Optimization of gas tungsten arc welding parameters for the dissimilar welding between AISI 304 and AISI 201 stainless steels

This present study applied gas tungsten arc welding in order to join AISI 304 and AISI 201 stainless steels.The objective was to find the optimum welding condition that gave a weld bead in accordance with DIN EN ISO 25817 quality level B, pitting corrosion potential of the weld metal of not less than that of the AISI304 base metal and a ratio of delta-ferrite in austenite matrix of the weld metal of not lower than 3%.Such a ratio is a criterion widely accepted to protect the weld metal from solidification cracking. At the welding current of 75 A and by using pure argon as a shielding gas 0 to 8 vol.% and applying a welding speed in the range of 2-3.5 mm·s^(-1) was found to give a complete weld bead with an increased depthper-width ratio(promote weldability). For welding speed in the range of 3 and 3.5 mm·s^(-1)(promote corrosion resistance). Increasing the welding speed in such a range decreased the amount of delta-ferrite in the austenite matrix, and increased the pitting corrosion potential of the weld metal to be 302 mV_(SCE).This value was still lower than the pitting corrosion potential of the AISI 304 base metal. Mixing nitrogen in argon shielding gas increased the nitrogen content in the weld. The optimum condition was found when using a welding speed of 3 mm· s^(-1) and mixing 1 vol.% of nitrogen in the argon shielding gas(promote weldability and corrosion resistance). Pitted areas after potentiodynamic test were observed in the austenite in which its Cr content was relatively low.

In situ synthesis and hardness of TiC/Ti_5Si_3 composites on Ti-5Al-2.5Sn substrates by gas tungsten arc welding

TiC/TisSi3 composites were fabricated on Ti-5A1-2.5Sn substrates by gas tungsten arc welding （GTAW）. Identification of the phases was performed using X-ray diffraction （XRD）. The microstructures were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy （SEM） combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry （EDS） and optical microscopy （OM）. The Vickers hardness was measured with a micro-hardness tester. The TiC/TisSi3 composites were obtained in a double-layer track, and the Vickers hardness of the track increased by two to three times compared with the Ti-5A1-2.5Sn substrate.

Assessment of gas tungsten arc welding thermal cycles on Inconel 718 alloy

Heat moving source models along with transient heat analysis by finite element method were used to determine weld thermal cycles and isothermal sections obtained from the application of a gas tungsten arc welding beads on Inconel 718 plates. Analytical (Rosenthal’s thick plate model) and finite element results show an acceptable approximation with the experimental weld thermal cycles. The isothermal sections determined by numerical simulation show a better approximation with the experimental welding profile for double-ellipse model heat distribution than Gauss model. To analyze the microstructural transformation produced by different cooling rates in the fusion and heat affected zones, Vickers microhardness measurements (profile and mapping representation) were conducted. A hardness decrement for the heat affected zone (~200 HV0.2) and fusion zone (~240 HV0.2) in comparison with base material (~350 HV0.2) was observed. This behavior has been attributed to the heterogeneous solubilization process of the γ″ phase (nickel matrix), which, according to the continuous-cooling-transformation curve, produced the Laves phase,δ and MC transition phases, generating a loss in hardness close to the fusion zone.

Optimizing the Pulsed Current Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Parameters

The selection of process parameter in the gas tungsten arc （GTA） welding of titanium alloy was presented for obtaining optimum grain size and hardness. Titanium alloy （Ti-6Al-4V） is one of the most important non-ferrous metals which offers great potential application in aerospace, biomedical and chemical industries, because of its low density （4.5 g/cm^3）, excellent corrosion resistance, high strength, attractive fracture behaviour and high melting point （1678℃）. The preferred welding process for titanium alloy is frequent GTA welding due to its comparatively easier applicability and better economy. In the case of single pass （GTA） welding of thinner section of this alloy, the pulsed current has been found beneficial due to its advantages over the conventional continuous current process. Many considerations come into the picture and one needs to carefully balance various pulse current parameters to reach an optimum combination. Four factors, five level, central composite, rotatable design matrix were used to optimize the required number of experimental conditions. Mathematical models were developed to predict the fusion zone grain size using analysis of variance （ANOVA） and regression analysis. The developed models were optimized using the traditional Hooke and Jeeve＇s algorithm. Experimental results were provided to illustrate the proposed approach.

