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 SiCp/2024 and 2219 aluminum alloy

SiCp/2024 matrix composites reinforced with SiC particles and 2219 aluminum alloy were joined via centered electron beam welding and deflection beam welding,respectively,and the microstructures and mechanical properties of these joints were investigated.The results revealed that SiC particle segregation was more likely during centered electron beam welding(than during deflection beam welding),and strong interface reactions led to the formation of many Al4C3 brittle intermetallic compounds.Moreover,the tensile strength of the joints was 104 MPa.The interface reaction was restrained via deflection electron beam welding,and only a few Al4C3 intermetallic compounds formed at the top of the joint and heat affected zone of SiCp/Al.Quasi-cleavage fracture occurred at the interface reaction layer of the base metal.Both methods yielded a hardness transition zone near the SiCp/2024 fusion zone,and the brittle intermetallic Al4C3compounds formed in this zone resulted in high hardness.

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.

Numerical analysis of thermal fluid transportation during electron beam welding of 2219 aluminum alloy plate and experimental validation

A three-dimensional mathematical model using volume-of-fluid method is developed to investigate the heat transfer, fluid flow and keyhole dynamics during electron beam welding of 2219 aluminum alloy plate. In the model, an adaptive heat source is employed to simulate the heating process of electron beam. Fluid flow is mainly driven by surface tension, thermo-capillary force, recoil pressure, hydrostatic pressure and thermal buoyancy. The thermal-fluid transport behaviors of welding pool during the drilling and backfilling stages of keyhole and the formation reason of the nail-shaped weld with an arc crater are systematically analyzed. Finally, all calculation results are validated by experiments and show good agreements.

Effects of electron beam welding parameters on the microstructure of titanium to aluminum alloy joints

Electron beam welding of titanium alloy to aluminum alloy was carried out by melting and melt-brazing to investigate the effects of welding parameters on microstructure of the joint. The results indicated that the joint of the specimen welded by melting was well-formed but contained a large amount of intermetallic compounds. These intermetallic compounds were mainly composed of brittle phases such as TiAl and TiAl3 that decreased the ductility of the joints and resulted in a tensile strength 50 % lower than that of the base metal. In the melt-brazing experiment, direct heat was applied to the aluminum alloy to melt the aluminum rather than the titanium alloy, creating a well-formed joint. The weld was mainly composed of Al element and only a 3 ~m thickness of intermetallic compounds formed near the fusion line at the Ti side. The ductility and the performauce of the joint were significantly improved compared with those of the melting-only joint. In addition, the tensile strength of the joint reached 80 % of that of the aluminum base metal.

Residual stress analysis of 7075 aluminum alloy after vacuum electron beam welding

The residual stresses distribution of 7075 aluminum alloy in vacuum electron beam welding joint was numerically simulated using nonlinear finite element method. The result shows that the longitudinal residual stress is tension stress along weld center and the stress peak value appears in the middle of the welded seam; the transversal residual stress is compression stress ; the residual stress in thickness direction is very small.

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.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of butt joints of QCr0.8/1Cr21Ni5Ti equal-thickness dissimilar materials by electron beam welding

Butt joints of QCr0.8/1Cr21Ni5Ti equal-thickness dissimilar materials were obtained by electron beam welding with fixed accelerating voltage 60 kV and focus current ~1.99 A , changed electron beam current and welding velocity. Microstructure and composition of the EBW joint were investigated by means of optical micrography and EDX analysis, mechanical properties of the joint were also tested. The results show that joint’s macrostructure was divided into three zones: top weld zone near QCr0.8 and bottom weld zone consisting of Cu(ss.Fe) with a certain amount of dispersedly distributed (α+ε) mixed microstructure, middle weld zone consisting of (α+ε) microstructure with a small amount of Cu(ss.Fe) particles. Morphological inhomogeneous macrostructure and uneven chemical compostion of QCr0.8/1Cr21Ni5Ti joint by EBW are the most important factor to result in decreasing joining strength.

Microstructures of electron beam welding joint of CNTs/Al composites

Carbon nauotube（ CNT） reinforced aluminum metal matrix composites were welded by electron beam welding and the microstructures of welded joints were investigated. The result showed that the interracial reaction happened between the CNTs and Al matrix, which resulted in producing brittle Al4 C3 compounds in electron beam welds. The extent of interfacial reaction varies gradually in the depth and width direction. The length of the reactants Al4C3 became short duo to the temperature gradient in the molten pool. The quantity and size of Al4 C3 compounds increased with the increase of beam current and the decrease of welding speed in the middle zone of weld. However, no needle-like phase Al4C3 was observed in HAZ.

