Influence of aluminium alloy type on dissimilar friction stir lap welding of aluminium to copper

A heat-treatable (AA 6082) and a non-heat treatable (AA 5083) aluminium alloys were friction stir lap welded to copper using the same welding parameters. Macro and microscopic analysis of the welds enabled to detect important differences in welding results, according to the aluminium alloy type. Whereas important internal defects, resulting from ineffective materials mixing, were detected for the AA 5083/copper welds, a relatively uniform material mixing was detected in the AA 6082/copper welds. Micro-hardness testing and XRD analysis also showed important differences in microstructural evolution for both types of welds. TEM and EBSD-based study of the AA 5083/copper welds revealed the formation of submicron-sized microstructures in the stirred aluminium region, for which untypically high hardness values were registered.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir welded aluminium alloys with special reference to AA 5083 and AA 6082

Abstract

Aluminium alloys AA 5083 and AA 6082 have been friction stir welded and the mechanical properties and microstructures of the welds have been evaluated. Alloy AA 5083 mainly fractured near the centre of the weld, while fracture in AA 6082 mainly occurred in the heat affected zone. The tensile strength of welded joints in AA 6082 was lower than the base material strength, but still met classification societies' requirements. Hardness was approximately constant across the welded zone in AA 5083, while a minimum in hardness was found in the AA 6082 welds. The location of the fracture closely matched the minimum hardness region. Very fine scale precipitation in AA 6082 was significantly affected by the weld thermal cycle. In the zone of lowest hardness, the hardening precipitate (β″-Mg₅Si₆) had transformed to the non-hardening β′-Mg_1.7Si. This is probably the main reason for the minimum in hardness, the fracture location, and the decreased tensile strength. Results are compared to a similar investigation of aluminium alloy AA 7075.     

Effects of base and filler chemistry and weld techniques on equiaxed zone formation in Al–Zn–Mg alloy welds

Abstract

Equiaxed zone (EQZ) formation in Al–Zn–Mg alloy welds as affected by base metal, filler metal chemistry and weld techniques is studied. Filler metal chemistry and welding techniques have great influence on the formation of EQZ microstructure as base metal composition has. In an effort to characterise the equiaxed grain zone formation in Al–Zn–Mg alloy welds two commercial Al alloys AA7018 and RDE40 were selected. Gas tungsten arc welding in continuous current, pulsed current and arc oscillation mode were applied to weld the base materials. The influence of Sc containing fillers have been studied and compared with the commercial filler material. Mechanical and metallurgical characterisation were carried out in the EQZ. Intergranular corrosion in EQZ was studied according to ASTM G 110-92. Results reveals that RDE40 with low solute contents showed wider EQZ but relatively better corrosion and mechanical properties compared to AA7018 EQZ. Gas tungsten arc welding in pulsed and arc oscillation mode fusion boundary region exhibits better corrosion and mechanical properties compared to continuous current mode welds. Addition of Sc to the AA5556 filler combined with pulsed mode resulted in elimination of EQZ, better corrosion and mechanical properties compared to welds made with conventional AA5556 filler and also the presence of Sc within the EQZ so called unmixed zone has been observed.     

Comparative evaluation of tungsten inert gas and laser welding of AZ31 magnesium alloy

Abstract

Welding of AZ31 Mg alloy was conducted using various welding techniques, namely, tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding with Ar shielding gas, TIG welding with He shielding gas, CO₂ laser welding, and YAG laser welding. The results were comparatively evaluated in terms of weld bead formation and microstructural characterisation. It was found that TIG welding with both Ar and He gas shielding produced good welds without major defects. The penetration capacity can be improved using He gas shielding. Owing to their high energy density, CO₂ and YAG lasers can produce weld beads having high aspect ratio. Among the four techniques used, the YAG laser produced the finest weld microstructure, whereas TIG with Ar gas shielding produced the coarsest microstructure. Shielding is a key factor controlling the O contents in the welds. The more effective the shielding provided the lower the O content in the weld. Hardness reduction in the weld metals and heat affected zones was observed for all the techniques owing to the elimination of strengthening effects by the welding operation. In summary, the present study demonstrated advantages and limitations of the various welding techniques and provided an in depth understanding of the weldability of AZ31 Mg alloy.     

The effect of welding parameters on the corrosion behaviour of friction stir welded AA2024-T351

The effect of welding parameters (rotation speed and travel speed) on the corrosion behaviour of friction stir welds in the high strength aluminium alloy AA2024-T351 was investigated. It was found that rotation speed plays a major role in controlling the location of corrosion attack. Localised intergranular attack was observed in the nugget region for low rotation speed welds, whereas for higher rotation speed welds, attack occurred predominantly in the heat-affected zone. The increase in anodic reactivity in the weld zone was due to the sensitisation of the grain boundaries leading to intergranular attack. Enhancement of cathodic reactivity was also found in the nugget as a result of the precipitation of S-phase. The results were compared with samples of AA2024-T351 that had been heat treated to simulate the thermal cycle associated with welding, and with samples that had been exposed to high temperatures for extended periods to cause significant over-ageing.     

