Mechanical Properties and Microstructural Characteristics of Friction Welded Dissimilar Joints of Aluminium Alloys

Joining of similar and dissimilar combinations of aluminium alloys 2024 and 6061 were performed using friction welding technique. Microstructure, hardness and tensile properties of the joints were characterized. Microstructure of the alloy were found to change significantly across the joint such as fully deformed, partially deformed and undeformed regions due to deformation, frictional heat and alloy characteristics. Extensive fine grain size was observed in the fully deformed region and volume fraction of finer grains was higher in the alloy 2024 as compared to alloy 6061. Hardness was lower in the weld interface region of the similar joints of AA2024 and AA6061. The lower hardness in the dissimilar metal joint was observed in the heat affected zone of alloy 6061. The tensile strengths of the similar joints were 80 and 85% of respective base metal of alloys 2024 and 6061. The strength of the dissimilar metal joint was observed to be similar to the base metal strength of 6061 alloy. Tensile fracture occurred in the region of joints where lower hardness was observed. The maximum elongation were obtained in dissimilar joints of alloys and characterized by scanning electron microscope. It revealed deep dimple patterns unlike what was observed in similar joints.     

Studies on Electro Mechanical Aspects in Ultrasonically Welded Al/Cu Joints

Ultrasonic welding has been widely used to bond dissimilar conductive wires, battery cell terminals in relay applications. In this paper, dissimilar metals, Al/Cu were joined using ultrasonic welding for conductive applications. Welding trials were carried out by varying three control parameters: (1) vibrational amplitude (40, 60, and 80 µm), (2) clamping pressure (1, 1.2, and 1.4 bar), (3) weld time (0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 s). Experimental trails were designed based on L₉ Taguchi method. Interpretation of tensile strength and microhardness results revealed that the satisfactory weldments were obtained for higher welding energies when compared to low welding energies. From the microstructural analysis, the bond formation of metals and failure modes were studied. SEM and XRD images revealed the four major intermetallic compounds at the interface of joint; AlCu, Al₂Cu, Al₃Cu₄, and Al₄Cu₉ with resistivity values of 11.415, 8.027, 10.612, and 14.243 Ω-cm respectively. The resistivity values of intermetallic compounds observed in the joint was almost 5–6 times higher than the Al.     

Type IV Creep Damage Behavior in Gr.91 Steel Welded Joints

Modified 9Cr-1Mo steel (ASME Grade 91 steel) is used as a key structural material for boiler components in ultra-supercritical (USC) thermal power plants at approximately 873 K (600 °C). The creep strength of welded joints of this steel decreases as a result of Type IV creep cracking that forms in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) under long-term use at high temperatures. The current article aims to elucidate the damage processes and microstructural degradations that take place in the HAZ of these welded joints. Long-term creep tests for base metal, simulated HAZ, and welded joints were conducted at 823 K, 873 K, and 923 K (550 °C, 600 °C, and 650 °C). Furthermore, creep tests of thick welded joint specimens were interrupted at several time steps at 873 K (600 °C) and 90 MPa, after which the distribution and evolution of creep damage inside the plates were measured quantitatively. It was found that creep voids are initiated in the early stages (0.2 of life) of creep rupture life, which coalesce to form a crack at a later stage (0.8 of life). In a fine-grained HAZ, creep damage is concentrated chiefly in an area approximately 20 pct below the surface of the plate. The experimental creep damage distributions coincide closely with the computed results obtained by damage mechanics analysis using the creep properties of a simulated fine-grained HAZ. Both the concentration of creep strain and the high multiaxial stress conditions in the fine-grained HAZ influence the distribution of Type IV creep damage.     

Crucial Microstructural Features to Determine the Mechanical Properties of Welded Joints in a Cu-Containing Low-Carbon Low-Alloy Steel After Postweld Heat Treatment

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - The effect of welding and postweld heat treatment on the microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of a Cu-containing low-carbon...     

Microstructural Characteristics and Mechanical Properties of Friction Stir Welded Thick 5083 Aluminum Alloy

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - Joining thick sections of aluminum alloys by friction stir welding (FSW) in a single pass needs to overcome many challenges before it comes to...     

Microstructural Evolution and Mechanical Properties of CSEF/M P92 Steel Weldments Welded Using Different Filler Compositions

In the present investigation, P92 steel weld joints were prepared using a shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) process for two different fillers, E911 and P92. A comparative study was performed on the microstructural evolution, tensile strength, microhardness, and Charpy toughness across the P92 steel weldments in the as-welded and post-weld heat-treated (PWHT) conditions. The PWHT was performed at 760 °C for 2 hours. To study the effect of the different filler metals and PWHT on the mechanical properties, longitudinal and transverse tensile tests were carried out at room temperature for a constant cross-head speed of 1 mm/min. In the longitudinal direction, the tensile strength of the P92 steel welds was measured as 958 ± 35 and 1359 ± 38 MPa for the E911 and P92 filler, respectively. In the as-welded condition, the transverse tensile specimens were fractured from the fine-grained heat-affected zone or inter-critical heat-affected zone (FGHAZ/ICHAZ) and, after PWHT, the fracture location was shifted to over-tempered base metal from the FGHAZ/ICHAZ. After the PWHT, the tempering reaction resulted in lowering of the hardness throughout the weldment. After PWHT, the Charpy toughness of the weld fusion zone and heat-affected zone (HAZ) of the E911 filler weldments was measured as 66 ± 5 and 142 ± 8 J, respectively. The minimum required Charpy toughness of 47 J (EN1557: 1997) was achieved after the PWHT for both E911 and P92 filler.

