Underwater Laser Welding/Cladding for High-performance Repair of Marine Metal Materials:A Review

With the rapid developments of marine resource exploitation,mounts of marine engineering equipment are settled on the ocean.When it is not possible to move the damaged equipment into a dry dock,welding operations must be performed in underwater environments.The underwater laser welding/cladding technique is a promising and advanced technique which could be widely applied to the maintenance of the damaged equipment.The present review paper aims to present a critical analysis and engineering overview of the underwater laser welding/cladding technique.First,we elaborated recent advances and key issues of drainage nozzles all over the world.Next,we presented the underwater laser processing and microstructural-mechanical behavior of repaired marine materials.Then,the newly developed powder-feeding based and wire-feeding based underwater laser direct metal deposition techniques were reviewed.The differences between the convection,conduction,and the metallurgical kinetics in the melt pools during underwater laser direct metal deposition and in-air laser direct metal deposition were illustrated.After that,several challenges that need to be overcame to achieve the full potential of the underwater laser welding/cladding technique are proposed.Finally,suggestions for future directions to aid the development of underwater laser welding/cladding technology and underwater metallurgical theory are provided.The present review will not only enrich the knowledge in the underwater repair technology,but also provide important guidance for the potential applications of the technology on the marine engineering.

A review of linear friction welding of Ni -based superalloys

Ni-based superalloys are one of the most important materials employed in high-temperature applications within the aerospace and nuclear energy industries and in gas turbines due to their excellent corrosion,radiation,fatigue resistance,and high-temperature strength.Linear friction welding(LFW)is a new joining technology with near-net-forming characteristics that can be used for the manu-facture and repair of a wide range of aerospace components.This paper reviews published works on LFW of Ni-based superalloys with the aim of understanding the characteristics of frictional heat generation and extrusion deformation,microstructures,mechanical proper-ties,flash morphology,residual stresses,creep,and fatigue of Ni-based superalloy weldments produced with LFW to enable future optim-um utilization of the LFW process.

Microstructure and Properties of AlCoCrFeNiTi High-Entropy Alloy Coatings Prepared by Laser Cladding

21-4N(5Cr21Mn9Ni4N)is extensively employed in the production of engine valves,operating under severe conditions.Apart from withstanding high-temperature gas corrosion,it must also endure the impact of cylinder explosion pressure.The predominant failure mode of 21-4N valves is abrasive wear.Surface coatings serve as an effective approach to prevent such failures.In this investigation,Laser cladding technology was utilized to fabricate AlCoCrFeNiTi high entropy alloy coatings onto the surfaces of 21-4N valves.According to the findings,the cladding zone has a normal dendritic microstructure,a good substrate-to-cladding layer interaction,and no obvious flaws.In terms of hardness,the cladding demonstrates an average hardness of 620 HV.The hardness has increased by 140%compared to the substrate.The average hardness of the cladding remains at approximately 520 HV even at elevated temperatures.Regarding frictional wear performance,between 400℃and 800℃,the cladding layer exhibits an average friction coefficient of 0.4,with the primary wear mechanisms being abrasive wear,adhesive wear,and a minor degree of plastic deformation.

Recent research progress in the mechanism and suppression of fusion welding-induced liquation cracking of nickel based superalloys

Nickel-based superalloys are extensively used in the crucial hot-section components of industrial gas turbines,aeronautics,and astronautics because of their excellent mechanical properties and corrosion resistance at high temperatures.Fusion welding serves as an effective means for joining and repairing these alloys;however,fusion welding-induced liquation cracking has been a challenging issue.This paper comprehensively reviewed recent liquation cracking,discussing the formation mechanisms,cracking criteria,and remedies.In recent investigations,regulating material composition,changing the preweld heat treatment of the base metal,optimizing the welding process parameters,and applying auxiliary control methods are effective strategies for mitigating cracks.To promote the application of nickel-based superalloys,further research on the combination impact of multiple elements on cracking prevention and specific quantitative criteria for liquation cracking is necessary.