Non-destructive inspection for weld joint of steel structure

Friction stir welding (FSW) succeeded in producing high quality dissimilar welds with AA5083 and A6N01 by evaluation of the microstructure and the root bend testing. A6N01 with a wide optimum range of welding condition should be placed on the retreating side to weld a sound joint between AA5083 and A6N01. The optimum welding condition of FSW for the dissimilar alloys between AA5083 and A6N01 was wider than that of AA5083. In the opposite orientation, A6N01 on the advancing side can hardly flow into AA5083 on the retreating side in front of the tool. As the pores on inappropriate welding conditions were observed, large pores on a lower tool rotation speed were different from small discontinuous pores on a higher tool rotation speed.     

Microstructure,mechanical properties and residual stresses as a function of welding speed in aluminium AA5083 friction stir welds

Friction stir welding (FSW), like other friction welding techniques, has the advantage that many of the welding parameters, e.g. tool design, rotation speed and translation speed, can be controlled in a precise manner, thus controlling the energy input into the system. However, the effect of different welding speeds on the weld properties remains an area of uncertainty. In this paper, we report the results of microstructural, mechanical property and residual stress investigations of four aluminium AA5083 friction stir welds produced under varying conditions. It was found that the weld properties were dominated by the thermal input rather than the mechanical deformation by the tool.     

Effects of processing parameters on corrosion properties of dissimilar friction stir welds of aluminium and copper

The influence of friction stir welding processing parameters on dissimilar joints conducted between aluminium alloy (AA5754) and commercially pure copper (C11000) was studied. The welds were produced by varying the rotational speed from 600 to 1200 r/min and the feed rate from 50 to 300 mm/min. The resulting microstructure and the corrosion properties of the welds produced were studied. It was found that the joint interfacial regions of the welds were characterized by interlayers of aluminium and copper. The corrosion tests revealed that the corrosion resistance of the welds was improved as the rotational speed was increased. The corrosion rates of the welds compared to the base metals were improved compared with Cu and decreased slightly compared with the aluminium alloy. The lowest corrosion rate was obtained at welds produced at rotational speed of 950 r/min and feed rate of 300 mm/min which corresponds to a weld produced at a low heat input.     

Effect of tool geometry on friction stir processing and fatigue strength of MIG T welds on Al alloys

Several tool geometries were developed and their effect on weld morphology, material flow, microstructure and hardness of processed regions was analyzed. Their effect on fatigue strength of welds was also examined for the most promising tools. The feasibility of FSP MIG T welds was proved. Quality of processed regions is very influenced by tool geometry. FSP removes defects in the MIG weld toe and increases its radius of curvature. Also promotes significant grain refinement in processed regions, reduces hardness in welds on AA 6082-T651 and hardens AA 5083-H111 welds. Only tools with concave and rounded edge shoulder and cylindrical threaded pin allow the improvement of fatigue strength of MIG welds on both alloys.     

Local electrochemical properties of laser beam‐welded high‐strength Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloys

Butt welds of two high‐strength Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloys with different zinc contents were welded by a laser beam welding technique. Due to the high energy density of the laser beam, the microstructural changes are confined to very thin regions. Electrochemical properties of the weld heat‐affected zones are investigated by local electrochemical measurement techniques and correlated with microhardness measurements, macroscopic corrosion behaviour and metallographic sections. It turned out that microelectrochemical techniques, especially the EC‐pen is a versatile and easy to handle tool for the resolution of changes in the electrochemical properties across a weld bead. It unveils modifications, which cannot be resolved by hardness measurements. By microcell measurements, local corrosion kinetics can be estimated.     

Structural evolution of pulsed Nd-YAG laser welds of AISI 1006 steel

Abstract

Although correlations of welding parameters with the metallurgical features of conventional fusion welds in low carbon steels are well established, information on process–structure–property relationships associated with pulsed laser welds is more limited. This paper presents results on the characterisation of weld metal and heat affected zone (HAZ) microstructures observed in laser welded AISI 1006 steel. Pulsed Nd-YAG laser welds in the bead on plate configuration were used for this purpose, both in overlapping and non-overlapping bead configurations. As very rapid heating and cooling cycles occur during laser welding, the microstructures observed in the weld metal are the result of rapid solidification producing thin columnar austenite grains extending from the fusion boundary, which transform to martensite and bainite during fast cooling to ambient temperature. The HAZ structure in the base plate can also be rationalised in terms of the rapid thermal cycling experienced. The HAZ is narrow with the intercritical reheated subzone being dominant. As microstructural development has a critical effect on the mechanical properties of welds, microstructural characterisation plays an integral role not only in the understanding of pulsed laser welding, but also in the selection of optimum welding conditions for the material of interest.     

