Study on DC welding parameters of Al-alloy shaping based on arc-welding robot

The Al-alloy arc-welding shaping system based on arc-welding robot is established, and the Al-alloy shaping manufacture is realized with the DC （direct current） gas metal arc welding （GMAW）. The research indicates that the metal transfer type of DC GMA W, heat input and the initial temperature of the workpiece greatly affect the Al-alloy shaping based on arc welding robot. On the penetration, the weld width and the reinforcement, the influence of welding parameters is analyzed by generalized regression neural network （GRNN） fitting.

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF A TYPE OF Al-ALLOY WELD

The mechanical properties of a type of Al-alloy weld including strength, fracture tough-ness and ductility were comprehensively studied at different temperatures. The frac-ture behavior and weld micro features were also characterized. The surface crack test method was adopted to study the fracture toughness and a multiple specimen test ap-paratus was designed to perform the cryogenic experiments. The relationship between the mechanical properties and temperature was obtained together with the fracture toughness distribution in the weld.

Review on friction stir welding of dissimilar magnesium and aluminum alloys: Scientometric analysis and strategies for achieving high-quality joints

Magnesium and aluminum alloys continually attract interest as lightweight structural materials for transport applications. However, joining these dissimilar alloys is very challenging. The main obstacle that hinders progress in dissimilar Mg-Al joining is the formation of brittle intermetallic compounds(IMCs). As a solid-state joining technique, FSW is an excellent candidate to attenuate the deleterious IMC effects in dissimilar Al-Mg joining due to the inherent low heat inputs involved in the process. However, the IMCs, namely Al_(3)Mg_(2) and Al_(12)Mg_(17) phases, have also been reported to form during Al-Mg dissimilar FSW;their amount and thickness depend on the heat input involved;thus,the weld parameters used. Since the heat dissipated in the material during the welding process significantly affects the amount of IMCs,the heat input during FSW should be kept as low as possible to control and reduce the amount of IMCs. This review aims to critically discuss and evaluate the studies conducted in the dissimilar Al/Mg FSW through a scientometric analysis and also with a focus on the strategies recently applied to enhance joint quality. The scientometric analysis showed that the main research directions in Mg/Al FSW are the technological weldability of aluminum and magnesium during FSW, structural morphology, and mechanical properties of dissimilar welded joints. Considering the scope of application of the aforementioned joints, the low share of articles dealing with environmental degradation and operational cracking is surprising. This might be attributed to the need for well-developed strategies for obtaining high-quality and sustainable joints for applications. Thus, the second part of this review is conventional, focusing mainly on the new strategies for obtaining high-quality Mg/Al joints. It can be concluded that in addition to the necessity to optimum welding parameters to suppress the excessive heat to limit the amount and thickness of IMC formed and improve the overall joint quality, strategies such as using Zn interlayer, electric current assisted FSW(EAFSW), ultrasonic vibration FSW(UVa FSW), are considered effective in the elimination, reduction, and fragmentation of the brittle IMCs.

Use of Plastic Correction Formula to Improve Accuracy of Welding Residual Stress Test with Blind-Hole Method

The blind-hole method is the most widely used approach to experimentally determine the distribution of residual stress. This paper aims to improve test accuracy of welding residual stress and conducts an experimental study on the strain release factors involved when using the blind-hole method for Q235 and Q345, two steels commonly used in building structures. The ranges of strain release factors A and B in the elastic stage, the effects of strain release factors on residual stress calculated values, and the plastic corrected strain release factors are analyzed considering of the effect of plastic deformation around the blind hole on measurement accuracy. Finally, a simplified calculation formula to determine strain release factors is proposed for use with the blind-hole method. Results show that in the elastic stage, strain release factor A for Q235 and Q345 ranges from-0.399 to-0.525 and strain release factor B from-0.791 to-0.960. Changing the strain release factors A and B shows that calculated residual tensile stress varies in relation to a decrease in both factor values. However, there is a increase in calculated residual compressive stress with a decrease in the strain release factor A value, but there is an decrease with a decrease in strain release factor B value. Calculated residual stress applied to elastic strain release factors is compared with that applied to amended plastic strain release factors for Q235 steel. The maximum deviation between calculated residual stress and test stress is reduced from 21.1 to 1.0%,and for Q345 steel from 26.5 to 1.2%. It is thus evident that the plastic correction formula proposed in this paper can be used in calculations when conducting a residual stress test.