Preparation of Laser Cladding Coating Undercooling Cu-based Alloy and Co on Non-equilibrium Solidification Structure

The effect of the gradient content of Co element on the solidification process of Cu-based alloy under deep under cooling conditions was explored.The non-equilibrium solidification structure of the under cooled alloy samples were analyzed.It is found that the rapidly solidified alloy has undergone twice grain refinement during the undercooling process.Characterization and significance of the maximum undercooling refinement structure of Cu60Ni35Co5 at T=253 K were analyzed.High-density defects were observed,such as dislocations,stacking faults networks,and twinning structures.The standard FCC diffraction pattern represents that it is still a single-phase structure.Based on the metallographic diagram,EBSD and TEM data analysis,it is illustrated that the occurrence of grain refinement under high undercooling is due to stress induced recrystallization.In addition,the laser cladding technology is used to coat Co-based alloy(Stellite12) coating on 304 stainless steel substrate;the microstructure of the coating cross-section was analyzed.It was found that the microstructure of the cross-section is presented as columnar crystals,planar crystals,and disordered growth direction,so that the coating has better hardness and wear resistance.By electrochemical corrosion of the substrate and coating,it can be seen that the Co and Cr elements present in the coating are more likely to form a dense passivation film,which improved the corrosion resistance of the coating.

Design of Fully Automatic Specification Selection System for Resistance Welding Equipment

A system for fully automatic selection of welding specifications in resistance welding equipment has been developed to address the problem of workers frequently choosing the wrong specifications during manual welding of multiple parts on a single machine in automobile factories. The system incorporates an automatic recognition system for different workpiece materials using the added machine fixture,visual detection system for nuts and bolts,and secondary graphical confirmation to ensure the correctness of specification calling. This system achieves reliable,fully automatic selection of welding specifications in resistance welding equipment and has shown significant effects in improving welding quality for massproduced workpieces,while solving the problem of specification calling errors that can occur with traditional methods involving process charts and code adjustments. This system is particularly suitable for promoting applications in manual welding of multiple parts on a single machine in automobile factories,ensuring correct specification calling and welding quality.

Theoretical analysis of the elastic Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in explosive weldings

By considering the joint effects of the Kelvin-Helmholtz(KH) and Rayleigh-Taylor(RT) instabilities, this paper presents an interpretation of the wavy patterns that occur in explosive welding. It is assumed that the elasticity of the material at the interface effectively determines the wavelength, because explosive welding is basically a solid-state welding process. To this end, an analytical model of elastic hydrodynamic instabilities is proposed, and the most unstable mode is selected in the solid phase. Similar approaches have been widely used to study the interfacial behavior of solid metals in high-energy-density physics. By comparing the experimental and theoretical results, it is concluded that thermal softening,which significantly reduces the shear modulus, is necessary and sufficient for successful welding. The thermal softening is verified by theoretical analysis of the increase in temperature due to the impacting and sliding of the flyer and base plates, and some experimental observations are qualitatively validated.In summary, the combined effect of the KH and RT instabilities in solids determines the wavy morphology, and our theoretical results are in good qualitative agreement with experimental and numerical observations.

Ultra wear resistant TiC-Fe coating prepared by high efficient and economic plasma cladding method

The key components of engineering machinery frequently failed due to working in the high load and high wear operating envir-onment.And the performance of the Fe-based alloy coatings typically employed need to be improved for fulfilling the service requirements.Herein,a TiC strengthened Fe-based alloy cladding layer,named TiC-Fe coating,was designed and prepared by plasma cladding technology.The frictional wear performance of coating under various loads was tested.The wear morphology of the coating was observed,and its wear mechanism was examined.The results indicated that the TiC-Fe coating was well formed and metallurgically bonded to the Q345C substrate.Its microstructure mainly consisted of Fe-Cr solid solution,α-Fe phase,(Fe,Cr)_(7)C_(3) phase and TiC phase.The coating exhibited an average microhardness of 980 HV0.2,which was about 5.4 times that of the Q345C substrate.The wear mass loss of the TiC-Fe coatings was much smaller than that of the Q345C substrate,which indicated that the wear resistance of the Q345C coating was superior to the substrate,and the wear mechanism of the coating was mainly attributed to the abrasive wear.

