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.

Effects of alloy elements on microstructure and crack resistance of Fe-C-Cr weld surfacing layer

Effects of alloy elements on the microstructure and crack resistance of Fe-C-Cr weld surfacing layer were investigated. The results show that microstructures of the layer mainly consist of carbides and austenite matrix. Increasing C and Cr contents impair the crack resistance of the layer due to increased amount of brittle carbides. The addition of Ni, Nb or Mo improves the crack resistance of Fe-C-Cr weld surfacing layer by increasing the amount of austenite and forming fine NbC or M 7C 3 carbides in the layer. But, the excessive Nb (>2.50wt%) or Mo (>1.88wt%) impairs the crack resistance of the layer, which has relation with increased carbides or carbide coarsening and austenite matrix solid solution strengthening. The proper combination of C, Cr, Ni, Nb and Mo can further improve not only the crack resistance of Fe-C-Cr weld surfacing layer but also the erosion resistance as a result of fine NbC and M 7C 3 carbides distributing uniformly in austenite matrix. The optimal layer compositions are 3.05wt%C, 20.58wt%Cr, 1.75wt%Ni, 2.00wt%Nb and 1.88wt%Mo.

Influence of welding parameters on fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth rate in friction stir welded nugget of 2024-T351 aluminum alloy joints

Friction stir welding （FSW） was performed on 2024-T351 aluminum alloy plates. Metallographic analysis, Vickers microhardness and XRD tests were conducted to determine the properties of the welded zone. FE simulation of the FSW process was implemented for the different welding conditions to extract the residual stress and stress intensity factor （SIF）. Fracture and fatigue behaviors of the welds which have the initial crack in the nugget zone and the crack orientation along the welding direction, were studied based on standard test methods. Fracture behavior of the welds was also evaluated by shearography method. The results showed that the tool rotational and traverse speeds affect the fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth rate. FSW provides 18%-49% reductions in maximum fracture load and fracture toughness. A slight diminution in fracture toughness of the joints was observed for lower traverse speed of the tool, and at higher traverse or rotational speeds, increasing the probability of defects may contribute to low fracture toughness. Fatigue crack propagation rate of all welds was slower than that of the base metal for low values of stress intensity factor range ΔK （ΔK〈13 MPa·m^1/2）, but is much faster for high values of ΔK.

Effect of Lamellar Orientation on Crack Paths in PST Crystals of γ-TiAl BasedAlloys

The effect of lamellar orientation on crack paths in PST crystals of y-TiAl based alloys was investigated by in-situ SEM technique. The results indicate that the crack paths in PST crystals of y-TiAl based alloys are strongly dependent on lamellar orientation ofPST crystals, and the differently oriented PST crystals show different nucleation and propagation mechanisms of crack, resulting in different levels of fracture toughness.

A new method--the inverse strain method(ISM)for preventing welding hot cracking of high strength aluminium alloy LY12CZ

In this paper a new method for preventing welding hot cracking—the inverse strain method(ISM)is developed on the principle of welding mechan- ics.Effectiveness and feasiblity of method in preventing welding hot cracking of high strength aluminum alloy LY12CZ by synchronous rolling during welding (SRDW)along both sides of the weld at a suitable distance behind the welding arc are examined.Experimental resulte indicate that welding hot cracking of LY12CY can be effectively prevented and the mechanical properties of welded joint can also be improved by the method.It is an important new solution for preventing hot cracking in welding of sheet metal.

Investigation on Cracking in the Surfacing Welding Layer of Ni_3Al Based Alloy

Investigation has been made into the causes of cracking in the Surfacing welding layer of Ni3Al based alloy by analysing both the liqu id-to-solid transformation in the molten pool and the distribution of thermal stress within the surfacing welding layer. The results show that cracking in the surfacing welding layer is directly related to the producing of eutectic phase β' (NiAl) in the interdendritic region and high thermal stress within the surfacing welding layer. When the process of electric arc surfacing welding is changed from along straight line to along' Z' pattern, cracking in the surfacing welding layer of Ni3Al based alloy is prevented due to being reduced of both the cooling rate of liquid in the molten pool and the moving speed of the heat source. Reducing the melting volume of the substrate material by lowering the output power of electric arc welding would make the content of iron atoms in the molten pool decrease. and this also can reduce the trend of the eutectic reaction in the interdendfitic region and is helpful to Suppress cracking in the surfacing welding layer.

