Improvement of Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Rapid Cooling Friction Stir-welded A1050 Pure Aluminum

Two-mm thick A1050 pure aluminum plates were successfully joined by conventional and rapid cooling friction stir welding(FSW), respectively. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the welded joints were investigated by electron backscatter diffraction characterization, Vickers hardness measurements, and tensile testing. The results showed that liquid CO_(2) coolant significantly reduced the peak temperature and increased the cooling rate, so the rapidly cooled FSW joint exhibited fine grains with a large number of dislocations. The grain refinement mechanism of the FSW A1050 pure aluminum joint was primarily attributed to the combined effects of continuous dynamic recrystallization, grain subdivision, and geometric dynamic recrystallization. Compared with conventional FSW, the yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and fracture elongation of rapidly cooled FSW joint were significantly enhanced, and the welding efficiency was increased from 80% to 93%. The enhanced mechanical properties and improved synergy of strength and ductility were obtained due to the increased dislocation density and remarkable grain refinement. The wear of the tool can produce several WC particles retained in the joint, and the contribution of second phase strengthening to the enhanced strength should not be ignored.

Microstructure and mechanical performance of AZ31/6061 lap joints welded by laser-TIG hybrid welding with Zn-Al alloy filler metal

A series of Zn-xAl(x=0-35 wt.%)alloy filler metals were designed to join AZ31 Mg alloy to 6061 Al alloy by laser-TIG hybrid welding.The effect of Al content on the wettability of filler metals,microstructure evolution and strength of joint was investigated.The results indicated that the strength of joints was improved with the increase of Al content in filler metals.When Zn-15Al filler was used,the ultimate fracture load reached the maximum of 1475.3 N/cm,which was increased by 28%than that with pure Zn filler.The reason is that the Al element acts as a"reaction depressant"in filler metal,which contributes to inhibiting the dissolution of Mg base metal and the Mg-Zn reaction.The addition of appropriate quantity of Al element promoted the precipitation of Al-rich solid solution instead of Zn solid solution.The MgZn_(2) IMCs have lower lattice mismatch with Al solid solution than Zn solid solution,thus the strength of joints is improved.However,the excessive addition of Al caused the formation of brittle Mg32(Al,Zn)49 ternary compounds,leading to the deterioration of joint performance.

Beam oscillating parameters on pore inhibition,recrystallization and grain boundary characteristics of laser-arc hybrid welded AZ31 magnesium alloy

Oscillating laser-arc hybrid welding of AZ31B magnesium alloy was carried out,the effects of beam oscillation parameters on pore inhibition,microstructure,grain boundary characteristics and tensile properties were investigated.The results showed that the pore formation can be inhibited with oscillating frequency higher than 75 Hz and radius smaller than 0.5 mm.The columnar grains neighboring the fusion line can be broken by the beam oscillation behavior,while the grain growth was promoted with the increase of frequency or radius.It should be noted that the coincidence site lattice(CSL)boundaries were mainlyΣ13b andΣ29 boundaries,which were contributed by{10■2}tensile twins and{11■2}compression twins,respectively.The total fraction of CSL boundaries reached maximum at radius of 0.25 mm and frequency of 75 Hz,which was also confirmed as the optimized parameters.In this case,the elongation rate increased up to 13.2%,12.8%higher than that of the weld without beam oscillation.Finally,the pore formation and inhibition mechanisms were illustrated according to the state of melt flow and keyhole formation,the abnormal growth was discussed basing on secondary recrystallization,and the relationship among the pore formation,grain size,boundary characteristics and weld toughness were finally established.

