Temperature and stress fields in electron beam welded Ti-15-3 alloy to 304 stainless steel joint with copper interlayer sheet

Electron beam welding of Ti-15-3 alloy to 304 stainless steel （STS） using a copper filler metal was carried out. The temperature fields and stress distributions in the Ti/Fe and Ti/Cu/Fe joint during the welding process were numerically simulated and experimentally measured. The results show that the rotated parabola body heat source is fit for the simulation of the electron beam welding. The temperature distribution is asymmetric along the weld center and the temperature in the titanium alloy plate is higher than that in the 304 STS plate. The thermal stress also appears to be in asymmetric distribution. The residual tensile stress mainly exists in the weld at the 304 STS side. The copper filler metal decreases the peak temperature and temperature grade in the joint as well as the residual stress. The longitudinal and lateral residual tensile strengths reduce by 66 MPa and 31 MPa, respectively. From the temperature and residual stress, it is concluded that copper is a good filler metal candidate for the electron beam welding of Ti-15-3 titanium alloy to 304 stainless steel.

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.

Microstructure and fracture toughness of electron beam welded joints of 30CrMnSiNi2A steel

Two post weld heat treatments (PWHT), 900 ℃ oil quenched and low temperature tempered (PWHTA) and high temperature tempered and then 900 ℃ oil quenched and low temperature tempered (PWHTB), are employed to treat the weldment. Then the effect of two post weld heat treatment processes on the microstructure,mechanical properties and fracture toughness of electron beam welded joints of 30CrMnSiNi2A steel have been discussed. The results show that, after two kinds of PWHT the microstructure and hardness at every zones of EBW joints are nearly same. Although the welds have good mechanical properties, fracture toughness of both weld and heat affected zone (HAZ) is low, the CTOD values of welds are comparatively higher than that of HAZ. Microstructure and fracture toughness of two EBW joints have no evident differences.

Investigation on Electron Beam Welded Copper to AISI 316 Stainless Steel Joints

Joints of copper and stainless steels are used in a er ospace applications. Production of these joints by fusion welding faces many dif ficulties. This may be due to the differences in their physical, metallurgical a nd mechanical properties. Electron Beam Welding (EBW) process has been found to be especially well suited in this area. Selection of the appropriate welding par ameters needs thorough investigations. These parameters include: preheat tempera ture (℃), welding current (I w), focusing current (I F), welding spee d (V), height between the gun and workpiece surface (H), scan width (S w) and shift distance (S). The present work aims firstly, setting the pr oper welding conditions to get sound joint between commercially pure copper (C10 200) and AISI 316 stainless steel plates 8 mm thickness. Secondly, investigate t he effect of Electron Beam (EB) shift, single-sided and double-sided welds on the mechanical, metallurgical and chemical properties of the weld bead. Due to t he high difference in thermal conductivity between copper and stainless steel, E lectron Beam (EB) was shifted towards copper with different values. These values were ranged from 0.3 to 0.9 mm in welding without preheating of copper plate an d from 0.1 to 0.4 mm with preheating. Number of joints were welded using variabl e EBW parameters in view to obtain the sound weld bead. These parameters are as follows: gradual reduction I w=51 to 49 mA, I F=845 mA, V=8 mm/sec , H=130 mm, S w=500 μm and S=0.4 mm. The investigation has shown t hat, the copper (C10200) plate must be preheated to get sound welded joint with AISI 316 stainless steel using the EBW process. The tensile fracture in all wel ded samples occurred in copper plate away from the weld bead. This reflects that the weld bead tensile strength is greater than the copper strength. The EB shif t has slight effect on hardness distribution through weld bead. The hardness val ue (H v) reduces in gradual manner from stainless steel hardness to copper one. The EB shift distance has no significant effect on the impact toughness.

