Butt autogenous laser welding of AA 2024 aluminium alloy thin sheets with a Yb:YAG disk laser

Higher productivity, lower distortion and better penetration are the main advantages provided by laser welding in comparison with conventional processes. A Trumpf TruDisk 2002 Yb:YAG disk laser is used in this work to increases productivity and quality. Aluminium alloys lead to many technological issues in laser welding, resulting in shallow penetration and defects. In particular, AA 2024 aluminium alloy in a thin sheet is investigated in this paper, being it is used extensively in the automotive and aerospace industries. Bead-on-plate and butt autogenous laser welding tests with continuous wave emission on 1.25 mm thick AA 2024 aluminium alloy sheets were examined morphologically and micro-structurally. The geometric and mechanical features of the welding bead were evaluated via a three-level experimental plan. In addition to the power and speed which are traditionally referred to, beam defocusing was considered as an additional governing factor in a central composite design scheme because it massively affects keyhole conditions. Softening in the fused zone is discussed via Vickers micro-hardness testing and magnesium loss through energy dispersive spectrometry. After properly performing the modelling and optimisation of the fused zone and the cross-section shape factor as the response variables, the laser welding conditions for thin sheets of AA 2024 aluminium alloy are suggested. X-ray and tensile tests were conducted on the specimens obtained with the recommended processing parameters to characterise the AA 2024 disk laser welded beads.     

Statistical analysis on mechanical properties of friction-stir-welded AA 1050/AA 5083 couples

In this study, the effect of friction-stir welding (FSW) parameters such as spindle rotational speed, traverse speed, and stirrer geometry on mechanical properties of AA 1050/AA 5083 alloy couples were experimentally investigated. Ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and hardness of welded joints were determined for this purpose. The full-factorial experimental design was conducted to obtain the response measurements. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and main effect plot were used to determine the significant parameters and set the optimal level for each parameter. A linear regression equation was derived to predict each output characteristic. The experimental and predicted values were in a good agreement with a R ² of 0.82 and 0.93 for UTS and hardness, respectively.     

Dual-beam laser welding of ultra-thin AA 5052-H19 aluminum

Welding of 0.05 mm (0.002 inch) thin AA 5052-H19 aluminum samples in lap-joint configuration was conducted autogenously (no filler metal) using dual lasers that included Nd:YAG and diode with a zero inter-beam spacing. The 70-ns pulsed Nd:YAG (1064 nm) laser acted as the welding tool while the continuous wave diode (810 nm) laser with interaction times of 40–120 ms served to improve the light absorption characteristics of aluminum through preheating and oxidation effects. The microstructure, composition, flaws, and hardness of the joint were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffraction, and micro-indentation hardness test. The dual-beam welding technique was also compared with single-beam (Nd:YAG) welding. Results of parametric effects are displayed in the form of processing maps. Deeper penetration, better weld quality (less humping and cutting), and increased hardness were observed in dual-beam welds when compared with single-beam welds. The most astounding result was a nearly 200% increase in hardness over the base metal in dual-beam welding. This can be explained by the oxygen pickup in a dual-beam weld due to longer heating and amorphous microstructure of aluminum oxide as revealed by energy dispersive X-ray spectrum and X-ray diffraction respectively.     

Superplastic-like forming of non-superplastic AA5083 combined with mechanical pre-forming

Superplastic forming has been considered as an attractive process in the automotive and aerospace industries. However, the disadvantages of slow forming rate, high-temperature requirement, poor thickness distribution, and expensive base material have hindered its widespread use for high production volume. In this paper, the non-superplastic grade of 5083 aluminum alloy (AA5083) sheets with thickness of 3?mm was employed in a superplastic-like forming process, which is a combination of drawing (mechanical pre-forming) and superplastic forming (blow forming). Experimental trials were conducted to verify the possibility of improving the forming rate and lowering the process temperature. The blank was firstly pre-formed during the mechanical pre-forming phase. As a result, some part of material along the flange area was introduced inside the deformation cavity in advance of the blow forming phase. Secondly, argon gas was applied on the sheet, which would be deformed to come into contact with the inner die surface at the end of pressure cycle. It took only 8?min for the blow forming phase, and the process achieved an almost fully formed part at 400°C. The minimum thickness occurred at the inward corners, and the maximum thinning of the formed part was 54%. Grain growth and cavitation were found from the microstructure observations.     