Microstructure homogeneity and mechanical properties of laser-arc hybrid welded AZ31B magnesium alloy

Laser-arc hybrid welding of AZ31B magnesium alloy was carried out,the effects of welding parameters on weld formation,microstructure homogeneity and mechanical properties were investigated.The results showed that laser-arc hybrid welding was beneficial to improve the weld formation of magnesium alloy by inhibiting the defect of undercut and pores.The weld microstructure was mainly columnar grains neighboring the fusion line and equiaxed grains at the weld center.It was interesting that the grain size at the upper arc zone was smaller than that at the lower laser zone,with the difference mainly affected by laser power rather than welding current and welding speed.The welding parameters were optimized as laser power of 3.5 kW,welding current of 100 A and welding speed of 1.5 m/min.In this case,the weld was free of undercut and pores,and the tensile strength and elongation rate reached 252 MPa and 11.2%,respectively.Finally,the microstructure homogeneity was illustrated according to the heat distribution,and the evolution law of tensile properties was discussed basing on the weld formation and microstructure characteristics.

Strengthening strategy for high-performance friction stir lap welded joints based on 5083 Al alloy

During aircraft,ship,and automobile manufacturing,lap structures are frequently produced among Al alloy skins,wall panels,and stiffeners.The occurrence of welding defects severely decreases mechanical properties during friction stir lap welding(FSLW).This study focuses on investigating the effects of rotation rate,multipass welding,and cooling methods on lap defect formation,microstructural evolution,and mechanical properties.Hook defects were eliminated by decreasing welding speed,applying two-pass FLSW with a small welding tool,and introducing additional water cooling,thus leading to a remarkable increase in effective sheet thickness and lap width.This above strategy yielded defect-free joints with an ultrafine-grained microstructure and increased tensile shear force from 298 to 551 N/mm.The fracture behavior of FSLW joints was systematically studied,and a fracture factor of lap joints was proposed to predict their fracture mode.By reducing the rotation rate,using two-pass welding,and employing additional water cooling strategies,an enlarged,strengthened,and defect-free lap zone with refined ultrafine grains was achieved with a quality comparable to that of lap welds based on 7xxx Al alloys.Importantly,this study provides a valuable FSLW method for eliminating hook defects and improving joint performance.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of continuous drive friction welded Ti_(2)AlNb alloy under different rotational rates

Ti_(2)AlNb-based alloy was joined in a continuous drive friction welding machine under different rotational rates(500,1000 and 1500 r/min).The microstructure and mechanical properties of the joints were investigated.It is shown that the weld zone(WZ) is fully composed of recrystallized B2 phase,and the grain size decreases with increasing rotational rate.The thermo-mechanically affected zone(TMAZ) suffers severe deformation during welding,due to which most of original precipitation phase is dissolved and streamlines are present.In the heat affected zone(HAZ),only the fine O phase is dissolved.The as-welded joint produced using 1000 r/min has the best mechanical properties,whose strength and elongation are both close to those of the base metal,while the as-welded joint obtained using 500 r/min exhibits the worst mechanical properties.Post-weld annealing treatment annihilates the deformation microstructure and fine O phase precipitates in the joints,consequently improving the mechanical properties significantly.Decomposed α_(2) phase is a weakness for the mechanical performance of the joint since microcracks are apt to form in it in the tensile test.

Effect of long-term thermal exposure on microstructure of laser-welded UNS N10003 alloy

The evolution of the microstructure and tensile rupture mechanism of laser welds in UNS N10003 alloy exposed to 700℃are investigated.Fine M_(6)C carbides precipitate around the primary eutectic M_(6)C-γcarbides in the fusion zone after 100 h of exposure.During long-term thermal exposure,the size of the fine M_(6)C carbides increased.The eutectic M_(6)C-γcarbides in the as-welded fusion zone transformed into spherical M_(6)C carbides as the exposure time extends to 10000 h.Additionally,the spherical M_(6)C particles exhibit size coarsening with increasing exposure time.The tensile properties of the welded joints are not adversely affected by the evolution of eutectic M_(6)C-γcarbides and the coarsening of M_(6)C carbides.