A review of welding residual stress test methods

Due to local uneven heating during the welding process,the residual stress of the structure after welding affects the reliability of it.In order to ensure the reliability,it is of great significance to test the residual stress distribution of the welded joint.It has always been the focus to find a simple and feasible method for residual stress testing to quickly and accurately obtain the residual stress distribution of welded joints.The mechanical measurement method has high measurement accuracy,convenient and easy operation,but it will cause certain damage to the components.Physical measurement method can avoid damage to components,but its test cost is usually high,and its measurement accuracy can also be affected by the material microstructure characteristics of welded components.Based on the advantages and disadvantages of these two residual stress test methods,a modal test method is proposed.This method is a non-destructive measurement method.Based on the mathematical relationship between the residual stress of the welded structure and the natural frequency(mathematical model),the natural frequency is measured through the modal test to calculate the residual stress quickly.However,it is difficult to establish a mathematical model with this method,and it is not suitable for realization.

Ultrasonic Nondestructive Testing of Superplastic Solid-State Welding Joint for Different Steels

Based on quantitative microscopic examinations of welds and welding rate for different steels(40Cr and T10A) joint,which possess the ultra-fine microstructure after high frequency hardening(HFH) and salt-bath cyclic quenching(SCQ),the suitable defect grey scale threshold value was determined,and the welding rate of superplastic solid-state welding of different steels(40Cr and T10 A steel) was systematically inspected and analyzed by means of self-made ultrasonic imaging inspection system.The experimental results showed that the superplastic solid-state weld of different steels can be inspected more accurately,reliably and quickly by this system,and the results were in good accordance with that of metallographic observation.The welding rate of superplastic welding is in linear relation with tensile strength of joint.

Characterization of microstructure and strain response in Ti-6Al-4V plasma welding deposited material by combined EBSD and in-situ tensile test

Additive layer manufacturing （ALM） of aerospace grade titanium components shows great promise in supplying a cost-effective alternative to the conventional production routes. Complex microstructures comprised of columnar remnants of directionally solidifiedβ-grains, with interior inhabited by colonies of finerα-plate structures, were found in samples produced by layered plasma welding of Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The application of in-situ tensile tests combined with rapid offline electron backscatter diffraction （EBSD） analysis provides a powerful tool for understanding and drawing qualitative correlations between microstructural features and deformation characteristics. Non-uniform deformation occurs due to a strong variation in strain response between colonies and across columnar grain boundaries. Prismatic and basal slip systems are active, with the prismatic systems contributing to the most severe deformation through coarse and widely spaced slip lines. Certain colonies behave as microstructural units, with easy slip transmission across the entire colony. Other regions exhibit significant deformation mismatch, with local build-up of strain gradients and stress concentration. The segmentation occurs due to the growth morphology and variant constraints imposed by the columnar solidification structures through orientation relationships, interface alignment and preferred growth directions. Tensile tests perpendicular to columnar structures reveal deformation localization at columnar grain boundaries. In this work connections are made between the theoretical macro- and microstructural growth mechanisms and the observed microstructure of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy, which in turn is linked to observations during in-situ tensile tests.

An Automatic Test System in Robot Welding Station

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Rapid ultrasonic C-scan on image test for spot welding based interpolation

In this paper, ultrasonic C-scan test of spot welds for stainless steel has been studied. It is concluded that large scanning step length contributes to high testing efficiency, however, the low-resolution C-scan image generated cannot be used to assess spot welding quality reliably. Based on bicubic image interpolation, the C-scan image in low resolution with the large step length 1 000 ~xm is subdivided and reconstructed. By this means, the C-scan image resolution is greatly enhanced and testing results obtained are satisfactory, realizing rapid assessment of spot welds. The results of rapid ultrasonic C-scan test fit the actual metallographic measured value well. Mean value of normal distribution of error statistics is O. 006 67, and the standard deviation is O. 087 11. Rapid ultrasonic C-scan test based on image interpolation is of high accuracy and excellent stability.

Comparison of mechanical properties in welded joint for CO_2 arc welding by using the micro－shear test and impact test

A micro shear testing method which can suit to measure the mechanical properties of heterogeneous materials is introduced, and the properties in each zone of welded joint for CO2 arc welding can be evaluated by using this method in this paper. Moreover, these results are compared with those results of Charpy V-notch impact test and their correlation is discussed.

FEM analysis of stress evolution in twin wire welding of Al alloy

Twin wire weld temperature results calculated by classical double ellipsoid heat source model are bigger than the experimental results. By analyzing the shape of twin wire welding arcs and the track of droplets transition, the phenomena that both the fore arc and rear arc of twin wire welding deflect to the middle of the two arcs is found. Based on this the double ellipsoid heat source model is amended, and a heat source model which can be applied to calculate the temperature field of twin wire welding was put forward. This model is testified by actual experiment of temperature sampling. Then, the evolution regularities of longitudinal and transverse stress for 2219 sheets were investigated under the condition of twin wire welding. The result shows that longitudinal residual stress value of twin wire welding is 10% higher than that of the single wire welding.