IGBT逆变弧焊电源CO2气体保护焊飞溅的波形控制

随着逆变焊机的发展和数字技术的应用,逆变CO2气体保护焊电源可通过调节焊接电源输出的电流与电压来控制熔滴过渡,改善焊缝成形,降低飞溅.根据熔滴过渡不同阶段的要求产生电流与电压控制信号,进行波形控制可实现调节短路电流上升速度,以减小短路峰值电流,降低短路爆炸能量;减少瞬时短路的次数;通过短路后期液桥颈缩电压上升率切断短路电流,消除电爆炸能量.以此有效减少CO2气体保护焊短路过渡产生的飞溅量,为低飞溅CO2气体保护焊的设计与实现提供有力保证.     

Laser Composite Surfacing of Ni-WC Coating on AA5083 for Enhancing Tribomechanical Properties

Laser composite surfacing (LCS) has emerged as an alternative photon-driven manufacturing technology for the fabrication of composite coatings to enhance the tribomechanical properties of various aluminum alloys. The current research presents an analysis on optimization of laser processing parameters for Ni-WC composite coating deposited on AA5083 aluminum alloy in order to improve its tribomechanical properties. To carry out the investigation, Taguchi's optimization method using a standard L₁₆ (3⁴) orthogonal array was employed. Thereafter, the results were analyzed using signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio response analysis and Pareto analysis of variance (ANOVA). Finally, confirmation tests with the best parameter combinations obtained in the optimization process were made to demonstrate the progress made. Results showed that the surface hardness (953 H_v) and roughness (0.81 μm) of coated AA5083 samples was enhanced by 9.27 and 13.14%, respectively. The tribological behavior of LCS samples was investigated using a ball-on-plate tribometer against a counterbody of 440c steel. It was revealed that the wear of the Ni-WC-coated samples improved by around 2.5 times. For lower applied loads, the coating exhibited an abrasive wear mode and a reduction in plastic deformation.     

5083铝合金带吻接FSW接头疲劳强度分析

针对具有吻接缺陷的5083铝合金板搅拌摩擦焊(FSW)对接接头试件,探索了吻接缺陷对搅拌摩擦焊对接接头疲劳强度的影响.使用维氏显微硬度仪测量了试件接头焊缝横截面硬度分布,测试结果显示,硬度值分布大致呈W趋势.采用MTS809疲劳测试机对试件进行疲劳测试,得到了不同吻接深度拉伸式样的名义应力-寿命关系.对疲劳断口进行SE...     

Influence of FSP on the microstructure,microhardness, intergranular corrosion susceptibility and wear resistance of AA5083 alloy

This article investigates the role of friction stir processing (FSP) process parameters on the evolution of microstructure, hardness, intergranular corrosion resistance and wear resistance of aluminium alloy AA5083. The FSP trials are performed by changing the process parameters as per face-centered central composite design. The friction stir processed (FSPed) specimens subjected to intergranular corrosion test and wear test are characterized using field emission scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Outcomes suggest that grain refinement, dispersion and partial dissolution of secondary phase has simultaneously increased the hardness, intergranular corrosion resistance and wear resistance of the FSPed specimens. The study found that tool rotation speed of 700?rpm, tool traverse speed of 60?mm?min^?1 and shoulder diameter of 15?mm results in maximum hardness, wear resistance and intergranular corrosion resistance.     

Friction stir lap welding of AA2024-T4 with drastically different thickness

The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology - Friction stir lap welding is a promising technology to obtain high-strength joints of Al alloys in aviation and aerospace...     

长焊缝激光拼焊焊缝碾压预成型技术研究

为降低长焊缝激光拼焊对板材边缘直线度的要求,提出了焊缝碾压预成形技术,其通过利用碾压轮碾压板材边缘使其发生属性变形来消除焊缝间隙,并且能够实现碾压量随间隙量大小而实时调整以保证板材碾压变形后的延展量正好填补两板间的间隙量.介绍了其机构原理及控制原理:通过实验测量与数学拟合的方法建立了碾压过程的数学模型.碾压和焊接实验表明长焊缝激光拼焊焊缝碾压预成形技术能方便消除焊前两板间间隙,大大降低激光焊接对板材边缘直线度的要求,保证焊接质量和提高焊接速度.     