Comparative Study on Microstructures of Zincalume Steel(G550)Welded Joint Between Metal Inert Gas and Laser Beam Welding

Zincalume steel(G550)is commonly used in various construction fields because of its high corrosion resistance and good mechanical properties.In recent years,a number of steel companies have massively produced zincalume steel(G550)with large volumes of waste.For the reduction of massive industrial wastes,the zincalume steel(G550)was welded in the lap joint configuration using different welding parameters in the metal inert gas(MIG)welding and laser beam welding(LBW)process in this study.The MIG welding and LBW are more welcomed welding methods due to their high efficiency and low cost.However,they are different as the LBW offers welding speed three to five times faster than MIG welding,while LBW’s heat transfer to workpieces is much less than MIG welding,which can avoid some distortions.The microstructure of zincalume steel(G550)was investigated using scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and the microstructure characterizations of welded specimens were analyzed.The experiment found the columnar dendrites extended under the heat flow direction during the MIG welding and LBW process.Thus,the columnar grains were formed in between the equiaxed zone and fusion zone(FZ)at high heat input and slow cooling rate.Moreover,the grain size of FZ was comparatively smaller than heat affected zone(HAZ)and base metal(BM).

Electron beam welding of 304 stainless steel to QCr0.8 copper alloy with copper filler wire

Electron beam welding （EBW） of 304 stainless steel to QCr0.8 copper alloy with copper filler wire was carried out. Orthogonal experiment was performed to investigate the effects of process parameters on the tensile strength of the joints, and the process parameters were optimized. The optimum process parameters are as follows：beam current of 30 mA, welding speed of 100 mm/min, wire feed rate of 1 m/min and beam offset of-0.3 mm. The microstructures of the optimum joint were studied. The results indicate that the weld is mainly composed of dendriticαphase with little globularεphase, and copper inhomogeneity only occurs at the top of the fusion zone. In addition, a melted region without mixing exists near the weld junction of copper side. This region with a coarser grain size is the weakest section of the joints. It is found that the microhardness of the weld decreases with the increase of the copper content in solid solution. The highest tensile strength of the joint is 276 MPa.

Failure Analysis of Electron Beam Weld Joints for 18Ni Co-free Maraging Steels

Microstructure of two different 18Ni Co-free maraging specimens and their electron beam weld joints were investigated comparatively by optical microscopy and SEM. It is showing that both of the steels are typical lath martensite, however, one grain size is about three times as another one, and XRD reveals that the amount of the retained austenitic phase in the former is less then the latter. The austenite distributes in plate form along granular and lath boundaries while some in fine particle within the matrix. The microstructural difference between two specimens led to diverse behaviors in electron beam welding. The first specimen is weldable well but the second shows obvious welding defects of pits and burn-through holes in weld face. The welding microstructure exhibits a typical dendritic morphology, and the grains in the heat-affected zone recrystallized and grew up obviously for high temperature heated by welding electron beam. The weldablity is relative to the thermal conduction performance of the base materials,which is contributed greatly for grain size and austenite content.

Influences of different filler metals on electron beam welding of titanium alloy to stainless steel

Electron beam welding experiments of titanium alloy to stainless steel were carried out with different filler metals, such as Ni, V, and Cu. Microstructures of the joints were examined by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. Mechanical properties of the joints were evaluated according to tensile strength and microhardness. As a result, influences of filler metals on microstructures and mechanical properties of electron beam welded titanium-stainless steel joints were discussed. The results showed that all the filler metals were helpful to restrain the Ti-Fe intermetallics. The welds with different filler metals were all characterized by solid solution and interfacial intermetallics. For each type of the filler metal, the type of solid solution and interfacial intermetallics depended on the metallurgical reactions between the filler metals and base metals. The interfacial intermetallics were Fe2Ti＋Ni3Ti＋NiTi2, TiFe, and Cu2Ti＋CuTi＋CuTi2 in the joints welded with Ni, V, and Cu filler metals, respectively. The tensile strengths of the joints were dependent on the hardness of the interfacial intermetallics. The joint welded with Ag filler metal had the highest tensile strength, which is about 310 MPa.