Investigation of microstructure,surface and subsurface characteristics in titanium alloy friction stir welds of varied thicknesses

Abstract

Friction stir welding of titanium alloy (Ti–6Al–4V) was demonstrated on 3, 6, 9 and 12 mm thickness square groove butt joints. Complete microstructural and microhardness evaluations were conducted in addition to surface and subsurface examinations for each case. The 3 mm welds exhibited an extremely fine grained microstructure with evidence of processing temperatures below the beta transus temperature of the alloy. The 6, 9 and 12 mm samples possessed larger grains formed by a slower cooling rate from above the beta transus temperatures. The thick section weld exhibited a nearly uniform microhardness, while the thinner welds showed a slight, 6%, increase in hardness compared with the parent material.     

Comparative study on fatigue properties of friction stir and MIG-pulse welded joints in 5083 Al-Mg alloy

The objective of this investigation was to compare the fatigue properties of friction stir welds with those of MIG-pulse welds. The 5083 Al-Mg alloy was welded by single pass friction stir welding（FSW） and double-sided MIG-pulse welding. The results show that friction stir（FS） welds have a better appearance than MIG-pulse welds for the lack of voids, cracks and distortions. Compared with the parent plate, FSW welds exhibit similar fine grains, while MIG-pulse welds display a different cast microstructure due to the high heat input and the addition of welding wire. The S-N curves of FSW and MIG-pulse joints show that the fatigue life of FS welds is 18 - 26 times longer than that of MIG-pulse welds under the stress ratio of 0.1 and the calculated fatigue characteristic values of each weld increase from 38.67 MPa for MIG-pulse welds to 53.59 MPa for FSW welds.     

Microstructure and Microhardness of Laser Beam Welded Al-Mg-Mn-Zr-Er Joint

In this work,the weldability of the alloy Al-Mg-Mn-Zr-Er with high power Nd:YAG laser has been studied.Samples were subjected to three different welding heat inputs to obtain various weld beads.The main objective of the present work has been to investigate the change of microstructure and microhardness at the Al-Mg-Mn-Zr-Er laser weld beads.Results showed that the top width of the bead was larger at the higher laser power.Grain structure refinement was found in welded metal,especially at higher laser power.It was also verified that the microhardness of weld bead was raised with the decrease of laser power,due to the microstructure refinement at the condition of lower laser power.     

Influence of heating source position and dilution rate in achieving overmatched dissimilar welded joints

Abstract

The investigation addresses the overall performance of black and white joints (BWJ) of low carbon steel (LCS) and stainless steel thin sheets achieved by laser hybrid welding. Assuming that the structural integrity is directly influenced by the processing temperature, a thermal simulation of BWJ of thin sheets was developed. Afterwards, the base metals apportionment at joint formation, namely their distinct dilution rate, was originally estimated from the top surface temperature variation. Defect-free laser hybrid dissimilar welds were experimentally obtained using the selected filler metal and the energetic input from the process simulation, even for a critical analysed case of heat source displacement from the weld gap centreline towards LCS. Detailed macro and microstructural examination of the BWJ and related microhardness analysis results are presented. The tensile tests results indicate that in the case of transversally loaded BWJ, the positive difference in yield between the weld metal and the base materials protects the weld metal from being plastically deformed; the flat transverse tensile specimens loading up to failure reveals large strains in LCS, far away from the weld.     

Effects of magnesium content on dual beam Nd : YAG laser welding of Al – Mg alloys

Abstract

The effects of Mg content on the weldability of aluminium alloy sheet using the dual-beam Nd:YAG laser welding process have been studied by making bead-on-plate welds on 1.6 mm thick AA 1100, AA 5754 (3.2 wt-%Mg) and AA 5182 (4.6 wt-%Mg) alloy sheets. Whereas all full-penetration laser welds made in 1100 aluminium were of excellent quality,many of the welds produced in the aluminium–magnesium alloys exhibited rough, spiky underbead surfaces with drop-through and undercut. A limited range of process variables was found, however, that allowed welds with acceptable weld bead quality to be produced in the 5754 and the 5182 alloy sheet. Goodwelds were only produced in these alloys if the lead/lag laser beam power ratio was ≥1. Weld penetration and the maximum welding speed allowing full penetration keyhole-mode welding were observed to increase with Mg content. This was attributed to the effect of Mg on the vapour pressure within the keyhole and the surface tension of the Al–Mg alloys. Significant occluded vapour porosity was seen in the 5754 and 5182 alloy welds with borderline penetration; however, there was no evidence of porosity in the acceptable full-penetration welds with smooth underbead surfaces. Hardness profiles in the 5754 and 5182 welds showed a gradual increase in hardness from the base metal values through the heat affected zone (HAZ) to a peak in hardness in the weld metal adjacent the fusion boundary. It is possible that this increase in hardness may be the result of the presence of Mg₂Al₃ or metastable Mg₂Al₃′ precipitates in this region of the weld and HAZ.     