Microstructural evolution and delayed hydride cracking of FSW-AZ31 magnesium alloy during SSRT

Evolution of microstructure including texture and fractography in a friction-stir welded（FSW） AZ31 magnesium alloy was investigated. The texture was measured using a neutron diffractometer. The microstructure and fractography of stress corrosion cracking（SCC） samples were observed by optical and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. An X-ray diffraction study was carried out on the fractured surfaces of the SCC specimens. The results indicated that a strong basal fiber was formed on the base material, whereas the grains in the stir zone were reoriented with their most basal planes tilted 25 o to the welding direction. Feather-like twins and hydride formed under slow strain rate tensile（SSRT） stress in air and aggressive solutions, respectively. Transgranular cracks propagated and finally failed on the retreating side in the solution. The hydride phase confirmed to sit on the fracture surface demonstrated the delayed hydride cracking（DHC） mechanism of the alloy.

Liquation cracking in laser beam welded joint of ZK60 magnesium alloy

The ZK60 magnesium alloy plates were welded by laser beam welding (LBW) and the microstructures in the partially melted zone (PMZ) of welded joints were investigated. For the as-cast alloy, the eutectoid mixtures along grain boundaries (GBs) in the PMZ are liquefied during welding, and their re-solidified materials present hypoeutectic characters, which lead to more severe segregation of the Zn element along GBs, and thus enhance the cracking tendency of the PMZ. The main reasons for liquation cracking of PMZ are described as that the absence of liquid at the terminal stage of solidification leads to the occurrence of shrinkage cavities in PMZ, from which liquation cracking initiates, and propagates along the weakened GBs under the tensile stress originating from solidification shrinkage and thermal contraction. Lower heat input can reduce the cracking tendency, and the plastic processing such as rolling also contributes to the mitigation of PMZ liquation cracking by reducing the size of eutectoid phases and changing their distribution in the base metal.

Mechanism of reheat cracking in electron beam welded Ti2Al Nb alloys

In order to clarify the characteristics and formation mechanism of the reheat cracking in Ti2AlNb weldments,a series of heat treatment conditions were performed to the circular joints welded by electron beam,and then the macrostructures and microstructures were investigated using optical microscopy,scanning electron microscopy,X-ray diffractometry,and transmission electron microscopy.The results show that the reheat cracking occurs primarily along the grain boundaries in the weld when the Ti2AlNb circular welded joints are heated up to about 700℃.During the heat treatment,an almost complete transformation of B2→O happens while the temperature goes up through the O single-phase region.Then,O→B2+O phase transformation occurs primarily along the grain boundaries as the weld metal continues to heat up to the B2+O dual-phase region.Under the high tension stress consisting of welding residual stress and phase transformation stress,reheat cracking occurs at the interface between the B2+O dual-phase layer and the O-phase matrix.

Crystal plasticity model to predict fatigue crack nucleation based on the phase transformation theory

A crystal plasticity model is developed to predict the fatigue crack nucleation of polycrystalline materials,in which the accumulated dislocation dipoles are considered to be the origin of damage.To describe the overall softening behavior under cyclic loading,a slip system-level dislocation density-related damage model is proposed and implemented in the finite element analysis with Voronoi tessellation.The numerical model is applied to calibrate the stress-strain relationship at different cycles before fatigue crack nucleation.The parameters determined from the numerical analysis are substituted into a modified phase transformation model to predict the critical fatigue crack nucleation cycle.Comparing with the experimental results of Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu(SAC305)alloy and P91 steel,the proposed method can describe the constitutive behavior and predict the fatigue crack nucleation accurately.

An investigation on the performance of stress corrosion cracking in aluminum-copper alloy welded joint

With the resistance to stress corrosion of the base metal as a reference, the contrast result of stress corrosion cracking （ SCC） susceptibility of aluminum-copper alloy 2219 and 2014 welded joints under different welding processes （ VP-TIG welding, HF-TIG hybrid welding, laser-TIG hybrid welding and laser HF-TIG hybrid welding） is obtained via the slow strain rate testing （ SSRT） , scanning electron microscope （ SEM） and microstructure observation auxiliary technologies. Test results show that the joints of aluminum alloy 2219, welded by hybrid welding processes, have superior resistance to stress corrosion compared to those welded by the VP-TIG welding process in varying degrees, especially, the joint welded by the laser HF-TIG hybrid welding process, where the resistance to stress corrosion is almost the same as that of the base material. However, the HF or laser hybrid welding effect is not significant under the same welding conditions for welded joints of aluminum alloy 2014.