An insight into microstructural heterogeneities formation between weld subregions of laser welded copper to stainless steel joints

The effect of laser beam welding(LBW) process on the microstructure-mechanical property relationship of a dissimilar weld between the copper(Cu) and stainless steel(SS) was investigated.Backscattered electron(BSE) based scanning electron microscopy(SEM) imaging was used to characterize the highly heterogeneous microstructural features across the LBW(Cu-SS) weld.The BSE analysis thoroughly evidenced the complex microstructures produced at dissimilar weld interfaces and fusion zone along with the compositional information.Widely different grain growths from coarse columnar grains to equiaxed ultrafine grains were also evident along the Cu-weld interface.A highresolution electron backscattered diffraction(EBSD) analysis confirmed the existence of the grain refinement mechanism at the Cu-weld interface.Both tensile and impact properties of the dissimilar weld were found to be closely aligned with the property of Cu base metal.Microhardness gradients were spatially evident in the non-homogeneous material composition zones such as fusion zone and the Cu-weld interface regions.The heterogeneous nucleation spots across the weld sub-regions were clearly identified and interlinked with their microhardness measurements for a holistic understanding of structure-property relationships of the local weld sub-regions.The findings were effectively correlated to achieve an insight into the local microstructural gradients across the weld.

Electron beam welding of Ti-15-3 titanium alloy to 304 stainless steel with copper interlayer sheet

Electron beam welding of Ti-15-3 titanium alloy to 304 stainless steel with a copper sheet as interlayer was carried out.Microstructures of the joint were studied by optical microscopy(OM),scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and X-ray diffractometry(XRD).In addition,the mechanical properties of the joint were evaluated by tensile test and the microhardness was measured.These two alloys were successfully welded by adding copper transition layer into the weld.Solid solution with a certain thickness was located at the interfaces between weld and base metal in both sides.Regions inside the weld and near the stainless steel were characterized by solid solution of copper with TiFe2 intermetallics dispersedly distributed in it.While weld near titanium alloy contained Ti-Cu and Ti-Fe-Cu intermetallics layer,in which the hardness of weld came to the highest value.Brittle fracture occurred in the intermetallics layer when the joint was stretched.

Effect of Laser Beam Welding Parameters on Microstructure and Properties of Duplex Stainless Steel

The present study is concerned with laser beam welding and its effect on size and microstructure of fusion zone then, on mechanical and corrosion properties of duplex stainless steel welded joints. In this regard, influence of different laser welding parameters was clarified. Both bead-on-plate and autogenously butt welded joints were made using carbon dioxide laser with a maximum output of 9 kW in the continuous wave mode. Welded joints were subjected to visual, dye penetrant and radiography tests before sectioning it for different destructive tests. Accelerated corrosion test was carried out based on tafel plot technique. The results achieved in this investigation disclosed that welding parameters play an important role in obtaining satisfactory properties of welded joint. High laser power and/or high welding speed together with adjusting laser focused spot at specimen surface have produced welded joints with a remarkable decrease in fusion zone size and an acceptable weld profile with higher weld depth/width ratio. Besides, acceptable mechanical and corrosion properties were obtained. Using nitrogen as a shielding gas has resulted in improving mechanical and corrosion properties of welded joints in comparison with argon shielding. This is related to maintaining proper ferrite/austenite balance in both weld metal and HAZ in case of nitrogen shielding. As a conclusion, laser power, welding speed, defocusing distance and type of shielding gas combination have to be optimized for obtaining welded joints with acceptable profile as well as mechanical and corrosion properties.

Cutting and Welding of High-Strength Steels Using Non-Vacuum Electron Beam as a Universal Tool for Material Processing

Using a non-vacuum electron beam, a two-step process chain for plate materials is a feasible possibility. Cutting and welding can be performed in subsequent steps on the same machine for a highly productive process chain. The electron beam is a tool with high energy conversion efficiency, which is largely independent of the type of metal. Its high power density qualifies the non-vacuum electron beam as an outstanding energy source for the well-known NVEB welding as well as for high-speed cutting. Welding is possible with or without filler wire or shielding gas, depending on the application. The NVEB-cutting process employs a co-moving cutting head with a sliding seal for extremely high cutting speeds producing high quality edges. Due to direct removal of fumes and dust, NVEBC with local suction is an exceptionally clean and fast process. The NVEB welding process is possible directly after cutting, without further edge preparation. The potential directions of development of non-vacuum electron beam technologies are discussed. An exemplary two-step process chain using high-strength steel is presented to highlight possible application in industries such as general steel construction, automotive, shipbuilding, railway vehicle or crane construction. An analysis of the mechanical properties of the resulting weld seam is presented.