Methodology to Evaluate Fatigue Damage of High-Speed Train Welded Bogie Frames Based on On-Track Dynamic Stress Test Data

The current method of estimating the fatigue life of railway structures is to calculating the equivalent stress amplitude based on the measured stress data. However, the random of the measured data is not considered. In this paper, a new method was established to compute the equivalent stress amplitude to evaluate the fatigue damage based on the measurable randomness, since the equivalent stress is the key parameter for assessment of structure fatigue life and load derivation. The equivalent stress amplitude of a high-speed train welded bogie frame was found to obey normal distribution under uniform operation route that verified by on-track dynamic stress data, and the proposed model is, in effect, an improved version of the mathematical model used to calculate the equivalent stress amplitude. The data of a long-term, on-track dynamic stress test program was analyzed to find that the normal distribution parameters of equivalent stress amplitude values differ across different operation route. Thus, the fatigue damage of the high-speed train welded bogie frame can be evaluated by the proposed method if the running schedule of the train is known a priori. The results also showed that the equivalent stress amplitude of the region connected to the power system is more random than in other regions of the bogie frame.

Ultrasonic C-scan Detection for Stainless Steel Spot Welding Based on Wavelet Package Analysis

An ultrasonic test of spot welding for stainless steel is conducted. Based on wavelet packet decomposition, the ultrasonic echo signal has been analyzed deeply in time - frequency domain, which can easily distinguish the nugget from the corona bond. The 2D C-scan images produced by ultrasonic C scan which contribute to quantitatively calculate the nugget diameter for the computer are further analyzed. The spot welding nugget diameter can be automatically obtained by image enhancement, edge detection and equivalent diameter algorithm procedure. The ultrasonic detection values in this paper show good agreement with the metallographic measured values. The mean value of normal distribution curve is 0.006 67, and the standard deviation is 0.087 11. Ultrasonic C-scan test based on wavelet packet signal analysis is of high accuracy and stability.

Effect of Heat Sink and Cooling Mediums on Ferrite Austenite Ratio and Distortion in Laser Welding of Duplex Stainless Steel 2205

In order to control the ferrite and austenite percentage in duplex stainless steel welding, many researchers try to change the laser welding parameters and cooling medium, but ignore to study the influence of heat sink effect on weld strength. In this work, the effect of aluminium heat sink and varying cooling medium on the laser welding of duplex stainless steel (DSS) 2205 is studied. The 2 mm thick DSS sheets welded with pulsed Nd: YAG laser welding machine by varying the cooling medium (air and oil) and an aluminium plate used as a heat sink. The welded specimens tested for tensile strength, micro-hardness, distortion, microstructure and radiography analysis. The faster cooling rate in the oil quenching process enhances the ferrite percentage compared with air-cooled samples. But the faster cooling rate in oil quenching leads to more distortion and using aluminium as a heat sink influenced positively the distortion to a small extent. The lower cooling rate in air quenching leads to a higher tensile strength of the welded specimen. The objective of this work is to analyse experimentally the effect of cooling medium and heat sink in the mechanical and metallurgical properties of laser welded duplex stainless steel.

A Review on Friction Stir Welding of Steels

Friction Stir Welding(FSW)is the most promising solid-state metals joining method introduced in this era.Compared to the conventional fusion welding methods,this FSW can produce joints with higher mechanical and metallurgi-cal properties.Formerly,FSW was adopted for low melting metals like aluminum alloys.In recent years it has made significant progress in friction stir welding of steels since unfavourable phase transformations occurred in welds due to the melting of the parent and filler metals in fusion welding can be eliminated.The main advantage of FSW over traditional fusion welding is the reduction in the heat-affected zone(HAZ),and the joints exhibit excellent mechanical and corrosion resistance properties.This article reviews the progress in the relevant issues such as the FSW tool mate-rials and tool profiles for joining steels,microstructure and mechanical properties of steels joints,special problems in joining dissimilar steels.Moreover,in-situ heating sources was used to overcome the main limitations in FSW of hard metals and their alloys,i.e.,tool damages and insufficient heat generation.Different in-situ heating sources like laser,induction heat,gas tungsten arc welding assisted FSW for various types of steels are introduced in this review.On the basis of the up-to-date status,some problems that need further investigation are put forward.

