Study on heat efficiency of laser-TIG double-side welding

A series of laser-TIG double-side welding experiments for aluminum alloys were carried out to investigate the heat efficiency of the process. The melting efficiency was introduced to evaluate quantitatively the degree of the mutual effect of the laser and the arc. The results showed that the melting efficiency of laser-TIG double-side welding exceeded the sum of the laser and the arc taken separately. With the increase of heat input, the weld depth and melting efficiency of the laser and the arc were increased signifwantly. This, in fact, implies the strong mutual effect of the laser and the arc as heat sources joined simultaneously in the process. Comparatively, the higher efficiency of the laser constituent of heat sources plays the main role in the increase of the process efficiency. The phenomena of arc column convergence, increased laser absorptivity and the formation of heat accumulation region are the causes of the improvement of heat efficiency.

Effect of laser parameters on arc behavior of laser-TIG double-side welding for aluminum alloy

The influence of laser parameters on are beharior of laser-TIC, dauble-side welding was investigated by utilizing CCD sensor and intage processing methods. It was found that are images had an obvious transformation from laser preheating to laser plasma ejected from the keyhole bottom, resulting in the phenomena of arc column convergence and arc root constrictian. The attraction phenomenon of the laser and the arc is also found in laser-TIG double-side welding. More noteworthy is that the behavior of arc attraction or constriction became much obvious at a lower current or laser plasma ejected from the keyhole bottom. The decrease in arc voltage had a certain relation u＇ith the improvement of arc stabilio.

Numerical Simulation of Current Density Distribution in Keyhole Double-Sided Arc Welding

In the double-sided arc welding system (DSAW) composing of PAW+TIG arcs, the PAW arc is guided by the TIG arc so that the current mostly flows through the direction of the workpiece thickness and the penetration is greatly improved. To analyze the current density distribution in DSAW is beneficial to understanding of this process. Considering all kinds of dynamic factors acting on the weldpool, this paper discusses firstly the surface deformation of the weldpool and the keyhole formation in PAW+TIG DSAW process on the basis of the magnetohydrodynamic theory and variation principles. Hence, a model of the current density distribution is developed. Through numerical simulation, the current density distribution in PAW+TIG DSAW process is quantitatively analyzed. It shows that the minimal radius of keyhole formed in PAW+TIG DSAW process is 0.5 mm and 89.5 percent of current flows through the keyhole.

Keyhole Double-Sided Arc Welding Process

In the proposed method, the current/arc is guided through the keyhole so that the energy of the plasma jet is compensated while it is consumed in heating the workpiece along the keyhole. As a result, deep narrow penetration has been achieved on 12.7 mm (1/2') thick stainless steel plates using 70 A welding current.

Numerical Simulation of Electromagnetic Force in Double-Sided Arc Welding Process

Up till now, most of the researchers believe that there are four kinds of forces in the weld pool convection, they aresurface tension, electromagnetic force, buoyancy and gas shear stress. So electromagnetic force is very important,especially when large current is applied. In most of previous models, the electromagnetic force is calculated analytically,in which only the axial component of current is considered. Actually the radial component of current has thesame effect, and may be advanced in some locations. In double-sided arc welding process, instead of the earthclamp, another torch is placed on the opposite side; the current will go from one torch, through the weld zone,to another torch. In this case, the current is more concentrated in the weld zone; the electromagnetic force willhave significant effect compared with conventional welding process. In this paper, a new method of numericalcalculation for electromagnetic force is developed, in which both axial and radial components are considered. And asan example, the distribution of electromagnetic force in double-sided arc welding is calculated. It demonstrates thatthis new method could give more accurate simulation of electromagnetic force, and is close to the actual process.

Effect of arc distance on temperature field and weld shape during double-sided arc welding

A new high efficiency welding method, double-sided double arc welding with double powers （DSAW-D）, is developed for thick plate of low alloy high strength steel in this study. It is well known that the thermal cycles have an important influence on the microstructure, shape, stress, distortion and mechanical property. The DSA W-D method can control the temperature field on a wide range by regulating the distance between two arcs, improve the microstructure and prevent hot and cold cracking of high strength steel. But at present, the effect of arc distance on the temperature field and shape is not clear. Therefore, the paper researches the effect of arc distance on the temperature field and weld pool during DSAW-D using finite element method. The transient temperature field of different arc distance in DSAW-D is calculated. To verify the numerical results, the temperature is measured by the thermo-couple and the calculated results agree approximately with experimental data. Farther, the thermal property and mutual effect of double-sided arcs are investigated. The temperature distributions and weld pool profile at different arc distances are obtained. The results show that arc distance is a very important factor to affect the heat process.

