Laser brazing of alloy 600 with precious filler metals

Abstract

The diode laser brazing of Ni base heat resistant alloy with precious filler metals has been conducted using the tandem beam for preheating and brazing. A couple of 1 mm thick plates of alloy 600 (Inconel 600) were butt brazed using Au–18Ni, Ag–10Pd and Ag–21Cu–25Pd filler metals of 0·5 mm diameter with a brazing flux. Sound butt joints which were free from brazing defects such as porosity and lack of penetration could be obtained at brazing clearances of 0·1–1·5 mm. The tensile strength of the braze joint produced using Ag–Pd filler metal increased with decreasing brazing clearance and reached ～70% of the base metal strength at a brazing clearance of 0·1 mm while those obtained by using Au–Ni and Ag–Cu–Pd filler metals were comparable with the base metal strength at any clearances between 0·1 and 1·5 mm. The laser brazing technique could be successfully applied to the brazing of Ni base superalloy to attain a joint with high performance and reliability.     

Fluxless laser beam joining of aluminium with zinc coated steel

Abstract

A laser welding–brazing (LWB) process to join zinc coated steel and aluminium sheets in two different flange geometries is reported. The deep drawing steel sheets are covered by a zinc layer of maximum thickness 10 μm, and a zinc based filler wire was used in the welding experiments with a Nd–YAG laser. Because of the differences in melting temperatures between iron (1808 K), aluminium (933 K), and zinc (693 K), it is possible to weld the aluminium alloy only. Owing to the zinc coating on the steel side, a Zn–Al alloy can be brazed onto the steel without any flux agent. The inevitable formation of a Fe–Al intermetallic phase at the bondline of the weld seam and the steel can be limited to a thickness of less than 5 μm and to a proportion of the contact area only. Mechanical as well as dynamic tests show results comparable to those obtained via other joining techniques. Salt chamber corrosion tests of varnished specimens display minor damage and no decline in tensile strength.     

Laser pressure welding of Al alloy and low C steel

Abstract

This study was performed to obtain fundamental knowledge concerning the development of laser pressure welding technology for the joining of dissimilar metals. Laser pressure welding of Al alloy A6061 and low C steel SPCC sheets was carried out to investigate the effects of the roller pressure, laser beam scanning speed and irradiation position on the tensile shear and peel strength of welded joints. The interfaces of the joints were observed and analysed by SEM and EDX, and the formation phases on the peeled surfaces were identified with XRD. It was revealed that prevention and suppression of oxidation during welding was extremely important to the production of a sound joint with good mechanical properties. The highest tensile strength and the highest peel strength of joints were obtained at a laser power of 1·8 kW, laser scanning speed of 30 Hz, laser irradiation position at the centreline, roller pressure of more than 245 MPa and welding speed of 0·5 m min^?1 in an Ar atmosphere. The fracture occurred not in the welded zone but in the A6061 base alloy specimen.     

Joining phenomena and joint strength of friction welded joint between pure aluminium and low carbon steel

Abstract

This paper describes the joining phenomena and joint strength of friction welded joints between pure aluminium (P-Al) and low carbon steel friction welds. When the joint was made at a friction pressure of 30 MPa with a friction speed of 27·5 s^?1, the upsetting (deformation) occurred at the P-Al base metal. P-Al transferred to the half radius region of the weld interface on the low carbon steel side, and then it transferred toward the entire weld interface. When the joint was made at a friction time of 0·9 s, i.e. just after the initial peak of the friction torque, it had ～93% joint efficiency and fractured on the P-Al side. This joint had no intermetallic compound at the weld interface. Then, the joint efficiency slightly decreased with increasing friction time. The joint had a small amount of intermetallic compound at the peripheral region of the weld interface when it was made at a friction time of 2·0 s. When the joint was made at a friction time of 0·9 s, the joint efficiency decreased with increasing forge pressure, and all joints were fractured at the P-Al side. Although the joint by forge pressure of 90 MPa had hardly softened region, it had ～83% joint efficiency. To clarify the fact of decreasing joint efficiency, the tensile strength of the P-Al base metal at room temperature was investigated, and the tensile test was carried out after various compression stresses and temperatures. The tensile strength of the P-Al base metal has decreased with increasing compression stress at any temperature. Hence, the fact that the joint did not achieve 100% joint efficiency was due to the decrease in the tensile strength of the P-Al base metal by the Bauschinger effect. To obtain higher joint efficiency and fracture on the P-Al side, the joint should be made without higher forge pressure, and with the friction time at which the friction torque reaches the initial peak.     