Electron beam braze-welding of vanadium alloy to stainless steel with electroplated Cu/Ag coatings

Cracks may easily occur in the fusion weld between vanadium alloys and stainless steel due to the brittle intermetallics and welding stress. The high vacuum electron beam braze-welding has been successfully used to join vanadium alloy（V-5Cr-STi） to stainless steel （HR-2） with electroplated Cu and Ag coating. To investigate the effects of electroplated coating on the weldability, the joint appearaace, the microstrueture and the mechanical properties of the joints have been thoroughly analyzed. The results show that the joint surface configuration was good and root reinforcement was full and smooth. A reaction zone （RZ） was gained on the interface between the V-5 Cr-5 Ti alloy and HR-2 stainless steel base metals. The width of reaction zone at the top of the joint was up to O. 65 mm, wider than that in the bottom of the joint （ 0.46 mm）. The reaction zone consisted of considerably smaller dendritic structures with an average grain size of less than 10μm. Element Ag and Cu almost enriched the interface between V-SCr-5Ti alloy substrate and RZ, serving as a physical barrier which decreases or avoids the formation of intermetallics. The maximum tensile strength of vanadium alloy^stainless steel dissimilar alloy joint was more than 300 MPa. The joint was defects free.

A comparative evaluation of microstructural and mechanical behavior of fiber laser beam and tungsten inert gas dissimilar ultra high strength steel welds

The influence of different welding processes on the mechanical properties and the corresponding variation in the microstructural features have been investigated for the dissimilar weldments of 18% Ni maraging steel 250 and AISI 4130 steel. The weld joints are realized through two different fusion welding processes, tungsten inert arc welding(TIG) and laser beam welding(LBW), in this study. The dissimilar steel welds were characterized through optical microstructures, microhardness survey across the weldment and evaluation of tensile properties. The fiber laser beam welds have demonstrated superior mechanical properties and reduced heat affected zone as compared to the TIG weldments.

Numerical stress analysis of crack at welded beam-to-column connection

In the past, brittle fracture of steel structure was reported rarely under earthquake. However, recent earthquakes, especially Northridge Earthquake (USA) and Hyogoken Nanbu earthquake (Japan), astonished engineers in the field of construction. The experience from recent earthquakes of USA and Japan shows that brittle fracture of welded steel structure always starts from high stress zone with welded crack [1～5] . As backing bar for grooved weld on beam flange exists, artificial crack is formed because of lack of fusion at the root of flange weld. In this paper stress distribution of connection is computed with FEM, and stress concentration at the root of flange weld is also analyzed. Stress intensity factors (SIFs), K I, at the root of flange weld are computed in the method of fracture mechanics. The computation shows that stress intensity factor on bottom flange weld is obviously higher than that on top flange weld. It is proved by the fact that brittle fracture is liable to start at the root of bottom flange weld on actual earthquake [1,4] . Finally measures are brought forward to avoid fracture of weld structure against earthquake.

Welding of nickel free high nitrogen stainless steel: Microstructure and mechanical properties