Microstructure of stainless steel weld in double-sided arc welding

Double-sided arc welding with a single power source can effectively increase the weld penetration, diminish distortion, improve welding speed and save energy. Compared to conventional arc welding processes, double-sided arc welding can generate a penetrating electromaguetic field to help to form fine dendritic microstrueture in the weld due to the symmetry of heating. Type 1Cr1SNi9Ti aastenitic stainless steel was bead-on-plate welded with double-sided arc welding and conventional plasma arc welding processes, respectively, and microstructure in the weld, heat-affected zone and base metal were examined. After analyzing the black carbon-enriched band in the weld during plasma arc welding with electron probe microanalyzer （ EPMA ） and X-ray diffraction （XRD） technology, it was found that the black band was shaped from the aggregation of ferrite in the fasion boundary. Hardness measurement showed that this black band does not apparently affect the microhardncss distribution in the weld.

Microstructures and hardness of flat-overhead weld of the high strength steel thick plate using double-sided arc welding

High strength steel thick plate is widely used in shipbuilding, pressure vessels, etc. , the balance between weld quality and welding efficiency is becoming a research focus. In this paper, double-sided double arc fiat-overhead welding experiments for high strength steel thick plate were conducted. Microstructures of weld have been observed through optical microscope （OM） and scanning electron microscope （SEM）. Transformation of microstructures under thermal cycles of multi peaks was analyzed. Macro and micro hardness were also tested. The results show that the heat-affected zone （HAZ） near the fusion line experiences thermal cycles up to three times. The microstructures there are the most complex, including coarse lath martensite in original coarse-grained zone, and net-like structure along grain boundaries in critical reheat coarse-grained zone. After several times of tempering for bucking welding, the features of acicula and lath are weakened. Its microstructure approaches to the microstructure of base metal which is tempering sorbite. The hardness test shows that the maximum hardness occurs at critical reheat coarse-grained zone, the hardness of reticulation structure at grain boundary can be up to 450 HV.

MODEL OF LASER-TIG HYBRID WELDING HEAT SOURCE

The welding mechanism of laser-TIG hybrid welding process is analyzed. Withthe variation of arc current, the welding process is divided into two patterns: deep-penetrationwelding and heat conductive welding. The heat flow model of hybrid welding is presented. As todeep-penetration welding, the heat source includes a surface heat flux and a volume heat flux. Theheat source of heat conductive welding is composed of two Gaussian distribute surface heat sources.With this heat source model, a temperature field is calculated. The finite element code MARC isemployed for this purpose. The calculation results show a good agreement with the experimental data.

Welding characteristics in different laser-TIG hybrid manners

An experiment for determining the laser-TIG hybrid welding characteristics was carried out in three kinds of hybrid methods: CO_2 laser-TIG coaxial hybrid, CO_2 laser-TIG paraxial hybrid and Nd: YAG laser-TIG paraxial hybrid. The experimental results indicate that hybrid welding has two welding mechanisms in CO_2 laser-TIG hybrid welding: deep penetration welding and heat conduction welding. As the effect of the laser-induced keyhole, the arc root is condensed, the current density and penetration depth increase significantly, the welding characteristic is apt to deep penetration welding. When current increases to some degree, the keyhole induced by laser disappears, which produces a shallow penetration and wide bead. The weld exhibits heat conduction welding characteristics. Furthermore, the arc images and weld bead cross-sections of three kinds of hybrid manners were also compared and analyzed at different welding currents, which established the foundation for understanding the welding characteristics of laser-TIG hybrid welding comprehensively.

Numerical Analysis of Energy Effect in Laser-TIG Hybrid Welding

The hybrid source that combined CO2 laser with TIG arc to proceed welding was analyzed. Based on an energymodel, the temperature field and weld shape were calculated numerically. The heat transfer characteristic of thehybrid heat source to workpiece and its effect to weld shape were also analyzed. Through analyzing the enhancementeffect of the hybrid heat source, the absorption effect and defocusing effect of the hybrid arc to laser were calculated,and the regularity of the energy density to the current was obtained subsequently. At last, the critical energy matchesto induce the enhancement effect of CO2 laser-TIG arc hybrid welding were obtained.