Bead on plate laser brazing of dual phase steel with two copper based consumables

Abstract

High strength steels with good formability properties have been developed in recent years, especially for the automotive industry. Joining these metals is however increasingly difficult as the fusion joining processes destroy the carefully constructed microstructure of the steels, resulting in less favourable mechanical properties in and around the joint. A possible solution to this problem is the use of joining processes that require less heat input; laser brazing is one such process. In this work, the brazability of a dual phase steel sheet has been investigated by means of bead on plate brazes produced with two consumables, CuSi3 and CuAl8. Two brazability diagrams are reported and high speed video images are used to explain the differences in operating conditions for these two consumables. Temperature measurements in the steel provide an indication about the temperatures reached during the joining process, which in turn explain the changes observed in the hardness of the steel.     

Hot chamber diecasting with Si3N4 ceramic injection system: application to aluminium alloy components

Abstract

Although hot chamber diecasting is an appropriate technology for producing high quality cast components, there are material limitations; at the process temperature, aluminium alloy erodes the immersed steel shot sleeve and plunger. Attempts have been made to employ a Si₃N₄ ceramic in place of steel. High quality Al hot chamber diecast components can be manufactured in this manner, but long production runs are not possible because failures occur in the ceramic sleeve even after, for example, a few thousand shots. The fracture in the ceramic sleeve is caused by high stresses arising from the plunger galling the sleeve surface owing to penetration of the Al alloy into the gap between the sleeve and plunger. The infiltrated Al alloy has been found to react chemically with the ceramics; silicon in the ceramic reacts with iron particles present as inclusions in the Al alloy. Hence, the purity of the molten Al alloy in the crucible is a significant factor in the production of high quality diecast components. To prevent penetration of the Al alloy, the injection system is cleaned periodically using hydrochloric acid, which dissolves the infiltrated Al alloy. Since etching by HCl can reduce the strength of the ceramic parts, this cleaning process must also be reconsidered. Recommendations to improve the quality of hot chamber diecast Al components are proposed.     

Application of grey relational analysis to determine welding parameters for Nd:YAG laser GMA hybrid welding of aluminium alloy

Abstract

Grey relational analysis is carried out to develop a new approach for optimization of Nd:YAG laser and gas metal arc hybrid welding parameters. The qualities of a welded material depend on various welding parameters. The parameters chosen for the current study include wire type, shielding gas, laser power, laser focus, travelling speed and wire feedrate. The welding experiments are performed on 6K21-T4 Al alloy sheet which are mostly used in automotive industries. The ultimate tensile stress, the bead width, and the penetration are chosen as the criterion for optimising the welding parameters. The method based on an orthogonal array following Taguchi's recommendation is adopted in the present study. Based on the results of grey relational analysis, a set of optimal welding parameters are obtained. The results show that the optimal welding parameters determined by the grey relational analysis are much improved compared to those from the preliminary set of experimental parameters.     

基于CuSi3焊丝的激光熔钎焊钢/铝异种金属工艺分析

采用直径1.6 mm的CuSi3焊丝对钢/铝异种金属进行激光填丝熔钎焊.使用光学显微镜观察了焊缝宏观成形,利用SEM,EDS,XRD分析了接头微观组织,通过原位纳米压痕仪和拉伸试验机测试了接头力学性能.结果表明,采用CuSi3焊丝实现了6061铝合金和镀锌板的激光搭接熔钎焊,优化了工艺参数,获得了成形良好的焊缝.焊缝呈现三个特征区：钢侧界面区、焊缝中心区和铜焊丝/铝过渡区.进一步研究表明,铜焊丝/铝过渡区组织包含Cu₉Al₄和CuAl₂金属间化合物,呈现带状、粗大骨架状、细小骨架状夹杂层片状和树枝状四种形貌.铜焊丝/铝过渡区硬度远高于相邻区域,粗大骨架状区域硬度最高达到9.97 GPa,拉伸断裂于粗大骨架状区域,断口呈现脆性断裂.     

Effect of brazing conditions on the microstructure and mechanical properties of duplex stainless steels to Cr−Cu alloy with Cu−base insert metal

The brazing of a copper-chromium alloy and DSS (Duplex stainless steel) was conducted under various conditions to investigate the bonding phenomena, microstructures and mechanical properties. The reactions of liquid insert metal with dissimilar base metals, a Cu−Cr alloy and DSS produced various phases in the bond zone. The chemical composition and the volume fraction of the phases varied as a function of the brazing conditions. The Cu phase for the DSS and piece of stainless steel separated from the DSS was produced from the reaction of the insert metal and the SSS. In addition, the Cr−Mn phase, Mn−Fe phase and Fe−Cr phase were formed by the reaction between the insert metal and each base metal. As the brazing temperature and time increased; the amounts of the Cu phase and the number of stainless steel pieces increased. In addition, the Mn−Fe phase varied compared to the Fe−Cr phase after brazing at 1273 K at 0 min. The Cr−Mn phase initially increased but eventually decreased after holding times of 15 min at 1273 K and 7 min at 1303 K.