Effect of process parameters on the morphology of aluminum/copper alloy lap joints by red and blue hybrid laser welding

In order to overcome the problems of many pores,large deformation and unstable weld quality of traditional laser welded aluminumcopper alloy joints,a red-blue dual-beam laser source and a swinging laser were introduced for welding.T2 copper and 6063 aluminum thin plates were lap welded by coaxial dual-beam laser welding.The morphology of weld cross section was compared to explore the influence of process parameters on the formation of lap joints.The microstructure characteristics of the weld zone were observed and compared by optical microscope.The results show that the addition of laser beam swing can eliminate the internal pores of the weld.With the increase of the swing width,the weld depth decreases,and the weld width increases first and then decreases.The influence of welding speed on the weld cross section morphology is similar to that of swing width.With the increase of welding speed,the weld width increases first and then decreases,while the weld depth decreases all the time.This is because that the red laser is used as the main heat source to melt the base metals,with the increase of red laser power,the weld depth increases.As an auxiliary laser source,blue laser reduces the total energy consumption,consequently,the effective heat input increases and the spatter is restrained effectively.As a result,the increase of red laser power has an enhancement effect on the weld width and weld depth.When the swing width is 1.2 mm,the red laser power is 550 W,the blue laser power is 500 W,and the welding speed is 35 mm/s,the weld forming is the best.The lap joint of T2 copper and 6063 aluminum alloy thin plate can be connected stably with the hybrid of blue laser.The effect rules of laser beam swing on the weld formation were obtained,which improved the quality of the joints.

Process Parameters Optimization of Laser Cladding for HT200 with 316L Coating Based on Response Surface Method

In order to improve the sealing surface performance of gray cast iron gas gate valves and achieve precise molding control of the cladding layer,as well as to reveal the influence of laser cladding process parameters on the morphology and structure of the cladding layer,we prepared the 316L coating on HT 200 by using Design-Expert software central composite design(CCD)based on response surface analysis.We built a regression prediction model and analyzed the ANOVA with the inspection results.With a target cladding layer width of 3.5 mm and height of 1.3 mm,the process parameters were optimized to obtain the best combination of process parameters.The microstructure,phases,and hardness variations of the cladding layer from experiments with optimal parameters were analyzed by the metallographic microscope,confocal microscope,and microhardness instrument.The experimental results indicate that laser power has a significant impact on the cladding layer width,followed by powder feed rate;scan speed has a significant impact on the cladding layer height,followed by powder feed rate.The HT200 substrate and 316L can metallurgically bond well,and the cladding layer structure consists of dendritic crystals,columnar crystals,and equiaxed crystals in sequence.The optimal process parameter combination satisfying the morphology requirements is laser power(A)of 1993 W,scan speed(B)of 8.949 mm/s,powder feed rate(C)of 1.408 r/min,with a maximum hardness of 1564.3 HV0.5,significantly higher than the hardness of the HT200 substrate.

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.

MD Simulation of Diffusion Behaviors in Collision Welding Processes of Al-Cu, Al-Al, Cu-Cu

To investigate the effects of material combinations and velocity conditions on atomic diffusion behavior near collision interfaces,this study simulates the atomic diffusion behavior near collision interfaces in Cu-Al,Al-Al and Cu-Cu combinations fabricated through collision welding using molecular dynamic(MD)simulation.The atomic diffusion behaviors are compared between similar metal combinations(Al-Al,Cu-Cu)and dissimilar metal combinations(Al-Cu).By combining the simulation results and classical diffusion theory,the diffusion coefficients for similar and dissimilar metal material combinations under different velocity conditions are obtained.The effects of material combinations and collision velocity on diffusion behaviors are also discussed.The diffusion behaviors of dissimilar material combinations strongly depend on the transverse velocity,whereas those of the similar material combinations are more dependent on the longitudinal velocity.These findings can provide guidance for optimizing welding parameters.