Novel hybrid method: pulse CO_2 laser-TIG hybrid welding by coordinated control

In continuous wave CO2 laser-TlG hybrid welding process, the laser energy is not fully utilized because of the absorption and defocusing by plasma in the arc space. Therefore, the optimal welding result can only be achieved in a limited energy range. In order to improve the welding performance further, a novel hybrid welding method--pulse CO2 laser-TIG arc hybrid welding by coordinated control is proposed and investigated. The experimental results indicate that, compared with continuous wave CO2 laser-TIG hybrid welding, the absorption and defocusing of laser energy by plasma are decreased further, and at the same time, the availability ratio of laser and arc energy can be increased when a coordinated frequency is controlled. As a result, the weld appearance is also improved as well as the weld depth is deepened. Furthermore, the effect of frequency and phase of pulse laser and TIG arc on the arc images and welding characteristics is also studied. However, the novel hybrid method has great potentials in the application of industrials from views of techniques and economy.

Research on weldability of ZL101/TiB2 MMCs by laser-TIG hybrid welding

The weldability of in situ TiB2 reinforced ZL101 metal matrix composites （ MMCs） was examined using laser-TIG hybrid welding technology. High speed camera was employed to observe the coupled results between laser plume and electric arc. Optical microscope （OM） , scanning electron microscope （SEM） , tensile machine and wearing equipment were used to evaluate the quality of welding joint. The effective hybrid welding was realized and defect-free seam was obtained when the laser power （8 kW）, TIG current （ 100 A） and welding speed （3 nv/min ） were combined. TiB2 distribution became much more homogeneous than the pre-welded, and microstructure of seam was .finer obviously. Tensile and wear resistance test showed that the weld seam presented higher strength and better wear-reslstance properties than the base metal. The results indicated that TiB2 reinforced aluminum matrix composites were successfully welded using the laser-T1G hybrid welding method.

Numerical simulation of dynamic thermal process during doublesided asymmetrical TIG backing welding of large thick plates

The dynamic thermal process during double-sided asymmetrical TIG backing welding of large thick plates （ 1 000 mm×700 mm×50 mm） is numerically simulated using MSC. MARC. The effect of arc distance on the thermal cycle in weld zone during double-sided asymmetrical T1G backing welding is investigated. The results show that the workpiece experiences double-peak thermal cycle in double-sided asymmetrical TIG backing welding. On the one hand, the fore arc has the pre- heating effect on the rear pass, and the pre-heating temperature depends on the distance between the double arcs, the heat input of fore arc, and the initial temperature of workpiece. On the other hand, the rear arc has the post-heating effect on the fore pass. The mutual effects of two heat sources decrease with the increase of arc distance.

Penetration mechanism of aluminum alloy in double-sided GTAW process

The penetration mechanism of aluminum alloy in double-sided gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process was probed by means of theoretical analysis, experimentation and numerical simulation. The results show that, firstly, the welding current goes straight through the weld zone, forms a stronger electromagnetic force field, and causes a stronger fluid flow in the weld pool. Secondly, during double-sided GTAW process, when the weld is partial penetrated, a heat-congregated zone forms between the bottoms of the two weld pools, where the temperature can increase quickly even though only a small amount of heat is input. Thirdly, the buoyancy force causes an inward flow in the bottom weld pool, which can drive the hot liquid on the surface to the bottom of the pool.

On the double-side probeless friction stir spot welding of AA2198 Al-Li alloy

Double-side probeless friction stir spot welding (DP-FSSW) of AA2198 alloy was conducted to investigate the microstructure and mechanical properties. Compared with common single-side probeless friction stir spot welding (P-FSSW), the plastic strain during DP-FSSW is nearly symmetrical with respect to the bondline to suppress the extension of hook defect, which is detrimental to the joint mechanical strength. With DP-FSSW, a fully metallurgically bonded region has formed due to severe plastic deformation at high temperatures. Tensile/shear tests show that the joint strength could exceed 8 kN, which is comparable to P-FSSW and refill FSSW, and all fractures happen in a shear failure mode as cracks extend along the in terface of two sheets. The microhard ness profile exhibits a uniform distribution along the thick ness direction, in which the hook defect shows the lowest value.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of double-side friction stir welded 6082Al ultra-thick plates