High nitrogen stainless steel(HNS) is a nickel free austenitic stainless steel that is used as a structural component in defence applications for manufacturing battle tanks as a replacement of the existing armour grade steel owing to its low cost, excellent mechanical properties and better corrosion resistance.Conventional fusion welding causes problems like nitrogen desorption, solidification cracking in weld zone, liquation cracking in heat affected zone, nitrogen induced porosity and poor mechanical properties.The above problems can be overcome by proper selection and procedure of joining process. In the present work, an attempt has been made to correlate the microstructural changes with mechanical properties of fusion and solid state welds of high nitrogen steel. Shielded metal arc welding(SMAW), gas tungsten arc welding(GTAW), electron beam welding(EBW) and friction stir welding(FSW) processes were used in the present work. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction were used to characterize microstructural changes. Hardness, tensile and bend tests were performed to evaluate the mechanical properties of welds. The results of the present investigation established that fully austenitic dendritic structure was found in welds of SMAW. Reverted austenite pools in the martensite matrix in weld zone and unmixed zones near the fusion boundary were observed in GTA welds. Discontinuous ferrite network in austenite matrix was observed in electron beam welds.Fine recrystallized austenite grain structure was observed in the nugget zone of friction stir welds.Improved mechanical properties are obtained in friction stir welds when compared to fusion welds. This is attributed to the refined microstructure consisting of equiaxed and homogenous austenite grains.

Metallurgical and Mechanical Properties of Underwater Laser Welds of Stainless Steel

In this paper, the microstructures and mechanical properties of underwater laser welds of Type 304 stainless steel were investigated. JISY308L type filler wire was used as filler wire during welding. A gas-shielding nozzle was used to form a local dry cavity surrounding the welding zone. The main results are summarized as follows: (1) The shielding condition of the local dry cavity severely affects the oxygen content of the weld, the worst shielding condition leading to the oxygen content of 800×10-6, which largely increases the oxide inclusions and somewhat reduces the ferrite content. (2) The increase of oxygen content reduces the elongation rate and reduction of area in tensile test, but has no influence on the tensile strength. (3) In appropriate shielding condition, the mechanical properties of the underwater laser welds can be as same as that in the air.

STUDY OF THE MICROSTRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF SIMULATED HEAT AFFECTED ZONE IN LASER WELDING OF ULCB 600 STEEL

The microstructure and properties of stmulated heat affected zone (HAZ) of laser welded ULCB600 steel were investigate by applying the simulation technique with gleeble - 2000 dynamic thermal - me - chanical simulator.The influence of the preheat condition on the microstructure and properties of simu- lated HAZ of laser welded plate was also studied in order to evaluate the feasibility of reducing arisk that the ductility and toedness of HAZ may be poor by using preheat treatment.The results indicate that the grain size of laser - welded HAZ simulated is very small no matter if there is preheat, the toughness of simulated HAZ is therefore improved comparing to the base metal,and there is no obvious brittle - ductile transition in the range from - 80℃ to 20℃. The TEM analyses of sub -microstruc- ture also discover that microstructure constituent of both simulated HAZ is dominative lath martensite. However, the shaf of martensite is relatively coarse,and the dislocation density is relatively high for simulated HAZ with 200℃ preheat because of slower cooling rate. Combination of these tow factors is responsible for farer bardness and better toughness of simulated HAZ with preheat condition.

Estimation of the Temperature in the Weld Penetration Channel in Electron Beam Welding

In this paper, the method of experimental estimation of the temperature in a penetration channel in electron beam welding is described on the basis of chemical elements concentration in the vapors above welding zone. The temperature of a vapor-gas phase in the penetration channel is determined when equating calculated and experimental concentrations of the elements.

Monitoring and phenomena observation during YAG laser lap welding of Zn-coated steel sheets

A study was performed with the objectives of understanding lap welding phenomena of Zn-coated steels with a Nd:YAG laser as well as obtaining a fundamental knowledge of monitoring signals for the formation judgment of sound or bad weld beads. The behavior of a molten pool and a reflected beam was simultaneously observed through a high-speed video together with the monitoring of reflected beam intensity.The effect of a gap between sheets on porosity formation and bead appearances was confirmed,and characteristic monitoring signals were obtained according to the gaps.In the case of no gap,spatters were frequently generated,and a reflected beam was fluctuated intensively at low frequencies.On the other hand,in welding sheets with a wide gap,lap welds were not produced and the high frequency signals of a reflected beam were detected.Moreover,sound welds were produced in the sheets with a proper gap,and a moderate reflected beam was monitored.From these results,it was found that monitoring of a reflected beam was beneficial to the judgment of sound,under-filled or incomplete lap welds.