Dilution and microsegregation in dissimilar metal welds between super austenitic stainless steel and nickel base alloys

Abstract

Super austenitic stainless steels are often welded using high Mo, Ni base filler metals to maintain the corrosion resistance of the weld. An important aspect of this processing is the weld metal dilution level, which will control the composition and resultant corrosion resistance of the weld. In addition, the distribution of alloying elements within the weld will also significantly affect the corrosion resistance. Dissimilar metal welds between a super austenitic stainless steel (AL-6XN) and two Ni base alloys (IN625 and IN622) were characterised with respect to their dilution levels and microsegregation patterns. Single pass welds were produced over the entire dilution range using the gas tungsten arc welding process. Microstructural characterisation of the welds was conducted using light optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and quantitative image analysis. Bulk and local chemical compositions were obtained through electron probe microanalysis. The quantitative chemical information was used to determine the partition coefficients k of the elements in each dissimilar weld. The dilution level was found to decrease as the ratio of volumetric filler metal feedrate to net arc power increased. Reasons for this behaviour are discussed in terms of the distribution of power required to melt the filler metal and base metal. In addition, the segregation potential of Mo and Nb was observed to increase (i.e. their k values decreased) as the Fe content of the weld increased. This effect is attributed to the decreased solubility of Mo and Nb in austenite with increasing Fe additions. Since the Fe content of the weld is controlled by dilution, which in turn is controlled by the welding parameters, the welding parameters have an indirect influence on the segregation potential of Mo and Nb. The results of the present work provide practical insight for corrosion control of welds in super austenitic stainless steels.     

Electrochemical corrosion behavior and microstructural characteristics of electron beam welded UNS S32205 duplex stainless steel

Different electrochemical techniques were used to study the corrosion behavior of UNS S32205 duplex stainless steel (DSS) welded autogenously using a single-pass by electron beam welding process, supplemented by microstructural characterization. Furthermore, a comparative study was also performed between multipass gas tungsten arc (GTA)-welded and EB-welded DSS for their microstructure and corrosion behavior. The differences in weld thermal cycle and chemical composition influenced the fusion zone microstructure of both the welds and eventually their corrosion properties. The general corrosion resistance of the EB weld was lower than the base metal and higher than the GTA weld despite its weld zone being characterized by a relatively unbalanced phase ratio (α/γ) in comparison to the GTA weld. However, the EB weld showed relatively higher susceptibility to pitting corrosion than the base metal and GTA weld due to its poor repassivation characteristics and poor resistance to pit growth.     

Joint performance of CO2 laser beam welding 5083,H321 aluminum alloy

Laser beam welding of aluminum alloys is expected to offer good mechanical properties of welded joints. In this experimental work reported, CO2 laser beam autogenoas welding and wire feed welding are conducted on 4 mm thick 5083- H321 aluminum alloy sheets at different welding variables. The mechanical properties and microstructure characteristics of the welds are evaluated through tensile tests, micro-hardness tests, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. Experimental results indicate that both the tensile strength and hardness of laser beam welds are affected by the constitution of filler material, except the yield strength. The soften region of laser beam welds is not in the heat-affected zone （ HAZ ）. The tensile fracture of laser beam welded specimens takes place in the weld zone and close to the weld boundary because of different filler materials. Some pores are found on the fracture face, including hydrogen porosities and blow holes, but these pores have no influence on the tensile strength of laser beam welds. Tensile strength values of laser beam welds with filler wire are up to 345.57 MPa, 93% of base material values, and yield strengths of laser beam welds are equivalent to those of base metal （264. 50 MPa）.     

Numerical simulation of friction stir spot welding process for aluminum alloys

Thermo-mechanical simulations of the Friction Stir Spot Welding (FSSW) processes were performed for AA5083-H18 and AA6022-T4, utilizing commercial Finite Element Method (FEM) and Finite Volume Method (FVM) codes, which are based on Lagrangian and Eulerian formulations, respectively. The Lagrangian explicit dynamic FEM code, PAM-CRASH, and the Eulerian Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) FVM code, STAR-CD, were utilized to understand the effect of pin geometry on weld strength and material flow under the unsteady state condition. Using FVM code, material flow patterns near the tool boundary were analyzed to explain weld strength difference between welds by a cylindrical pin and welds by a triangular pin, whereas the frictional energy concept using the FEM code had a limited capacity to explain the weld strength difference.