Fatigue crack growth behaviour of friction stir welded AA7075-T651 aluminium alloy joints

The aim of the present work is to evaluate the fatigue crack growth behaviour of 12 mm thick AA 7075-T651 aluminium alloy plates joined by FSW. Fatigue crack growth test was carried out on center cracked tensile (CCT) specimens extracted from the FSW joints and unwelded parent metal. Transverse tensile properties of the unwelded parent metal and welded joints were evaluated. Microstructures of the welded joints were analyzed using optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The scanning electron microscope was used to characterize the fracture surfaces. It was found that the ΔKcr of the welded joint is reduced by 10×10-3 MPa·m1/2 in comparison with the unwelded parent metal. Hence, the fatigue life of the friction stir welded AA 7075-T651aluminium alloy joints is appreciably lower than that of the unwelded parent metal, which is attributed to the dissolution of precipitates in the weld region during friction stir welding.

Mechanical properties and stress corrosion cracking behaviour of AZ31 magnesium alloy laser weldments

An AZ31 HP magnesium alloy was laser beam welded in autogenous mode with AZ61 filler using Nd-YAG laser system.Microstructural examination revealed that the laser beam weld metals obtained with or without filler material had an average grain size of about 12 μm.The microhardness and the tensile strength of the weldments were similar to those of the parent alloy.However,the stress corrosion cracking （SCC） behaviour of both the weldments assessed by slow strain rate tensile （SSRT） tests in ASTM D1384 solution was found to be slightly inferior to that of the parent alloy.It was observed that the stress corrosion cracks originated in the weld metal and propagated through the weld metal-HAZ regions in the autogenous weldment.On the other hand,in the weldment obtained with AZ61 filler material,the crack initiation and propagation was in the HAZ region.The localized damage of the magnesium hydroxide/oxide film formed on the surface of the specimens due to the exposure to the corrosive environment during the SSRT tests was found to be responsible for the SCC.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of stationary shoulder friction stir welding joint of 2A14-T62 aluminum alloy

2A14-T62 butt joint was successfully welded by stationary shoulder friction stir welding(SSFSW)method.The results showed that using a pin with small shoulder could broaden the process window,and under a rotation speed of 2000 r/min and welding speed of 30 mm/min,joint with smooth surface,small reduction in thickness and little inner defects was obtained.The weld nugget zone was approx-imately circular,which was a unique morphology for SSFSW.The heat-affected zone(HAZ)and thermo-mechanically affected zone(TMAZ)were both quite narrow due to the lower heat input and slight mechanical action of the stationary shoulder.The fraction of high angle grain boundaries(HAGBs)exhibited a“W”shape along horizontal direction(from advancing side to retreating side),and the minim-um value located at HAZ.The average ultimate tensile strength and elongation of the joint were 325 MPa and 4.5%,respectively,with the joint efficiency of 68.3%.The joint was ductile fractured and the fracture surface contained two types of dimples morphology in different re-gions of the joint.Microhardness distribution in the joint exhibited a“W”shape,and the difference along the thickness direction was negli-gible.The joint had strong stress corrosion cracking susceptibility,and the slow stain rate tensile strength was 139 MPa.Microcrack and Al2O3 particulates were observed at the fracture surface.

Fatigue crack propagation of 7050 aluminum alloy FSW joints after surface peening

The surface composite modification of the 7050 aluminum alloy friction stir-welded joints was performed by shot peening(SP)/multiple rotation rolling(MRR)and MRR/SP,and the fatigue performance of the nugget zone(NZ)was investigated.The results demonstrated that the fatigue life of SP/MRR samples is longer than that of MRR/SP.On the plane 150μm below the surface.The grains with high angle grain boundary account for 71.5%and 34.3%for MRR/SP and SP/MRR samples,respectively.The crack propagation path of the MRR/SP is transgranular and intergranular,and it is intergranular for the MRR/SP.Multitudinous fatigue striations and some voids appeared at the fracture during the stable crack propagation stage.However,fatigue striations for SP/MRR are with smaller spacing,fewer holes,and smaller size under SP/MRR compared with fatigue fracture of MRR/SP.The differences in fatigue properties and fracture characteristics of the NZ are related to the microstructure after the two combined surface modifications.