A critical review on solid-state welding of high entropy alloys-processing,microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of joints

The high entropy alloys(HEAs)are the newly developed high-performance materials that have gained significant importance in defence,nuclear and aerospace sector due to their superior mechanical properties,heat resistance,high temperature strength and corrosion resistance.These alloys are manufactured by the equal mixing or larger proportions of five or more alloying elements.HEAs exhibit superior mechanical performance compared to traditional engineering alloys because of the extensive alloying composition and higher entropy of mixing.Solid state welding(SSW)techniques such as friction stir welding(FSW),rotary friction welding(RFW),diffusion bonding(DB)and explosive welding(EW)have been efficiently deployed for improving the microstructural integrity and mechanical properties of welded HEA joints.The HEA interlayers revealed greater potential in supressing the formation of deleterious intermetallic phases and maximizing the mechanical properties of HEAs joints.The similar and dissimilar joining of HEAs has been manifested to be viable for HEA systems which further expands their industrial applications.Thus,the main objective of this review paper is to present a critical review of current state of research,challenges and opportunities and main directions in SSW of HEAs mainly CoCrFeNiMn and Al_xCoCrFeNi alloys.The state of the art of problems,progress and future outlook in SSW of HEAs are critically reviewed by considering the formation of phases,microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of HEAs joints.

Influence of heat input on the microhardness and microstructure of the welding interface between nickel-based alloy and low-alloy steel

The evolution of microstructure and local properties near the welding interface is essential for the service safety of dissimilar metal welded joints between nickel-based alloy(NA) and low-alloy steel(LA).In this work,NA filler metal was deposited on LA substrate under different heat inputs by tungsten inert gas(TIG) welding.Microstructural characterization and microhardness tests were carried out near the prepared cladding interfaces.Optical and scanning electron microscopes show the lack of evident hardening transition layer along the welding interface.As the heat input increases,the mean hardness of the deposited layer also increases remarkably due to the rising dilution rate.Microstructural characterization shows a significant composition gradient across the cladding interface,but the diffusion gradient is limited to a small range.Under high heat input,a planar grain zone is generated along the interface due to the large temperature gradient across the interface region.

Influence of heat input on microhardness and microstructure across the welding interface between stainless steel and low alloy steel

The welding interface is crucial to the service safety of dissimilar metal weld(DMW)joints between stainless steel(SS)and low alloy(LA)steel.Different status of welding interfaces was prepared by cladding SS consumables to LA steel substrates with different heat inputs via tungsten inert gas arc welding(TIG),followed by a series of microstructural characterizations and hardness tests.Results showed that a hardening and transition layer(TL)would be generated along the welding interface,and the width and hardening degree of the TL would increase with the heat input.Meanwhile,heavy load hardness tests showed that highly severe inhomogeneous plastic deformation and the microcrack would be generated in the interfacial region and the welding interface respectively in the highest heat input sample(1.03 kJ/mm).These results indicate that the increase in heat input would deteriorate the bonding performance of DMW joints.Further microstructural observations showed that the higher hardening degree of the highest heat input sample was mainly attributed to the stronger grain boundary,solution,and dislocation strengthening effects.

Bulging Distortion of Austenitic Stainless Steel Sheet on the Partially Penetrated Side of Non-Penetration Lap Laser Welding Joint