Optimization of pulsed current gas tungsten arc welding process parameters to attain maximum tensile strength in AZ31B magnesium alloy

An empirical relationship to predict tensile strength of pulsed current gas tungsten arc welded AZ31B magnesium alloy was developed. Incorporating process parameters such as peak current, base current, pulse frequency and pulse on time were studied. The experiments were conducted based on a four-factor, five-level, central composite design matrix. The developed empirical relationship can be effectively used to predict the tensile strength of pulsed current gas tungsten arc welded AZ31B magnesium alloy joints at 95% confidence level. The results indicate that pulse frequency has the greatest influence on tensile strength, followed by peak current, pulse on time and base current.

Gas tungsten arc welding of CP-copper to 304 stainless steel using different filler materials

The dissimilar joining of CP-copper to 304 stainless steel was performed by gas tungsten arc welding process using different filler materials. The results indicated the formation of defect free joint by using copper filler material. But, the presence of some defects like solidification crack and lack of fusion caused decreasing tensile strength of other joints. In the optimum conditions, the tensile strength of the joint was 96% of the weaker material. Also, this joint was bent till to 180° without any macroscopic defects like separation, tearing or fracture. It was concluded that copper is a new and good candidate for gas tungsten arc welding of copper to 304 stainless steel.

A NEURAL NETWORK FOR WELD PENETRATION CONTROL IN GAS TUNGSTEN ARC WELDING

Realizing of weld penetration control in gas tungsten arc welding requires establishment of a model describing the relationship between the front-side geometrical parameters of weld pool and the back-side weld width with sufficient accuracy. A neural network model is developed to attain this aim. Welding experiments are conducted to obtain the training data set （including 973 groups of geometrical parameters of the weld pool and back-side weld width） and the verifying data set （108 groups）. Two data sets are used for training and verifying the neural network, respectively. The testing results show that the model has sufficient accuracy and can meet the requirements of weld penetration control.

Penetration control by weld pool resonance during gas tungsten arc welding

Presents penetration control by weld pool resonance which occurs when the natural frequency of weld pool is equal to the frequency of sine wave current while the weld pool is excited into oscillation by superimposing sine wave current with definite frequency or regular frequency on DC current, and experiments carried out on detecting resonance signals during both stationary and travelling arc welding with variant frequency pulse current, and concludes with experimental results that penetration control can be realized by weld pool resonance when welding speed is lower than 80mm/min, and this control method is applicable to welding thin (0.5～3.0 mm) plates of carbon steel, low alloy steel, high strength steel and superhigh strength steel, and suitable for alternating polarity welding of stainless steel, titanium alloy steel and aluminum alloy.

Influence of arc pressure on the forming of molten pool in tungsten inert gas arc butt welding with micro gap for tantalum sheet

Arc pressure is the key influencing factor to forming of molten pool. Countering the characteristic of tungsten inert gas arc welding with micro gap for tantalum sheet, according to the fundament of arc physics, a distribution model of arc pressure and forming mechanism of molten pool with micro butt gap are proposed, and the influences of arc pressure on forming of molten pool are discussed. Experimental researches for the dynamic formation process of weld molten pool by using high-speed vidicon camera show that when butt gap is appropriate, that is from 0. 1 to 0. 15 mm, molten metals formed on two workpiece uplift and grow up first, then are fused and form uniform molten pool finally.

Effect of pulsed current on temperature distribution,weld bead profiles and characteristics of gas tungsten arc welded aluminum alloy joints

Temperature distribution and weld bead profiles of constant current and pulsed current gas tungsten arc welded aluminium alloy joints were compared. The effects of pulsed current welding on tensile properties, hardness profiles, microstructural features and residual stress distribution of aluminium alloy joints were reported. The use of pulsed current technique is found to improve the tensile properties of the weld compared with continuous current welding due to grain refinement occurring in the fusion zone.

Effect of post weld heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of gas tungsten arc welded AA6061-T6 alloy

Double-V butt TIG welding process was performed on two plates of AA6061-T6 using ER5356 filler. The microstructure,mechanical and nanomechanical properties of the joint were evaluated in as-welded and after post weld heat treatment (PWHT) usingXRD, FESEM, EBSD, nanoindentation and tensile tests. The results show that PWHT led to microstructural recovery of the heataffected zone (HAZ) in addition to the appearance of β-phase (Al3Mg2) at the grain boundaries of weld zone. The hardness (Hnano) inall zones increased after PWHT while the elastic modulus (Enano) was improved from 69.93 GPa to 81 GPa in weld area. All resultsindicate that PWHT has created a homogenous microstructure in the weld zone in addition to outstanding improvement inmechanical properties for the weld zone which surpass the base metal.