LDH sealing for PEO coated friction stir welded AZ31/AA5754 materials

The need to combine various metals in light-weight constructions requires the development of coatings that prevent galvanic corrosion.Layered double hydroxides(LDHs)can be an example of such coatings,which were previously successfully obtained in situ on individual materials.In addition,the possibility of LDH growth(including LDH growth in the presence of chelating agents)on the surface of plasma electrolytic oxidation(PEO)-coated metals was previously shown.This PEO+LDH combination could improve both corrosion and mechanical characteristics of the system.The possibility of LDHs formation in situ on the surface of PEO-coated friction stir welded(FSW)magnesium-aluminum materials(AZ31/AA5754 system was selected as a model one)was demonstrated in the presence of 1,3-diamino-2-hydroxypropane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid(DHPTA)as a chelating agent,which was selected based on analysis of respective metal-ligand compounds stability.LDHs growth was achieved under ambient pressure without addition of carbonates in the electrolyte.The effectiveness of the resulting coating is shown both for corrosion resistance and hardness.

Numerical Simulation Analysis of Welded Joints in Arch Ribs of Large Span Steel Pipe Arch Bridges

In order to study the residual stress distribution law of welded joints of arch ribs of large-span steel pipe concrete arch bridges,numerical simulation of temperature,stress and strain fields based on ABAQUS for welded joints of arch-ribbed steel tubes using 7-,8-and 9-layer welds is carried out and its accuracy is demonstrated.The steel pipe welding temperature changes,residual stress distribution,different processes residual stress changes in the law,the prediction of post-weld residual stress distribution and deformation are studied in this paper.The results show that the temperature field values and test results are more consistent with the accuracy of numerical simulation of welding,the welding process is mainly in the form of heat transfer;Residual high stresses are predominantly distributed in the Fusion zone(FZ)and Heat-affected zone(HAZ),with residual stress levels tending to decrease from the center of the weld along the axial path,the maximum stress appears in the FZ and HAZ junction;The number of welding layers has an effect on the residual stress distribution,the number of welding layers increases,the residual stress tends to decrease,while the FZ and HAZ high stress area range shrinks;Increasing the number of plies will increase the amount of residual distortion.

Comparison of FSW and TIG welded joints in Al-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy plates

In order to study the welding process,microstructure and properties of Al-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy,comparative methods of friction stir welding（FSW） and tungsten inert gas（TIG） were applied to the two conditions of this alloy,namely hot rolled plate and cold rolled-annealed plate.The relationships between microstructures and properties of the welded joints were investigated by means of optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.Compared with the base metal,the strength of FSW and TIG welded joints decreased,and the FSW welding coefficients were higher than the TIG welding coefficients.The loss of substructure strengthening and a very little loss of precipitation strengthening of Al3（Sc,Zr） cause the decreased strength of FSW welded joint.But for the TIG welded joint,the disappearance of both the strain hardening and most precipitation strengthening effect of Al3（Sc,Zr） particles contributed to its softening.At the same time,the grains in weld nugget zone of FSW welded joints were finer than those in the molten zone of TIG welded joints.

Microstructure and defect of titanium alloy electron beam deep penetration welded joint

The microstructure, phase composition and cold shut defect of thick titanium alloy electron beam welded joint were studied. The results showed that the microstructure of weld zone was composed of α′ phase; the heat affected zone was divided into fine-grained zone and coarse-grained zone, the microstructure of fine-grained zone was primary α phase ＋ β phase ＋ equiaxed α phase, and the microstructure of coarse-grained zone was primary α phase ＋ acicular α′ phase; the microstructure of base metal zone basically consisted of primary α phase, and a small amount of residual β phase sprinkled. The forming. reason of cold shut was analyzed, and the precaution of cold shut was proposed.

Effects of weld reinforcement on tensile behavior and mechanical properties of 2219-T87 aluminum alloy TIG welded joints

Tungsten inert gas （TIG） welded joints for 2219-T87 aluminum alloy are often used in the fuel tanks of large launch vehicles. Because of the massive loads these vehicles carry, dealing with weld reinforcement on TIG joints represents an important issue in their manufacturing and strength evaluation. Experimental and numerical simulation methods were used to investigate the effects of weld toe shape and weld toe position on the tensile behavior and mechanical properties of these joints. The simulation results indicated that the relative difference in elongation could be as large as 96.9% caused by the difference in weld toe shape. The joints with weld toes located in the weld metal or in the partially melted zone （PMZ） exhibited larger elongation than joints with weld toes located at the juncture of the weld metal and the PMZ.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of pulsed laser welded Al/steel dissimilar joint