Estimating the temperature of an electrode-metal drop when welding in a carbon-dioxide atmosphere

A method is proposed for determining the temperature of an electrode-metal droplet when welding in a carbon-dioxide atmosphere. The discrepancy between the theoretical estimates and experimental data is 5.8%.     

Effect of welding processes on tensile properties of AA6061 aluminium alloy joints

The present investigation is aimed at to study the effect of welding processes such as GTAW, GMAW and FSW on mechanical properties of AA6061 aluminium alloy. The preferred welding processes of these alloys are frequently gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) and gas metal arc welding (GMAW) due to their comparatively easier applicability and better economy. In this alloy, the weld fusion zones typically exhibit coarse columnar grains because of the prevailing thermal conditions during weld metal solidification. This often causes inferior weld mechanical properties and poor resistance to hot cracking. Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid phase welding technique developed primarily for welding metals and alloys that heretofore had been difficult to weld using more traditional fusion techniques. Rolled plates of 6 mm thickness have been used as the base material for preparing single pass butt welded joints. The filler metal used for joining the plates is AA4043 (Al-5Si (wt%)) grade aluminium alloy. In the present work, tensile properties, micro hardness, microstructure and fracture surface morphology of the GMAW, GTAW and FSW joints have been evaluated, and the results are compared. From this investigation, it is found that FSW joints of AA6061 aluminium alloy showed superior mechanical properties compared with GTAW and GMAW joints, and this is mainly due to the formation of very fine, equiaxed microstructure in the weld zone.     

Effect of laser on the welding process of short-circuiting transfer MIG welding of aluminum alloys

In this paper, the effect of laser on the welding process in metal inert gas (MIG) welding of aluminum alloys was studied exploiting high-speed imaging and welding electrical signals collecting. Bead-on-plate welding experiments were conducted using conventional short-circuiting transfer MIG welding and laser-short-circuiting transfer MIG hybrid welding. The obtained results point out that it took less time to strike the arc in laser-MIG hybrid welding, and the stability of arc striking was increased. When the laser was introduced into the arc atmosphere, the arc was compressed, and the welding energy was more concentrated. The arc cathode spot was fixed to the laser beam impinging spot, so the arc could burn stably. In laser-MIG hybrid welding, the droplet short-circuiting transfer stability and the weld appearance were improved significantly. Moreover, an analysis method of judging droplet transfer stability which bases on statistical techniques was proposed. By this method, it can be concluded that the short-circuiting transfer process became more stable in laser-MIG hybrid welding.     

液位变送器膜座组件激光焊接设计

通过对液位变送器膜座、膜片焊接,焊接夹具的设计及焊接工艺参数的选择,完成了液位变送器膜片、膜座的激光焊接设计研发。     

IGBT逆变电源CO2气体保护焊低飞溅的控制与实现

针对CO2气体保护焊焊接过程存在的飞溅大、成形差的缺点,以IGBT逆变弧焊电源为基础,对CO2焊短路过渡过程的动态信息参数电压、电流、信号进行分析、研究,确定了通过短路过程电弧的电参数来判别短路开始、颈缩、重新燃弧等不同阶段的信号源。结果表明:基于IGBT逆变CO2电源的电流波形控制,能够实现电流波形的分段精细控制,达到稳定焊接过程,减小飞溅,改善焊缝成形的目的。     

Effect of applied pressure on the tribological behaviour of SiCp reinforced AA2024 alloy

Effect of applied pressure on the tribological behaviour of SiCp reinforced aluminium alloy was investigated under varying applied pressure (0.2-1.8 MPa) and a sliding speed of 3.35 m/s, giving emphasis on the parameters such as coefficient of friction, temperature and wear rate as a function of applied pressure. The overall results indicated that dispersion of 10 wt% SiCp to the base alloy made the seizure resistance to improved by 33%, similarly 25 wt% SiCp, the seizure resistance enhanced by 50%. Understanding the mechanism of material removal and formation of mechanically mixed layer by EDX analysis through developed wear tracks.