An innovative joint interface design for reducing intermetallic compounds and improving joint strength of thick plate friction stir welded Al/Mg joints

Friction stir welding of dissimilar Al/Mg thick plates still faces severe challenges, such as poor formability, formation of thick intermetallic compounds, and low joint strength. In this work, two joint configurations, namely inclined butt(conventional butt) and serrated interlocking(innovative butt), are proposed for improving weld formation and joint quality. The results show that a continuous and straight intermetallic compound layer appears at the Mg side interface in conventional butt joint, and the maximum average thickness reaches about 60.1 μm.Additionally, the Mg side interface also partially melts, forming a eutectic structure composed of Mg solid solution and Al_(12)Mg_(17) phase.For the innovative butt joint, the Mg side interface presents the curved interlocking feature, and intermetallic compounds can be reduced to less than 10 μm. The joint strength of innovative butt joint is more than three times that of conventional butt joint. This is due to the interlocking effect and thin intermetallic compounds in the innovative joint.

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.

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.

Comparison study on measurement of rail weld joint between inertial reference method and multi-point chord reference method

Purpose – Straightness measurement of rail weld joint is of essential importance to railway maintenance. Dueto the lack of efficient measurement equipment, there has been limited in-depth research on rail weld joint with a5-m wavelength range, leaving a significant knowledge gap in this field.Design/methodology/approach – In this study, the authors used the well-established inertial referencemethod (IR-method), and the state-of-the-art multi-point chord reference method (MCR-method). Two methodshave been applied in different types of rail straightness measurement trollies, respectively. These instrumentswere tested in a high-speed rail section within a certain region of China. The test results were ultimatelyvalidated through using traditional straightedge and feeler gauge methods as reference data to evaluate the railweld joint straightness within the 5-m wavelength range.Findings – The research reveals that IR-method and MCR-method produce reasonably similar measurementresults for wavelengths below 1 m. However, MCR-method outperforms IR-method in terms of accuracy forwavelengths exceeding 3 m. Furthermore, it was observed that IR-method, while operating at a slower speed,carries the risk of derailing and is incapable of detecting rail weld joints and low joints within the track.Originality/value – The research compare two methods’ measurement effects in a longer wavelength rangeand demonstrate the superiority of MCR-method.

EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES ON J-DOMINANCE IN HETEROGENEOUS WELDED JOINTS BY MOIRE INTERFEROMETRY

Moire interferometry method is introduced to study the feasibilities of J integral as a plastic singularity parameter at the tip of the notch in the welded joints. The results show that J dominance in most studied cases is not validated in v and u displacement fields. Therefore, it can be concluded that J-integral as controlling parameter used to estimate the safety of welded structures is not always valid.

Comprehensive study of microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir welded 5182-O/HC260YD+Z lap joint

The welding of aluminum(Al)and steel has attracted more and more interest due to the weight reduction trend in vehicle and aerospace manufacturing industries.5182-O/HC260YD+Z lap joint was produced by friction stir welding(FSW),and the microstructure and mechanical property of the joint were systemically characterized.The microstructure in horizontal direction of the Al and steel near interface was similar to their corresponding conventional friction stir welded joint.The joint was divided into stir zone of Al(ST-Al),stir zone of interface(ST-I),thermal-mechanically affected zone of steel(TMAZ-Fe)and base material of steel(BM-Fe)according to their distinct microstructure vertically.Three kinds of intermetallic compounds(IMCs)of FeAl_(3),FeAl and Fe_(3)Al were formed at the interface.The horizontal micro hardness distribution exhibited a hat shape and“M”shape in Al and steel,respectively.The hardest region of the joint was located at the ST-I,with a hardness of 175 HV−210 HV.The joint was fractured along the hook structure,with an average shear strength of 73.9 MPa.Fractural morphology of Al and steel indicted a cleavage fracture mode.

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy study on the corrosion of the weld zone of 3Cr steel welded joints in CO_2 environments

The welded joints of 3Cr pipeline steel were fabricated with commercial welding wire using the gas tungsten arc welding （GTAW） technique. Potentiodynamic polarization curves, linear polarization resistance （LPR）, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS）, scan- ning electron microscopy （SEM）, and energy-dispersive spectrometry （EDS） were used to investigate the corrosion resistance and the growth of a corrosion film on the weld zone （WZ）. The changes in electrochemical characteristics of the film were obtained through fitting of the EIS data. The results showed that the average corrosion rate of the WZ in CO2 environments first increased, then fluctuated, and finally de- creased gradually. The formation of the film on the WZ was divided into three stages： dynamic adsorption, incomplete-coverage layer forma- tion, and integral layer formation.