Pulsed laser welding was used in joining pure aluminum to stainless steel in a lap joint configuration. It is found that the mechanical properties of the laser joints were closely correlated with the bead geometry, i.e., penetration depth. In order to study the correlation, two typical laser welds with different penetration depths were analyzed. In high penetration depth (354 μm) joint, Al-rich Fe?Al IMCs with microcracks were formed at the Al/fusion zone (FZ) interface. The joint strength was found to be (27.2±1.7) N/mm and three failure modes were observed near the Al/FZ interface. In low penetration depth (108 μm) joint, Fe-rich Fe?Al IMCs without any defect were formed at the Al/FZ interface. The joint strength was found to be (46.2±1.9) N/mm and one failure mode was observed across the FZ.

Microstructures and properties of welded joint of aluminum alloy to galvanized steel by Nd:YAG laser + MIG arc hybrid brazing-fusion welding

According to the differences in melting point between aluminum alloy and steel, 6013-T4 aluminum alloy was joined to galvanized steel by large spot Nd：YAG laser ＋ MIG arc hybrid brazing-fusion welding with ER4043（AlSi5） filler wire. The microstructures and mechanical properties of the brazed-fusion welded joint were investigated. The joint is divided into two parts of fusion weld and brazed seam. There is a zinc-rich zone at fusion weld toe, which consists of α（Al）-Zn solid solution and Al-Zn eutectic. The brazed seam is the Fe-Al intermetallic compounds （IMCs） layer of 2-4μm in thickness, and the IMCs include FeAl2, Fe2Al5 and Fe4Al13. FeAl2 and Fe2Al5 are located in the compact reaction layer near the steel side, and Fe4Al13 with tongue shape or sawtooth shape grows towards the fusion weld. The tensile strength of the joint firstly increases and then decreases as the welding current and laser power increase, the highest tensile strength can be up to 247.3 MPa, and the fracture usually occurs at fusion zone of the fusion weld. The hardness is the highest at the brazed seam because of hard Fe-Al IMCs, and gradually decreases along the fusion weld and galvanized steel, respectively.

Causes and control of welding cracks in electron-beam-welded superalloy GH4169 joints

Welding joint of GH4169 alloy with a good formation was obtained. No macroscopic defects occurred in the joint. The weld had mainly a dendritic structure; the base metal was a solid solution of Ni, Cr, and Fe, and the strengthening-phase particles such as Ni3Nb were dispersively distributed along the grain boundary. The average tensile strength of the joint reached 743.7 MPa, and the Vickers hardness of the weld exceeded HV 300. Because of the segregation of the low-melting compound Ni3Nb at the grain boundary of the fusion zone, liquid cracks tended to occur as a result of welding stress. The formation of liquid cracks was inhibited by adding an alloying element, Mn, to the welding bath, because Mn diffused to the fusion zone and the high-melting phase Mn2Nb formed, and thus the overall properties of the joint were improved.

High temperature tensile properties of laser butt-welded plate of Inconel 718 superalloy with ultra-fine grains

For successfully forming multi-sheet cylinder sandwich structure of Inconel 718 superalloy, high temperature tensile properties of laser butt-welded plate of Inconel 718 superalloy were studied. The experiment results show that tensile direction has great effect on elongation of the laser butt-welded plate. Under conditions of transverse direction tension, the maximum elongation reaches 458.56% at 950 °C with strain rate of 3.1-10-4 s-1, in which the strain rate sensitivity value m is 0.352 and the welding seam is not deformed. Under conditions of longitudinal direction tension, the maximum elongation is 178.96% at 965 °C with strain rate of 6.2-10-4 s-1, in which m-value is 0.261, and the welding seam contributes to the deformation with the matrix. The microstructure in as-welded fusion zone is constituted of austenite dendrites and Laves phase precipitated in interdendrites. After longitudinal direction tension, a mixed microstructure with dendrite and equiaxed crystal appears in the welding seam due to dynamic recrystallization. After high temperature deforming, many δ-phase grains are transformed from Laves phase grains but a small part of residual Laves phase grains still exist in the welding seam. The deformation result of multi-sheet cylinder sandwich structure verifies that high temperature plasticity of the laser butt-welded plate can meet the requirement of superplastic forming.