Numerical analysis on flow field of weld pool during deep penetration electron beam welding of titanium alloy

Flow field of weld pool during deep penetration electron beam welding of TA 15 titanium alloy was numerically and experimentally studied using a hybrid heat source of Gaussian surface heat source and rotational paraboloidal body heat source. And the formation mechanism of the weld pool flow field was analyzed. The results showed that the movement of the liquid metal in the top weld pool was the fiercest and weakened gradually in the middle and bottom of the weld pool. The maximum flow velocity of the liquid metal was about 0. 295 m/s in the top surface of weld pool. The primary driving forces of the movement of liquid metal in the weld pool were the recoil pressure of metal vapor and the surface tension.

Investigation on process and microstructure of Ti/Ni/Cu joints by electron beam welding

In this article, the electron beam welding of the Cu alloy （ QCrO. 8） with Ti alloy （TC4） sheet was processed and the joint microstructure as well as the welding process were studied. The results show that brittle reaction layer which was mainly composed of TiCu, Ti2Cu, Ti2Cu3 and TiCu2formed at the weld fusion line, regardless of welding on the middle or on the Cu side. The mechanical properties of the joint were severely deteriorated by the layer that tensile strength was only 89. 4 MPa for welding on the Cu side. The microstructure of the joint was improved with pure nickel as filler metal for the electron beam welding. The weld was mainly composed of solid solution. Intermetallic compound phase decreased signifwantly in fusion line compared with the joint without filler metal. The mechanical properties of the joint were obviously improved that the average tensile strength was 205.2 MPa and the bending strength was 413.3 MPa with O. 5 mm offset of electron beam on the Cu side.

Process modeling for electron beam welding of Ti-6Al-4V

Using ANSYS software, a finite element model for electron beam welding of 14. 5 mm thick Ti-6Al-4V alloy plate is developed by a sequentially coupled thermal-mechanical analysis method. For the purpose of model validation, welding trial is carried out. Meanwhile, fusion zone dimensions and residual stresses are measured. The fusion-boundary profile is reproduced accurately by using a conical volume heat source model. The predicted residual stresses are in reasonable agreement with the results determined by the hole-drilling method. Through the analysis of predicted residual stresses, it is found that the normal residual stress in the interior of plate can not be negligible and the maximum value of three dimensional residual tensile stresses arises at 10. 15 mm depth in the weld zone.

Effect of interlayer addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of NiTi/stainless steel joint by electron beam welding

NiTi/Stainless Steel(SS) sheets have been welded via a vacuum electron beam welding process, with three methods(offsetting electron beam to SS side without interlayer, adding Ni interlayer and adding Fe Ni interlayer), to promote mechanical properties of the Ni Ti/SS joints. The joints with different interlayers are all fractured in the weld zone near the Ni Ti side, which is attributed to the enrichment of intermetallic compounds including Fe2 Ti and Ni3 Ti. The fracture mechanisms of different joints are strongly dependent on the types of interlayers, and the joints without interlayer, adding Ni interlayer and adding Fe Ni interlayer exhibit cleavage fracture, intergranular fracture and mixed fracture composed of cleavage and tearing ridge, respectively. Compared with the brittle laves phase Fe2 Ti, Ni3 Ti phase can exhibit certain plasticity, block the crack propagation and change the direction of crack propagation. The composite structure of Ni3 Ti and Fe2 Ti will be formed when the Fe Ni alloy is taken as the interlayer, which provides the joint excellent mechanical properties, with rupture strength of 343 MPa.

Using Finite Element and Contour Method to Evaluate Residual Stress in Thick Ti-6Al-4V Alloy Welded by Electron Beam Welding

This work was to reveal the residual stress profile in electron beam welded Ti-6Al-4V alloy plates（50 mm thick） by using finite element and contour measurement methods.A three-dimensional finite element model of 50-mmthick titanium component was proposed,in which a column–cone combined heat source model was used to simulate the temperature field and a thermo-elastic–plastic model to analyze residual stress in a weld joint based on ABAQUS software.Considering the uncertainty of welding simulation,the computation was calibrated by experimental data of contour measurement method.Both test and simulated results show that residual stresses on the surface and inside the weld zone are significantly different and present a narrow and large gradient feature in the weld joint.The peak tensile stress exceeds the yield strength of base materials inside weld,which are distinctly different from residual stress of the thin Ti-6Al-4V alloy plates presented in references before.