In the present work,80 mm thick 6082Al alloy plates were successfully double-side welded by friction stir welding(FSW).The relationship between the microstructures and mechanical properties was built for the double-side FSW butt joint with more attention paid to the local characteristic zones.It was shown that a phenomenon of microstructural inhomogeneity existed in the nugget zone(NZ)through the thickness direction.The grain size presented an obvious gradient distribution from the top to the bottom for each single-pass weld,and the microhardness values decreased from both surfaces to the middle of the NZ.The lowest hardness zone(LHZ)exhibited a"hyperbolical"-shaped distribution extending to the middle of the NZ.Similar tensile properties were obtained in the three sliced specimens of the FSW joint,and the joint coefficient reached about 70%which achieved the same level as the conventional FSW Al alloy joints.Finite element modeling proved that the"hyperbolical"-shaped heat affected zone(HAZ)was beneficial to resisting the strain concentration in the middle layer specimen which helped to increase the tensile strength.Based on the analysis of the hardness contour map,tensile property and microstructural evolution of the joints,an Isothermal Softening Layer(ISL)model was proposed and established,which may have a helpful guidance for the optimization on the FSW of ultra-thick Al alloy plates.

Joint Characteristics and Corrosion Properties of Bypass-Current Double-Sided Arc-Welded Aluminum 6061 Alloy with Al–Si Filler Metal

Sheets of aluminum 6061 alloy were welded using bypass-current double-sided arc welding with Al-Si filler wire to investigate the effect of Al-Si intermetallic compounds on the microstructure, microhardness and corrosion behavior of weld joint. Experimental results indicated that the Al4.5FeSi phase in the topside of the weld joint was finer than that in the backside and newly formed phase of Al0.5Fe3Si0.5 was observed in the backside. The formation of reinforcing phases of Al-Fe-Si in the weld improved the microhardness of the weld by about 18%. The corrosion resistance of the weld zone was greater than that of the base metal, while the corrosion current displayed opposite, and the corrosion resistance of the weld region was better than that of the base metal.

Joining mechanism of Mg alloy/steel butt joints with Cu-Zn interlayer by hybrid laser-TIG welding source

Hybrid laser-TIG （tungsten inert gas） welding technology was used to join the Mg to steel with Cu-Zn interlayer. The effect of Al content in Mg alloy on the interface bonding of AZ31BMg/Q235 steel dissimilar butt joints was investigated. For comparison, ZK60 Mg alloy with no Al addition and AZ31 Mg alloy were utilized. The results showed that AZ31/Q235 butt joints with Cu-Zn interlayer, of which the fractures occurred in the Mg weld seam, showed quite sound and reliable interface bonding. The obvious concentration of element Al occurred along the Mg/steel interface. The results indicated that the addition of Cu-Zn interlayer, especially Zn, could significantly decrease the reaction temperature of Fe-Al at the Mg/ steel interface and promote the formation of reaction layer along the interface. The diffusion of Al element on the Mg-Fe interface was increased by the Cu-Zn interlayer. For ZK60 Mg alloy, Mg and Zn approaching the Mg-Fe interface were evaporated. The intense vaporizing could inhibit the direct contact between steel and Mg weld pool, even destroying the possible formation of reaction layer. The intimate interface bonding of AZ31/Q235 butt joints was attributed to the synergistic effect of element AI and Cu.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Dissimilar Double-Side Friction Stir Welds Between Medium-Thick 6061-T6 Aluminum and Pure Copper Plates

It is difficult to achieve Al/Cu dissimilar welds with good mechanical properties for medium-thick plates due to the inherent high heat generation rate at the shoulder-workpiece contact interface in conventional friction stir welding.Thus,doubleside friction stir welding is innovatively applied to join 12-mm medium-thick 6061-T6 aluminum alloy and pure copper dissimilar plates,and the effect of welding speeds on the joint microstructure and mechanical properties of Al/Cu welds is systematically analyzed.It reveals that a sound Al/Cu joint without macroscopic defects can be achieved when the welding speed is lower than 180 mm/min,while a nonuniform relatively thick intermetallic compound(IMC)layer is formed at the Al/Cu interface,resulting in lots of local microcracks within the first-pass weld under the plunging force of the tool during friction stir welding of the second-pass,and seriously deteriorates the mechanical properties of the joint.With the increase of welding speed to more than 300 mm/min void defects appear in the joint,but the joint properties are still better than the welds performed at low welding speed conditions since a continuous uniform thin IMCs layer is formed at the Al/Cu interface.The maximum tensile strength and elongation of Al/Cu weld are,respectively,135.11 MPa and 6.06%,which is achieved at the welding speed of 400 mm/min.In addition,due to the influence of welding distortion of the first-pass weld,the secondpass weld is more prone to form void defects than the first-pass weld when the same plunge depth is applied on both sides.The double-side friction stir welding is proved to be a good method for dissimilar welding of medium-thick Al/Cu plates.