Effects of heat treatment on microstructure and microhardness of linear friction welded dissimilar Ti alloys

A detailed investigation for the influence of post weld heat treatment （PWHT） on the microstructure of TC4 and TC17 dissimilar joints was analyzed. The fully transformed microstructure in the as-welded zone indicated that the peak temperature exceeded theβ-transus temperature at the weld interface during linear friction welding. TC4 side was mainly composed of martensiteα′phase with random distribution and it was singleβfor that of TC17. In the thermomechanically affected zones of TC4 and TC17, the structure undergoes severe plastic deformation and re-orientation, yet without altering the phase fractions. After PWHT, in the weld zone of TC4 alloy, the phase transformationα′→α＋βoccurred and the acicularαwas coarsened, which resulted in a decrease in hardness. In the weld zone of TC17 alloy, fineαphase precipitated at the grain boundary and withinβgrains, which resulted in a sharp increase in hardness.

Microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of TIG welded superalloy GH625

The tungsten inert gas welding（TIG） technique was employed to weld the nickel-based wrought superalloy GH625, and the microstructures, element distribution, grain boundary character and mechanical properties of the welded joint were investigated systematically. The results indicated that the welded seam was of austenite dendrite crystal structure and no obvious heat affected zone（HAZ） was observed. A number of precipitated δ phases with homogeneous distribution were observed in the interdendritic region of the weld fusion zone. The abnormal phenomenon observed in the weld fusion zone of GH625, i.e., higher hardness and larger grain size compared with the base metal, may be attributed to the precipitated δ phase in the weld fusion zone. The higher tensile strength in the base metal was mainly attributed to the presence of more contents of fine grains and twin boundaries, while the lower elongation in the welded joint was mainly owing to the precipitated δ phase.

Fatigue behavior of AZ31B magnesium alloy electron beam welded joint based on infrared thermography

Fatigue behavior of AZ31B magnesium alloy electron beam welded joint undergoing cyclic loading was investigated by infrared thermography. Temperature evolution throughout a fatigue process was presented and the mechanism of heat generationwas discussed. Fatigue limit of the welded joint was predicted and the fatigue damage was also assessed based ontheevolution of the temperatureand hotspot zone on the specimen surfaceduring fatigue tests. The presented results show that infrared thermography can not onlyquicklypredict the fatigue behavior of the welded joint, but also qualitatively identify the evolution of fatigue damage in real time. It is found that the predicted fatigue limit agrees well with the conventionalS-Nexperimental results. The evolution of the temperatureand hotspot zone on the specimen surface can be an effectivefatigue damage indicatorfor effectiveevaluationof magnesium alloy electron beam welded joint.

Structure and mechanical properties of aluminum alloy/Ag interlayer/steel non-centered electron beam welded joints

Electron beam welding was carried out between aluminum alloy and steel with Ag interlayer. Seam morphology, structure and mechanical properties of the joints were investigated with different action positions of the electron beam spot. The results show that with the increment of the beam offset to the silver side from the interface between silver and steel, the seam morphology was improved, and the porosity in the Ag interlayer vanished. A transition layer mainly composed of Ag2Al and Al eutectic was formed at the interface between silver and aluminum, and became thin and spiccato as the beam offset increased. When the beam offset was too large, two IMC layers composed of FeAl and FeAl3 respectively were formed at the interface between steel and Ag interlayer. The optimal beam offset was 0.2 mm, and the maximum tensile strength of the joint was 193 MPa, 88.9% that of the aluminum alloy, and the fracture occurred at the interface between steel and Ag interlayer.