Improving the fatigue property of welded joints for AZ31 magnesium alloy by ultrasonic peening treatment

The fatigue property of AZ31 magnesium alloy and its TIG welded joints were investigated. The ultrasonic peening treatment （UPT） was used to improve the fatigue property of the TIG welded joints, which was treated at the weld toe by the UPT process. The test results show that the fatigue strength of the base metal of AZ31 magnesium alloys is 57.8 MPa, and those of the fillet joint and the transverse cross joint are respectively 20. 0 MPa and 17.2 MPa at 2 × 10^6 cycles. The fatigue strengths of two kinds of welded joints treated by the UPT are respectively 30. 3 MPa and 24. 7 MPa, which have been improved by 51.5% and 43.6%, respectively. The fatigue life of the fillet joint specimens is prolonged by about 2. 74 times and the fatigue life of the transverse cross joint specimens is prolonged by about 1.05 times when the stress range is at 40. 0 MPa.

EFFECT OF MEAN STRESS ON FATIGUE PERFORMANCE OF WELDED JOINTS TREATED BY UPT

The fatigue contrast tests of unload longitudinal direction comer joints asoriginal welded and treated by ultrasonic peening of Q235B in various stress ratio are directed. Theimprovements of fatigue performance of unload longitudinal direction corner joints resulted byultrasonic peening are studied. The effect pattern of stress ratio on fatigue performance of weldedjoints that are treated by ultrasonic peening is studied. As tests results indicate that: ① In thecondition of stress ratio .R=-l, the fatigue strength 'of specimen treated by ultrasonic peening isincreased by 165 percent of that of the original welded specimen. And the fatigue life of specimentreated by ultrasonic peening is as much as 75 approx 210 times of that of the latter. When R=0.1,the fatigue strength is increased by 87 percent and the fatigue life is extended by 21 approx 29times. When R=-0.5, the fatigue strength is increased by 123 percent and the fatigue life isextended by 42 approx 59 times. When R=0.45, the fatigue strength is increased by 51 percent and thefatigue life is extended by 3 approx 14 times. ② If the welded joints are treated by ultrasonicpeening, the fatigue strength is no longer independent on the applied mean stress. The more thestress ratio R, the less the fatigue stress range which can be sustained by the joints is. ③Whether the high value residual stress is in the joints or not, the dead load portion of the appliedload must be considered in the design of the joints which should be treated by ultrasonic peening.

Microstructures of 2219 twin wire welded joints

With thick plates of 2219 high-strength alloy, the microstructures of welded joints with twin wire MIG welding were analyzed. Experimental results show that no hot crack was found in the weld due to discontinuous distribution of cocrystallization with low melting temperature, but porosity is serious in the first weld seam that is mainly composed of equiaxial grains with uneven sizes. As the poor position of the whole welded joint, fusion zone has big and coarse grains, uneven microstructures ; In quenching zone, there exist a lot of soaked microstructures that cocrystallizntion with low melting temperature solute into matrix, thus strengthening the metal in this zone; In excessive aging zone, much more phases that distribute evenly will be separated from the matrix; Ontside this zone, properties and microstructures of the metal are basically similar to matrix due to the relatively low temperature or unaffected heat in the zone during welding.

Corrosion fatigue crack growth mechanisms in welded joints of marine steel structures

This paper presents a model of fatigue crack growth in a welded joint and a two-dimensional model of anodic dissolution based on Donahue model and anodic dissolution mechanism,respectively.In addition,a model for predicting the corrosion fatigue crack growth rate in welded joints of steel marine structures is established and crack growth mechanisms are analyzed.The results show that during early stages of crack growth,corrosion fatigue crack growth rate in welded joints is mainly controlled by corrosion action,whereas cyclic loading becomes more influential during the later stage of crack propagation.Loading frequency and effective stress ratio can affect rupture period of protective film at the corrosion fatigue crack tip and the length of corrosion crack increment,respectively,which changes the influence of corrosion action on crack growth rate.However,the impact of stress amplitude on crack growth rate is only significant when crack propagation is caused by cyclic loading.Welding residual stress not only improves the effective stress ratio of cyclic loading,but also promotes crack closure and increases corrosion fatigue crack growth rate in welded joints.Compared to corrosion action,welding residual stress has a more significant influence on crack growth caused by cyclic loading.