THE NEAR TIP STRESS AND STRAIN FIELDS IN CRACKED SINGLE CRYSTALS

The numerical analyses of stationary mathematically sharp Mode I crack in FCC and BCC crystals with elastic-ideally plastic(EIP)and fast hardening saturation(FHS)law are carried out in the present paper.From the calculated re- sults,it is shown that:for the cases of small strain,EIP crystal cracks,the features of concentrated deformation patterns and the stress state in near-crack tip deforma- tion fields are identical to the earlier analytical solutions,but along the angular sector boundaries,there exist narrow complex stress zones.The overall characteristics of de- formation patterns for the cases of EIP and FHS are similar.The behaviours of crack tip opening can be characterized by crack-tip-opening-displacement(CTOD).For the case of FHS,finite deformation BCC crystal crack,our calculations are qualitatively in agreement with recent experimental observations.

Study on ductility-dip cracking susceptibility in filler metal 52M during welding

Alloy 690 is a typical Ni-Cr-Fe alloy, which is widely used in nuclear power application. However, filler metal 52M （FM-52M） used in alloy 690 weldment is fimnd to be susceptible to ductility-dip cracking （DDC） , which seriously affects safety and life extension in nuclear application. In this paper, the DDC susceptibility of FM-52M in welding process was investigated using finite element method. At first, Gleeble-based testing technique, strain to fracture （ STF ） test, was used to evaluate the DDC susceptibility and the formation mechanism of DDC was explained. The result shows that FM-52M is most susceptible at 1 050 ℃ and grain boundary weakness at high temperature induces crack initiation. Afterwards, in order to evaluate the DDC susceptibility under complex stress state, tube-plate welding model was built by means of ABAQUS software. Susceptible regions could be confirmed associated with STF results. The simulation result shows that HAZ is the most susceptible region in FM-52M joint.

Fatigue Crack Growth Behavior of Different Zones in an Annealed Automatic Gas Tungsten Arc Weld Joint of TA16 and TC4 Titanium Alloys

Based on the investigated microstructure of different zones in the annealed automatic gas tungsten arc weld joint of TA16 and TC4 titanium alloys,the mechanical property of them was assessed under fatigue crack growth rate tests.For evaluation of fatigue crack growth rate,three points bending specimens were used.The correlation between the range of stress intensity factor and crack growth rate was determined in different zones of the annealed weld joint.Fatigue crack growth rates were obviously different in different zones of weld joint of dissimilar titanium alloys,due to their different microstructures.Scanning electron microscope examinations were conducted on the fracture surface in order to determine the relevant fracture mechanisms and crack growth mechanisms with respect to the details of microstructure.

Solidification crack susceptibility of aluminum alloy weld metals

The susceptibilities of the three aluminum alloys to solidification crack were studied with trans-varestraint tests and tensile tests at elevated temperature. Their metallurgical characteristics, morphologies of the fractured surface and dynamic cracking behaviors at elevated temperature were analyzed with a series of micro-analysis methods. The results show that dynamic cracking models can be classified into three types. The first model has the healing effect which is called type A. The second is the one with deformation and breaking down of metal bridge, called type B. The last one is with the separation of liquid film along grain boundary, called type C. Moreover, the strain rate has different effects on crack susceptibility of aluminum alloys with different cracking models. ZL101 and 5083 alloys belong to type A and type C cracking model respectively, in which strain rate has greater effect on eutectic healing and plastic deformation of metal bridge. 6082 alloy is type B cracking model in which the strain rate has little effect on the deformation ability of the liquid film.

Crack propagation of Mg-Li alloys by impact load

Under impact load,using energy estimation and updated finite element method,the crack propagation of Mg-Li alloys was studied,and the relations between high speed impact,time interval and crack propagation velocity were deduced. The effects of impact pattern characteristic parameters such as impact range and time interval on impact fatigue crack growth and propagation rates were discussed. The results show that with the development of crack length,the crack propagation rate along the central sample alloy swiftly increases to the maximum. Then,the crack of other parts has different rate variations. The calculation and simulation results fit well with the experimental ones,which verifies the validity of energy estimation and updated finite element analysis. Impact loading usually induces materials and accelerates the fatigue crack growth.