Non-penetration laser welding of lap joints in austenitic stainless steel sheets is commonly preferred in fields where the surface quality is of utmost importance.However,the application of non-penetration welded austenitic stainless steel parts is limited owing to the micro bulging distortion that occurs on the back surface of the partial penetration side.In this paper,non-penetration lap laser welding experiments,were conducted on galvanized and SUS304 austenitic stainless steel plates using a fiber laser,to investigate the mechanism of bulging distortion.A comparative experiment of DC01 galvanized steel-Q235 carbon steel lap laser welding was carried out,and the deflection and distortion profile of partially penetrated side of the sheets were measured using a noncontact laser interferometer.In addition,the cold-rolled SUS304 was subjected to heat holding at different temperatures and water quenching after bending to characterize its microstructure under tensile and compressive stress.The results show that,during the heating stage of the thermal cycle of laser lap welding,the partial penetration side of the SUS304 steel sheet generates compressive stress,which extrudes the material in the heat-affected zone to the outside of the back of the SUS304 steel sheet,thereby forming a bulge.The findings of these experiments can be of great value for controlling the distortion of the partial penetrated side of austenitic stainless steel sheet during laser non-penetration lap welding.

Effect of V content on microstructures and properties of TiC cermet fusion welding interface

The effects of vanadium(V)on the microstructures and mechanical properties of the TiC cermet fusion welding interface were studied by adjusting the content of V in the self-developed flux-cored wires using metal inert gas arc(MIG)welding for surfacing on the TiC cermet.The results show that the increase in V content promotes the element diffusion between TiC cermet and weld metal.There are no de-fects observed in the interface,and the diffusion of elements refers to excellent metallurgical bonding.The shear strength of the fusion zone initially decreases and then increases with the increase in V content.The maximum shear strength of the TiC cermet/weld interface,reaching 552 MPa,occurred when the V content reached 0.65%.Meanwhile,the average hardness in the transition zone reached 488.2 HV0.2.

Evaluation of Textured Concrete as an Alternative for Stone as a Cladding Material

Along with the increasing demand on exterior wall cladding as a protective cover for the interior elements and an indicator for modernity and architectural innovation,comes the need to develop new cladding materials that can replace the old ones and overcome their setbacks.This paper discusses the possibility of replacing stone by textured concrete as a cladding material in order to overcome the main challenges faced stone cladding by comparing them together.The comparison was made based on the main requirements of the cladding materials namely:economic,environmental,social,functional and structural aspects.

Temperature field calculation of rail flash welding

The forging stage of rail flash welding has a decisive influence on joint strength,and the study of the temperature distribution in the process has an important role in further improving joint strength.In this paper,three calculation methods for the temperature field are given.First,the finite element model of the temperature field before forging rail flash welding is established by using the transient heat module of Ansys software and verified by infrared temperature measurement.Second,the temperature distribution of different parts of the rail before flash welding is obtained by using infrared thermal imaging equipment.Third,Matlab software is used to calculate the temperature of the non-measured part.Finally,the temperature distribution function along the rail axis is fitted through the temperature measurement data.The temperature distribution before the top forging of the rail flash welding can be used to analyze the joint and heat-affected zone organization and properties effectively and to guide the parameter setting and industrial production.

Numerical Simulation of the Parallel Gap Resistance Welding Process of a Solar Cell and Mo/Pt/Ag Interconnector

Energy for space vehicles in low Earth orbit(LEO) is mainly generated by solar arrays, and the service time of the vehicles is controlled by the lifetime of these arrays, which depends mainly on the lifetime of the interconnects. To increase the service life of LEO satellites, molybdenum/platinum/silver(Mo/Pt/Ag) laminated metal matrix composite(LMMC) interconnectors are widely used in place of Mo/Ag LMMC and Ag interconnectors in solar arrays. A 2D thermal-electrical-mechanical coupled axisymmetric model was established to simulate the behavior of the parallel gap resistance welding(PGRW) process for solar cells and Mo/Pt/Ag composite interconnectors using the commercial software ANSYS. The direct multicoupled PLANE223 element and the contact pair elements TARGE169 and CONTA172 were employed. A transitional meshing method was applied to solve the meshing problem due to the ultrathin(1 μm) intermediate Pt layer. A comparison of the analysis results with the experimental results revealed that the best parameters were 60 W, 60 ms, and 0.0138 MPa. The voltage and current predicted by the finite element method agreed well with the experimental results. This study contributes to a further understanding of the mechanism of PGRW and provides guidance for finite element simulation of the process of welding with an ultrathin interlayer.