Effects of laser heat treatment on the fracture morphologies of X80 pipeline steel welded joints by stress corrosion

The surfaces of X80 pipeline steel welded joints were processed with a CO2 laser, and the effects of laser heat treatment （LHT） on H2S stress corrosion in the National Association of Corrosion Engineers （NACE） solution were analyzed by a slow strain rate test. The fracture morphologies and chemical components of corrosive products before and after LHT were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy, respectively, and the mechanism of LHT on stress corrosion cracking was discussed. Results showed that the fracture for welded joints was brittle in its original state, while it was transformed to a ductile fracture after LHT. The tendencies of hydrogen-induced corrosion were reduced, and the stress corrosion sensitivity index decreased from 35.2% to 25.3%, indicating that the stress corrosion resistance of X80 pipeline steel welded joints has been improved by LHT.

Changing Rule of Carbon-Enriched Zone and Diffusion Behavior of Carbon in Aging 0Cr6Mn13Ni10MoTi/1Cr5Mo Dissimilar Welded Joints

The microstructures, the changing rule of carbon-enriched zone, the diffusion behaviors of elements C and Cr, and thecarbide type of 0Cr6Mn13Ni10MoTi/1Cr5Mo dissimilar welded joints after aging at 500℃ for various times and afterlong-term service in technical practice were investigated by using the optical microscopy electron probe microanalysis,scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that in aging0Cr6Mn13Ni10MoTi/1Cr5Mo dissimilar welded joints, the main carbides are M_3C and a few carbides are M_7C_3 andM_(23)C_6. The M_3C carbide decomposition and dissolution with increasing aging time or aging temperature and theanti-diffusion of C and Cr cause the decrease and disappearance of the carbon-enriched zone. The results are differentfrom those of the A302/1Cr5Mo dissimilar welded joints in previous studies.

Microstructure and high-temperature mechanical properties of laser beam welded TC4/TA15 dissimilar titanium alloy joints

The microstructure evolution and high-temperature mechanical properties of laser beam welded TC4/TA15 dissimilar titanium alloy joints under different welding parameters were studied.The results show that the weld fusion zone of TC4/TA15 dissimilar welded joints consists of coarsenedβcolumnar crystals that contain mainly acicularα’martensite.The heat affected zone is composed of the initialαphase and the transformedβstructure,and the width of heat affected zone on the TA15 side is narrower than that on the TC4 side.With increasing temperature,the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of the TC4/TA15 dissimilar welded joints decrease and the highest plastic deformation is obtained at 800°C.The tensile strength of the dissimilar joints with different welding parameters and base material satisfies the following relation(from high to low):TA15 base material>dissimilar joints>TC4 base material.The microhardness of a cross-section of the TC4/TA15 dissimilar joints reaches a maximum at the centre of the weld and is reduced globally after heat treatment,but the microhardness distribution is not changed.An elevated temperature tensile fracture of the dissimilar joints is located on the side of the TC4 base material.Necking occurs during the tensile tests and the fracture characteristics are typical when ductility is present in the material.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of dissimilar pinless friction stir spot welded 2A12 aluminum alloy and TC4 titanium alloy joints

The microstructure and mechanical properties of dissimilar pinless friction stir spot welded joint of2A12aluminum alloy and TC4titanium alloy were evaluated.The results show that the joint of Al/Ti dissimilar alloys can be successfully attained through pinless friction stir spot welding(FSSW).The joint can be divided into three zones(SZ,TMAZ and HAZ).The microstructure of joint in Al alloy side changes significantly but it basically has no change in Ti alloy side.At the same rotation speed,the maximum load of welded joints gradually rises with the increase in dwell time.At the same dwell time,the maximum load of the welded joint increases with the increase of the rotational speed.In addition,optimal parameters were obtained in this work,and they are rotation speed of1500r/min,plunge speed of30mm/min,plunge depth of0.3mm and dwell time of15s.The fracture mode of welded joints is interfacial shear fracture.The microhardness of the joint on the Al side distributes in a typical“W”type and is symmetry along the weld center,but the distribution of the microhardness on the Ti side has no obvious change.

Corrosion evaluation of friction stir welded lap joints of AA6061-T6 aluminum alloy

Corrosion behavior of friction stir lap welded AA6061-T6 aluminum alloy was investigated by immersion tests in sodium chloride + hydrogen peroxide solution. Electrochemical measurement by cyclic potentiodynamic polarization, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy were employed to characterize corrosion morphology and to realize corrosion mechanism of weld regions as opposed to the parent alloy. The microstructure and shear strength of welded joint were fully investigated. The results indicate that, compared with the parent alloy, the weld regions are susceptible to intergranular and pitting attacks in the test solution during immersion time. The obtained results of lap shear testing disclose that tensile shear strength of the welds is 128 MPa which is more than 60% of the strength of parent alloy in lap shear testing. Electrochemical results show that the protection potentials of the WNZ and HAZ regions are more negative than the pitting potential. This means that the WNZ and HAZ regions do not show more tendencies to pitting corrosion. Corrosion resistance of parent alloy is higher than that for the weldments, and the lowest corrosion resistance is related to the heat affected zone. The pitting attacks originate from the edge of intermetallic particles as the cathode compared with the Al matrix due to their high self-corrosion potential. It is supposed that by increasing intermetallic particle distributed throughout the matrix of weld regions, the galvanic corrosion couples are increased, and hence decrease the corrosion resistance of weld regions.

