were studied.Nine joints were fabricated using different levels of laser power,welding speed and focal position.Tensile properties of the welded joints were evaluated and correlated with the weld zone microstructure and hardness.It is found that the joints fabricated using a laser power of 2 500 W,welding speed of 5.5 m/min and focal position of-1.5 mm yield superior tensile properties compared with the other joints.The formation of very fine grains in weld region,higher fusion zone hardness and uniformly distributed finer precipitates are the main reasons for superior tensile properties of these joints.

Joint performance of CO_2 laser beam welding 5083-H321 aluminum alloy

Laser beam welding of aluminum alloys is expected to offer good mechanical properties of welded joints. In this experimental work reported, CO2 laser beam autogenoas welding and wire feed welding are conducted on 4 mm thick 5083- H321 aluminum alloy sheets at different welding variables. The mechanical properties and microstructure characteristics of the welds are evaluated through tensile tests, micro-hardness tests, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. Experimental results indicate that both the tensile strength and hardness of laser beam welds are affected by the constitution of filler material, except the yield strength. The soften region of laser beam welds is not in the heat-affected zone （ HAZ ）. The tensile fracture of laser beam welded specimens takes place in the weld zone and close to the weld boundary because of different filler materials. Some pores are found on the fracture face, including hydrogen porosities and blow holes, but these pores have no influence on the tensile strength of laser beam welds. Tensile strength values of laser beam welds with filler wire are up to 345.57 MPa, 93% of base material values, and yield strengths of laser beam welds are equivalent to those of base metal （264. 50 MPa）.

Equalization of Ti 6Al 4V alloy welded joint by scanning electron beam welding

The equalization of Ti 6Al 4V alloy welded joint with base metal on corrosion resistance, strength and ductility was studied. The solidification microstructure is transformed from 650 μm columnar grains to 100 μm equiaxed grains by scanning electron beam welding. The anodic polarization curve of 150 μm equiaxed grains coincides with that of base metal. Equal corrosion resistance between weld metal and base metal was obtained. Uniform microstructure and solute distribution are the basis of equalization. Corrosion rate of weld with 150 μm equiaxed grains is the lowest, 2.45 times lower than that of 650 μm columnar grains. Weld strength is 98% as much as that of base metal, yield strength ratio is 99.5%, which is 3.6% higher than that of base metal.

Analysis of metal transfer during electron beam welding with filler wire

The metal transfer mode of electron beam welding （EBW） with filler wire was studied experimentally. The spatial position between the electron beam and the filler wire was defined. Basing on the charge coupled device （CCD） visual sensing system, the metal transfer mode of filler wire was investigated. The results showed that there were five transfer modes during EBW process due to different wire feed rates and spatial positions between beam and filler wire, such as short-circuiting mode, molten metal bridge mode, small droplet mode, big droplet mode and mixed mode. By comparing the weld appearance of different transfer modes, the molten metal bridge transfer was proved to be the best transfer mode.

Weldability and liquation cracking behavior of ZhS6U superalloy during electron-beam welding

The weldability of the ZhS6U nickel-based superalloy, which is prone to solidification cracking during electron-beam welding(EBW) repair processes, was investigated. The effects of two different pre-weld heat-treatment cycles on the final microstructure before and after welding were examined. Welds were made on flat coupons using an EBW machine, and the two heat-treatment cycles were designed to reduce γ′ liquation before welding. Microstructural features were also examined by optical and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the change in the morphology and size of the γ′ precipitates in the pre-weld heat-treatment cycles changed the ability of the superalloy to release the tensile stresses caused by the matrix phase cooling after EBW. The high hardness in the welded coupons subjected to the first heat-treatment cycle resulted in greater resistance to stress release by the base alloy, and the concentration of stress in the base metal caused liquation cracks in the heat-affected zone and solidification cracks in the weld area.

Electron beam welding of Ti-15-3 titanium alloy to 304 stainless steel with copper interlayer sheet

Electron beam welding of Ti-15-3 titanium alloy to 304 stainless steel with a copper sheet as interlayer was carried out.Microstructures of the joint were studied by optical microscopy(OM),scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and X-ray diffractometry(XRD).In addition,the mechanical properties of the joint were evaluated by tensile test and the microhardness was measured.These two alloys were successfully welded by adding copper transition layer into the weld.Solid solution with a certain thickness was located at the interfaces between weld and base metal in both sides.Regions inside the weld and near the stainless steel were characterized by solid solution of copper with TiFe2 intermetallics dispersedly distributed in it.While weld near titanium alloy contained Ti-Cu and Ti-Fe-Cu intermetallics layer,in which the hardness of weld came to the highest value.Brittle fracture occurred in the intermetallics layer when the joint was stretched.

Numerical analysis of thermal fluid transport behavior during electron beam welding of 2219 aluminum alloy plate

A two-dimensional mathematical model based on volume-of-fluid method is proposed to investigate the heat transfer,fluidflow and keyhole dynamics during electron beam welding(EBW)on20mm-thick2219aluminum alloy plate.In the model,anadaptive heat source model tracking keyhole depth is employed to simulate the heating process of electron beam.Heat and masstransport of different vortexes induced by surface tension,thermo-capillary force,recoil pressure,hydrostatic pressure and thermalbuoyancy is coupled with keyhole evolution.A series of physical phenomena involving keyhole drilling,collapse,reopening,quasi-stability,backfilling and the coupled thermal field are analyzed systematically.The results indicate that the decreased heat fluxof beam in depth can decelerate the keyholing velocity of recoil pressure and promote the quasi-steady state.Before and close to thisstate,the keyhole collapses and complicates the fluid transport of vortexes.Finally,all simulation results are validated againstexperiments.

An application of ultrasonic phased array imaging in electron beam welding inspection

The basic principle and features of ultrasonic phased array imaging are discussed in this paper. Through the ultrasonic phased array technology, the electron beam welding defects and frozen keyholes characterization and imaging were realized. The ultrasonic phased array technology can detect kinds of defects in electron beam welding (EBW) quickly and easily.

Microstructure and fatigue crack growth behaviour of electron beam welding in 30CrMnSiNi2A steel

The effects of two post-weld heat treatment processes on the microstructure and fatigue properties of the electron beam welded joints of 30CrMnSiNi2A steel were studied. Electron beam local post-weld heat treatment (EBLPWHT), in a vacuum chamber, immediately after welding and a traditional furnace whole post-weld heat treatment (FWPWHT) were accepted. The experimental results show that, after EBLPWHT, the main microstructure of weld is changed from coarse acicular martensite into lath martensite, and base metal is changed from ferrite and perlite into upper bainite and residual austenite, however the microstructures of different zones of joints in FWPWHT conditions are tempered sorbite. The fatigue crack growth rate da/dN of welds and base metal are not obviously changed among EBLPWHT, FWPWHT test and as-welded (AW) test, as the mechanical properties of materials have a certain but not large effect on the da/dN of welded joints. The resistance to near threshold fatigue crack growth data of welded joints can be largely improved by EBLPWHT and it is related to microstructure and crack closure effect.