Study on stress and deformation of keyhole gas tungsten arc-welded joints

Keyhole gas tungsten arc welding(K-TIG)of Q345 low alloy steel plates was simulated by using SYSWELD software.The temperature field of the K-TIG welding process was simulated with three different combined heat sources and was compared with the weld profile that was obtained experimentally.The temperature field that was obtained by a combination of a double ellipsoid heat source on the upper half and a three-dimensional Gauss heat source on the lower half was similar to the real situation.The effects of plate thickness,gap and welding speed on the deformation and stress of the K-TIG welded joints were investigated by K-TIG welding numerical simulation.A reduction in the thickness of the weld plates reduced the z-direction deformation and transverse residual stress;an appropriate gap reduced the residual stress and an increase in the welding speed reduced deformation after welding,but did not help to control the residual stress after welding.

Influence of Sn addition on mechanical properties of gas tungsten arc welded AM60 Mg alloy sheets

The effects of Sn addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of gas tungsten arc butt-welded Mg?6Al?0.3Mn (AM60) (mass fraction, %) alloy sheets were investigated by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and microhardness and tensile tests. The results indicate that both the average microhardness and joint efficiency of AM60 are improved by the addition of 1% Sn (mass fraction). The ultimate tensile strength of Mg?6Al?1Sn?0.3Mn (ATM610) reaches up to 96.8% of that of base material. Moreover, fracture occurs in the fusion zone ofATM610 instead of in the heat-affected zone of AM60 welded joint. The improvement in the properties is mainly attributed to the formation of Mg2Sn, which effectively obstructs the grain coarsening in the heat-affected zone, resulting in a relatively finemicrostructure. The addition of 1% Sn improves the mechanical properties of AM60 welded joint

Microstructure characterization and mechanical properties of gas tungsten arc welded cast A356 alloy

The microstructure and mechanical properties of the gas tungsten arc welded cast A356 alloy were investigated with fillers ER1100,ER4043,ER4047 and ER5356 under the pulse frequencies of 1,3 and 5 Hz.Results showed that the filler metal and pulse frequency affected the grain structure of fusion zone considerably.The highest fraction of eutectic（44%） was formed with filler ER4047.Tensile fracture of all specimens indicated that fracture did not occur in the fusion zone.The greatest impact toughness（about 4 J） was achieved for the welds with filler ER4047 while the largest hardness（HV 90） was obtained with filler ER5356.

Microstructure and corrosion behaviour of gas tungsten arc welds of maraging steel

Superior properties of maraging steels make them suitable for the fabrication of components used for military applications like missile covering, rocket motor casing and ship hulls. Welding is the main process for fabrication of these components, while the maraging steels can be fusion welded using gas tungsten arc welding(GTAW) process. All these fabricated components require longer storage life and a major problem in welds is susceptible to stress corrosion cracking(SCC). The present study is aimed at studying the SCC behaviour of MDN 250(18% Ni) steel and its welds with respect to microstructural changes. In the present study, 5.2 mm thick sheets made of MDN 250 steel in the solution annealed condition was welded using GTAW process. Post-weld heat treatments of direct ageing(480 C for 3 h), solutionizing(815 C for 1 h) followed by ageing and homogenizing(1150 C for 1 h) followed by ageing were carried out. A mixture of martensite and austenite was observed in the microstructure of the fusion zone of solutionized and direct aged welds and only martensite in as-welded condition. Homogenization and ageing treatment have eliminated reverted austenite and elemental segregation. Homogenized welds also exhibited a marginal improvement in the corrosion resistance compared to those in the as-welded, solutionized and aged condition. Constant load SCC test data clearly revealed that the failure time of homogenized weld is much longer compared to other post weld treatments, and the homogenization treatment is recommended to improve the SCC life of GTA welds of MDN 250 Maraging steel.

Effects of pulse parameters on arc characteristics and weld penetration in hybrid pulse VP-GTAW of aluminum alloy

A novel ultrafast-convert hybrid pulse variable polarity gas tungsten arc welding process （HPVP-GTAW） is developed. High frequency pulse square-wave current which has a frequency of more than 20 kHz is exactly integrated in the positive polarity current duration. The effects of pulse current parameters on arc characteristics and weld penetration have been studied during the HPVP-GTAW process using Al-5. 8 Mg alloy plates. The arc characteristics studied by arc voltage and its profile, weld penetration noted by the ratio of weld depth to width have been found to be influenced significantly by the pulse current. The experimental results show that the HPVP-GTA W process can improve the arc profile predominantly and obtain the higher weld penetration with lower heat input. The observation may help in understanding the weld characteristics with respect to variation in the pulse current parameters which may be beneficial in using the novel HPVP-GTAW process to produce the better weld quality of aluminum alloy plates.