Electrochemical corrosion behaviour of stir zone of friction stir welded dissimilar joints of AA6061 aluminium-AZ31B magnesium alloys

Joining of dissimilar metals will offer many advantages in transportation sectors such as fuel consumption,weightreduction and emission reduction.However,joining of aluminium(Al)alloys with magnesium(Mg)alloys by fusion welding processis very complicated.Friction stir welding(FSW)is a feasible method to join these two dissimilar alloys.Mixing these two metalstogether in stir zone(SZ)leads to poor corrosion resistance.In this investigation,an attempt has been made to understand thecorrosion resistance of SZ of FSWed dissimilar joints of AA6061Al alloy and AZ31B Mg alloy.Potentiodynamic polarization testwas conducted by varying chloride ion concentration,pH value of the NaCl solution and exposure time.The corroded surfaces wereanalyzed using optical microscopy,scanning electron microscopy and XRD techniques.Of these three factors investigated,exposuretime is found to be the most significant factor to influence the corrosion behaviour of SZ of friction stir welded dissimilar joints ofAl/Mg alloys.

EFFECT OF CARBON MIGRATION ON CREEP PROPERTIES OF Cr5Mo DISSIMILAR WELDED JOINTS WITH Ni-BASED AND AUSTENITIC WELD METAL

In this paper, the effect of carbon migration on creep properties of Cr5Mo dissimilar welded joints with Ni-based (Inconel 182) and Cr23Nil3 (A302) austenitic weld metal was investigated. Carbon migration near the weld metal/ferritic steel interface of Cr5Mo dissimilar welded joints was analyzed by aging method. Local creep deformations of the dissimilar welded joints were measured by a long-term local creep deformation measuring technique. The creep rupture testing was performed for Cr5Mo dissimilar welded joints with Inconel 182 and A302 weld metal. The research results show that the maximum creep strain rate occurs in the decarburized zone located on heat affect zone (HAZ) of Cr5Mo ferritic steel. The creep rupture life of Cr5Mo dissimilar welded joints with A 302 weld metal decreases due to carbon migration and is about 50% of that welded with Inconel 182 weld metal.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of laser beam welded TC4/TA15 dissimilar joints

The microstructure and mechanical properties of laser beam welded dissimilar joints in TC4 and TA15 titanium alloyswere investigated. The results showed that the coarse columnar grains containing a large amount of acicular α and martensite α′ werepresent in the fusion zone (FZ), some residual α phases and martensite structure were formed in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) onTC4 side, and bulk equiaxed α phase of the HAZ was on TA15 side. An asymmetrical microhardness profile across the dissimilarjoint was observed with the highest microhardness in the FZ and the lowest microhardness in TA15 BM. The orders of yield strengthand ultimate tensile strength were as follows: TC4 BM > TC4/TC4 similar joint > TA15 BM > TA15/TA15 similar joint > TC4/TA15dissimilar joint, and increased while hardening capacity and strain hardening exponent decreased with increasing strain rate from1×10?4 s?1 to 1×10?2 s?1. The TC4/TA15 dissimilar joints failed in the TA15 BM, and had characteristics of ductile fracture atdifferent strain rates.

Microstructure and tensile properties of friction stir welded dissimilar AA6061-AA5086 aluminium alloy joints

The fusion welding of dissimilar heat treatable and non-heat treatable aluminium alloy faced many problems related to solidification. The difficulties can be overcome to achieve the combined beneficial properties of both aluminium alloys using friction stir welding(FSW). The microstructural features and tensile properties of friction stir welded(FSW) similar and dissimilar joints made of AA6061 and AA5086 aluminium alloys were investigated. The microstructures of various regions were observed and analyzed by means of optical and scanning electron microscopy. Microhardness was measured at various zones of the welded joints. The tensile properties of the joints were evaluated and correlated with the microstructural features and microhardness values. The dissimilar joint exhibits a maximum hardness of HV 115 and a joint efficiency of 56%. This was attributed to the defect free stir zone formation and grain size strengthening.