Comparison of explosive welding of pure titanium/SUS 304 austenitic stainless steel and pure titanium/SUS 821L1 duplex stainless steel

Pure commercial titanium was welded with two types of stainless steel,namely SUS 304 austenitic stainless steel and SUS 821L1 duplex stainless steel.The wavy interface of SUS 821L1 was smaller than that of SUS 304.The vortex zone was observed from both longitudinal and transverse directions,and its composition was analyzed.The interface of Ti/SUS 821L11 was able to bear 401−431 MPa shear load while that of Ti/SUS 304 could withstand 352−387 MPa.The weldability window was used to analyze experimental phenomenon.Furthermore,the smoothed particle hydrodynamics(SPH)numerical simulation method was used to simulate the wavy interface.The trend of wavelength and amplitude change with strength and the stand-offs was consistent with the experimental results.

Application of Nd:YAG Laser Welding to Implantable Neuro-Stimulator

It is difficult to weld the material and structure of implantable neuro-stimulator such as pure medical titanium and irregular outside shield by conventional arc welding methods.Currently there are few reports on the neuro stimulator sealing technology,and none of them have simultaneously considered the quality control methods.In order to develop the sealing procedure and quality control methods,an investigation of applying Nd：YAG laser welding to implantable neuro-stimulator components is carried out.Firstly,the automatic Nd：YAG laser welding system equipped with proper fixture configuration is introduced.A special fixture structure is illustrated and the key point for the device is to reduce the fit-up gap between the two shields.Then,a novel welding process technique is proposed to satisfy the engineering requirements.The optimized process parameters for titanium shell,feedthrough and fastener are provided and concluded by an orthogonal experiment.Finally,different quality control measures such as visual inspection,X-ray detecting and leakage testing,are presented on the final products.The results show that the Nd：YAG laser welding applied on the implanted neuro-stimulator under optimized parameters can prevent welding defects and improve the weld joints quality.Combination of various quality control methods will guarantee the sealing performance and mechanical properties of the products.It is confirmed that the processing procedure and quality methods can not only resolve the process technology on welding ultra-thin structure of medical device,but also provide the reference for other implantable device.

Optimization of parameters and study of joint microstructure of resistance spot welding of magnesium alloy

Experimental investigations on the DC spot welding of Mg alloy AZ31B are presented. Experiments are carried out to study the influence of spot welding parameters （ electrode force, welding heat input and welding time） on the tensile shear load and the diameter of nugget, based on an orthogonal test and analysis method. The optimum parameters are as follows： electrode force is 2 000 N, welding heat input is 80% and welding time is 6 cycles. The microstrueture of spot weld is single fine equiaxed crystals in the nugget, of which the structure is β-Mg17Al12 precipitated on α-Mg boundaries induced by nonequilibrium freezing. And the surface condition of the workpiece has great influence on the joint quality.

Ultrasonic testing for laser welded joint of stainless steel

Two dimensional scan for laser welded joint of stainless steel was implemented according to the reflection characteristics of ultrasonic. B-scan imaging technique was applied to characterize the fusion state in the joint and distinguish welding detects such as incomplete penetration. Calculation of weld width at the interface of the two plates and imaging of the weld cross section were accomplished. Experimental results show that rapid nondestructive testing can be achieved by this method with threshold value of 30% attenuation degree. The calculation error is less than 0. 25 mm.

Stress-corrosion behavior and characteristics of the friction stir welding of an AA2198-T34 alloy

To better understand the stress-corrosion behavior of friction stir welding(FSW),the effects of the microstructure on the stress-corrosion behavior of the FSW in a 2198-T34 aluminum alloy were investigated.The experimental results show that the low-angle grain boundary(LABs)of the stir zone(SZ)of FSW is significantly less than that of heated affected zone(HAZ),thermo-mechanically affected zone(TMAZ),and parent materials(PM),but the grain boundary precipitates(GBPs)T1(Al2CuLi)were less,which has a slight effect on the stress corrosion.The dislocation density in SZ was greater than that in other regions.The residual stress in SZ was+67 MPa,which is greater than that in the TMAZ.The residual stress in the HAZ and PM is-8 MPa and-32 MPa,respectively,and both compressive stresses.The corrosion potential in SZ is obviously less than that in other regions.However,micro-cracks were formed in the SZ at low strain rate,which indicates that the grain boundary characters and GBPs have no significant effect on the crack initiation in the stress-corrosion process of the AA2198-T34.Nevertheless,the residual tensile stress has significant effect on the crack initiation during the stress-corrosion process.