基于变速GTAW焊接温度场解析模型的熔深预测研究

焊接热过程解析模型是一种能够直观反映焊接过程中工件内部的热行为、明确焊接工艺参数与熔池形貌间的物理关系、快速计算得到熔深的方法.目前常用的焊接温度场解析模型通常将电弧近似为一个功率恒定的匀速运动热源进行计算,而非参考实际焊接过程,即通过实时调整焊接热输入(焊接电流或焊接速度)来保证熔透.因此,目前的焊接温度场解析模型并不适用于焊接熔透控制.为了使解析模型能够计算时变速度下的熔深,本文针对钨极氩弧焊(GTAW)工艺建立了适用于计算时变焊接速度的焊接温度场解析模型.首先以匀速移动点热源的温度场解析模型为基础,推导出了时变焊接速度移动点热源在热源作用时间内引起的温度变化公式,通过连续性证明验证了公式的连续可积性并进一步推导出了适用于时变焊接速度运动单椭球热源的焊接温度场解析模型.为了提高计算速度,减少计算量,采用坐标变化方法实现了热源及其附近温度场的快速求解.基于数值积分法得到了解析模型求解方法,实现了熔池温度场的准确计算,并通过提取等温线实现了熔深和熔宽的预测.最后,通过工艺试验验证了解析模型的精度.结果表明:在0~4 s阶段,计算熔深基本与实际测得的熔深相同,误差控制在6%以内;在速度发生改变的4~16 s阶段,由于热源系数不再适用,计算误差增大,但熔深计算误差仍控制在17%以内,熔宽计算误差在12%以内.因此,建立的焊接温度场解析模型基本可以满足时变速度下的熔深预测.

Influence of shielding gas on the mechanical and metallurgical properties of DP-GMA-welded 5083-H321 aluminum alloy

In the present research, 6-mm-thick 5083-H321 aluminum alloy was joined by the double-pulsed gas metal arc welding （DP-GMAW） process. The objective was to investigate the influence of the shielding gas composition on the microstructure and properties of GMA welds. A macrostructural study indicated that the addition of nitrogen and oxygen to the argon shielding gas resulted in better weld penetration. Furthermore, the tensile strength and bending strength of the welds were improved when oxygen and nitrogen （at concentrations as high as approximately 0. 1vol%） were added to the shielding gas; however, these properties were adversely affected when the oxygen and nitrogen contents were increased further. This behavior was attributed to the formation of excessive brown and black oxide films on the bead surface, the formation of intermetallic compounds in the weld metal, and the formation of thicker oxide layers on the bead surface with increasing nitrogen and oxygen contents in the argon-based shielding gas. Analysis by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed that most of these compounds are nitrides or oxides.

Effects of distance between arc and heat sink on stress and distortion in DC-LSND welding technology

The characteristics of temperatures, stresses and strains fields have been studied numerically for a titanium alloy sheet welded with an improved gas tungsten arc welding method, in which a trailing spot heat sink is introduced to control the welding stress and distortion. The impinging jet model is employed to describe the internee heat transfer between the cooling media and the top suufuce of the workpiece. The influcnee of the distance between arc and heat sink is investigated. Results show that there is an ideal range of distance. Using the ideal distance, a low stress and no distortion welding structure can be derived.

Effect of Gravity on Arc Shape in GTA Welding-for Low Electric Arc Current

Gas tungsten arc (GTA) welding was performed both in a microgravity environment and in a terrestrial environment,and the arc shapes in both environments were compared. A microgravity condition was obtained using the free fallsystem at the Japan Microgravity Center. The system can maintain a 10 s microgravity of less than 10-5 g. Awater-cooled Cu plate was used to simplify the arc phenomenon. The electric arc current was between 15 and 80 A,and the shielding and atmospheric gas was 99.9995% Ar and its flowing rate was 10 l/min. The polarity was a directcurrent electrode negative (DCEN). The arc gap was 3 mm and careful attention was also paid to the arc gap in boththe terrestrial and microgravity environments being the same. As a result, it was found that no effect of gravity onthe arc shape is observed under general welding conditions (over 60 A). When the electric arc current is lower than25 A, the arc shape is determined by the initial position of the arc root and is constant with time. Accordingly, itcan not be judged whether or not the arc shape is affected by gravity for this range. When the electric arc current isbetween 25 A and 60 A, it is estimated that the arc shape is not affected by gravity though it is occasionally affectedby other minor effects.