Effects of different aging treatments on microstructures and mechanical properties of Al-Cu-Li alloy joints welded by electron beam welding

Post-weld single aging treatment（solution treatment at 510 ℃ for 1 h, water quenching,and aging at 155 ℃ for 16 h） and post-weld double aging treatment（solution treatment at 510 ℃ for 1 h, water quenching, aging at 155 ℃ for 16 h, and aging at 130 ℃ for 12 h） are carried out on Al-Cu-Li alloy joints by electron beam welding（EBW） respectively. The effects of aging treatments on microstructures and mechanical properties of welded joints are investigated. Results show that the mechanical properties of welded joints are obviously improved after both aging treatments. The strength coefficient of joints is increased from 0.64 in an as-welded condition（AW） to 0.90 after post-weld double aging treatment. Microstructure analysis shows that the precipitates of the fusion zone within grains and grain boundaries are less in the AW condition. After post-weld heat treatment（PWHT）, a lot of fine needle-like phases T_1（Al_2 Cu Li） precipitate in grain boundaries of the fusion zone, and more horseshoe-shaped β＇ （Al_3 Zr） particles precipitate within grains. In addition,grains of the fusion zone are refined after post-weld double aging treatment, which leads to an effect of grain refinement strengthening. Consequently, the mechanical properties of welded joints are greatly improved.

Research on modeling of heat source for electron beam welding fusion-solidification zone

In this paper, the common heat source model of point and linear heat source in the numerical simulation of electron beam welding （EBW） were summarized and introduced. The combined point-linear heat source model was brought forward and to simulate the welding temperature fields of EBW and predicting the weld shape. The model parameters were put forward and regulated in the combined model, which included the ratio of point heat source to linear heat source Qpr and the distribution of linear heat source Lr. Based on the combined model, the welding temperature fields of EBW were investigated. The results show that the predicted weld shapes are conformable to those of the actual, the temperature fields are reasonable and correct by simulating with combined point-linear heat source model and the typical weld shapes are gained.

Effect of beam current on microstructures and mechanical properties of joints of TZM/30CrMnSiA by electron beam welding

Electron beam welding experiments of TZM alloy and 30CrMnSiA steel butt joints were carried out with different beam currents.Microstructures and chemical compositions of typical zones were analyzed by optical microscopy,scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction.The mechanical properties of the joints were evaluated by tensile strength tests.Besides,nanoindentation tests were carried out to compare the brittleness of the reaction layer and other typical microstructures.The results illustrated that the reaction layer at the interface between fusion zone(FZ)and TZM alloy was the weak position of the joint,which was divided into Fe2Mo layer and a mixture layer of Fe2Mo and a-Fe phases.As the beam current increased,the thickness of the Fe2Mo layer decreased,which resulted in the increasing of the tensile strength of the joints.When the beam current exceeded 24 m A,the formation of the joint was poor with a low tensile strength.When the beam current was 24 mA,the joint presented the highest strength of 191.3 MPa and the joint fractured along the Fe2Mo layer near the TZM alloy side with a brittle fracture mode.

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.

Tensile properties and failure analysis of Ti–6Al–4V joints by electron beam welding

The microstructural and mechanical characterization of electron beam welded joints of forged Ti-6Al- 4V were investigated. Microhardness tests indicate that the hardness of the fusion zone （FZ） is higher than that of the heat-affected zone （HAZ） and base metal. The tensile results show that the mechanical properties of the welded joints are comparable with those of the base metal in terms of static strength and are in accordance with the relationship between microstructure and mechanical properties of welded joints. The ultimate tensile strength of the weld is equal to that of the hourglass joint, which indicates that the mechanical properties of the longitudinal FZ and those of the transverse FZ are the same. Macromechanical behavior and macrofracture and microfracture of the base material, joint, and weld specimens are observed. A comparison among the three types of specimen fracture phenomena reveals the following distinctive differences： （1） the fracture mode, （2） the micrograph of the dimple pattern at the central region, and （3） the size of the dimple at the central region and the transition region.

Research on Electron Beam Welding of in situ TiB_(2p)/ZL101 Composite

<Abstract>Electron beam welding of in situ TiB2p reinforced aluminum composites was studied.The results show that no obvious pores or cracks is presented in the weld seam.The grains in the weld seam are remarkably refined and TiB2 particles distribute much more homogeneously than that in base metal.The hardness values of fusion zone and heat affected zone(HAZ)are both increased in comparison with that of base metal.There are no interface reactions between TiB2 particle and Al matrix.This results supply the evidence that the novel TiB2p reinforced aluminum composites can be well joined with the electron beam welding.