Numerical and experimental study of phase transformation in resistance spot welding of 6082 aluminum alloy

Resistance spot welding（ RSW） is an efficient and convenient joining process for aluminum alloy sheet assembly. Because the RSW has the character of energy concentration and quick cooling rate, the microstructure transformation of the base metal can be confined in the least limit. The material properties and the welding parameters have significant effects on the quality of the nugget. To predict the microstracture evolution in the melted zone and the heat-affected zone, an electrical, thermal, metallurgical and mechanical coupled finite element model is described and applied to simulate the welding process of the 6082 aluminum alloy. Experimental tests are also carried out. The comparison between experimental and numerical results shows that the adopted model is effective enough to well interpret and predict some important phenomena in ierms of the phase transformation in spot welding of 6082 aluminum alloy.

Enhanced mechanical properties of 6082 aluminum alloy via SiC addition combined with squeeze casting

In order to improve mechanical properties of 6082 aluminum alloy,the SiC_(p)/Al 6082 composites were prepared by the addition of the micron-sized SiC_(p)articles combined with the squeeze casting.The effects of the SiC_(p)content and squeeze casting on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the 6082 aluminum alloy were investigated by SEM,EDS,TEM,tensile testing and hardness testing analysis methods.Research results exhibited that the SiC_(p)content and squeeze casting had a significant impact on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the 6082 aluminum alloy.The addition of the SiC_(p)refined the grain size of the 6082 aluminum alloy while caused the increase of the porosity with increasing the SiC_(p)content,especially in the permanent mold casting condition.Compared to the permanent mold casting,the squeeze casting obviously reduced pore defects,refined grain size and made the SiC_(p)distribute evenly as well as bond tightly with the Al matrix.The tensile strength,yield strength,elongation,elastic modulus and hardness of the 6082 aluminum alloy obtained with the SiC_(p)and squeeze casting were remarkably improved,and the optimal mechanical properties were obtained with a 2 wt.%SiC_(p),and they increased 10.73%,72.7%,193.9%,23.5%and 25.2%,respectively,compared to those of the6082 aluminum alloy obtained without SiC_(p)and squeeze casting.The fracture surface of the SiC_(p)/Al 6082 composites obtained with the squeeze casting was dense and exhibited a ductile fracture mode.

Texture and mechanical properties of metal inert gas welded 6082-T651 aluminum alloy joints

Metal inert gas(MIG)welding was conducted with 12 mm thick 6082-T651 aluminum alloy plate to investigate the microstructure and mechanical properties of welded joint.The microstructure and element distribution of weld seam were characterized by electron backscattered diffraction(EBSD)and electron probe microanalysis(EPMA).The weld seam has typical cube texture({001}<100>)characteristics.The closer to the center of weld seam,the weaker the texture feature,the higher the proportion of high-angle grain boundaries.The average tensile strength of joint was 232 MPa which is up to 72%of 6082 aluminum alloy base metal,and the bending angle for the root bend test sample reached 90°without cracks.The lack of strengthening phase and the existence of welding pores and inclusions in the weld seam caused the degradation of mechanical properties of resultant joint.The microhardness increased from the weld center to the base metal,but the overaging zone caused by welding thermal cycle was softening part of the joint,which had lower hardness than the weld seam.

Effect of Conventional and Pulsed TIG Welding on Microstructural and Mechanical Characteristics of AA 6082-T6 Repair Welds

Repair welding of AA 6082-T6 joints was carried out using ER 4043 filler through the TIG welding process with or without pulsed current.Microstructure and mechanical characteristics of the joints before and after repairing were investigated by examining macrostructure,microstructure,and distributions of porosity in the weld metal(WM),and by hardness,tensile,and bending tests.We observed that the welding current,phase transformations in heat-affected zone(HAZ)and porosity introduced in the WM during welding influence on its mechanical properties in sequence.The experimental results showed that the bead width and penetration as well as size of pores in the joints were mainly influenced by the welding currents.The sound joints were obtained at a welding current of 140 A with or without pulsed current when welding speed and gas flow rate were set at 20 cm·min-1 and 15 L·min-1,respectively.Among them,the decrease in mechanical properties of repair weld(RW)was directly related to the phase transformations in the over-ageing zone due to the double welding thermal cycles and elevated distribution of porosity in the WM.In addition,it was observed that the comparatively smaller grain size and lower porosity in WM of the RW produced by pulsed TIG welding gave a positive effect on its mechanical properties.

Static Softening Characteristics and Static Recrystallization Kinetics of Aluminum Alloy A6082 After Hot Deformation

The static softening behavior of aluminum alloy A6082 was investigated by interrupted hot tests conducted on Gleeble-1500 simulator at deformation temperatures from 573 to 773 K and strain rates from 0.1 to 10 s-1,with a pre-strain from 0.3 to 0.7 and variable inter-pass delay times.The offset method was applied to convert the changes in flow stress between two passes to static softening fraction.The microstructural changes were characterized by the quantitative metallography of quenched specimens.The results showed both static softening and static recrystallization curves exhibited a simple sigmoidal shape;the static softening is related to the static recrystallization in a nonlinear manner with 50% static recrystallized volume fraction corresponding to 80% static softening fraction;an increase in temperature,strain rate or pre-strain yields a decrease in the time for 50% static recrysallized volume fraction,on which the temperature has the most remarkable influence;Si and Mn additions accelerate the process of static recrystallization.Finally,the equations of static recrystallization kinetics of this alloy were developed with a good agreement between the predicted and experimental results.