     

Mechanical Properties and Metallurgical Characterization of Dissimilar Welded Joints between AISI 316 and AISI 4340

In the present study, the influence of six different process parameters and three interactions on joint tensile strength, toughness, fusion zone microhardness variation are studied during dissimilar tungsten inert gas welding between austenitic stainless steel AISI 316 and alloy steel AISI 4340. Detailed experimental study using fractional factorial experimental design and subsequent statistical analysis show that higher tensile strength, toughness can be achieved using ER 309 filler material and suitably selecting the other process parameters and heating conditions. Addition of small proportion of hydrogen in shielding gas increases the heat transfer efficiency, melting and subsequent penetration. Preheating of AISI 4340 material reduces the chance of solidification cracking and post-heating helps to improve the joint mechanical property. Microstructural observations show that improper selection of process parameters may lead to micro-pores and degrade the joint quality. Successful joining of the dissimilar materials greatly depends on the selection of optimum process parameters, filler material and shielding gas.     

Mechanical and Metallurgical Characterization of Dissimilar P92/SS304 L Welded Joints Under Varying Heat Treatment Regimes

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - This work was performed to characterize the dissimilar austenitic grade SS304 L and martensitic grade creep strength of an enhanced P92 steel welded...     

Microstructural Evolution and the Effect on Hardness and Impact Toughness of Sanicro 25 Welded Joints After Aging at 973 K

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - Sanicro 25 tubes were welded using Alloy 617 mod. as the filler material, and the welded joints were aged at 973 K up to 10,000 hours....     

Numerical Studies of Estimation of Fracture Parameters for Mismatched Welded Joints with HAZ Cracks

An idealized tri-material assumption is established to describe the constitutive relationship of mismatched welded joints by considering the influence of heat affected zone(HAZ).The fracture parameters Jand C*are estimated for mismatched welded joints with HAZ cracks by finite element analysis with ABAQUS.A middle crack tension(M(T))specimen is utilized in the analysis for different material properties and geometries of the weldment.The influence of mechanical property and geometry on the fracture parameters Jand C*of the specimen is discussed for the welded joints with HAZ crack.The results suggest that the HAZ property is a significant factor in the estimation of Jand C*for the mismatched welded joint with HAZ crack.     

Effect of Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of API X90 Pipeline Steel Welded Joints

In this work, X90 pipeline steel was welded by shielded metal arc welding with root and submerged arc welding with calk and cap. After that, the joint was tempered at 550 °C and 600 °C. Subsequently, the microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated by optical microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Vickers hardness tester. The fracture surface of welded joint was analyzed by SEM. The experiments show that: After high-temperature tempering treatment, the Widmanstatten structure disappears in coarse-grained region. The number of lath martensite in the original structure of the welded joint decreases, and the quantity of granular bainite increases. The acicular ferrite disappears gradually and the polygonal ferrite grains increase, and the M/A island components decompose into fine grains with the increase in tempering temperature. The mechanical properties of the joints also change and the hardness rises because of the disappearance of Widmanstatten structure improves after heat treatment, and yield strength and tensile strength of the specimens have the lowest values after tempering at 550 °C. After tempering at 600 °C, the hardness decreases and strength–ductility reaches 11,571 MPa%. The tensile fracture of 600 °C sample presents delamination and ductile fracture. Through comparative analysis, it can be concluded that the plasticity and toughness of multilayer welded joints after tempering at 600 °C is improved, and they have better comprehensive mechanical properties.

     

Quantitative Analysis of Microstructural Constituents in Welded Transformation-Induced-Plasticity Steels

A quantitative analysis of retained austenite and nonmetallic inclusions in gas tungsten arc (GTA)–welded aluminum-containing transformation-induced-plasticity (TRIP) steels is presented. The amount of retained austenite in the heat-affected and fusion zones of welded aluminum-containing TRIP steel with different base metal austenite fractions has been measured by magnetic saturation measurements, to study the effect of weld thermal cycles on the stabilization of austenite. It is found that for base metals containing 3 to 14 pct of austenite, 4 to 13 pct of austenite is found in the heat-affected zones and 6 to 10 pct in the fusion zones. The decomposition kinetics of retained austenite in the base metal and welded samples was also studied by thermomagnetic measurements. The decomposition kinetics of the austenite in the fusion zone is found to be slower compared to that in the base metal. Thermomagnetic measurements indicated the formation of ferromagnetic ε carbides above 290 °C and paramagnetic η(ε′) transient iron carbides at approximately 400 °C due to the decomposition of austenite during heating.     

Microstructural and Phase Composition Differences Across the Interfaces in Al/Ti/Al Explosively Welded Clads

The microstructure and phase composition of Al/Ti/Al interfaces with respect to their localization were investigated. An aluminum-flyer plate exhibited finer grains located close to the upper interface than those present within the aluminum-base plate. The same tendency, but with a higher number of twins, was observed for titanium. Good quality bonding with a wavy shape and four intermetallic phases, namely, TiAl₃, TiAl, TiAl₂, and Ti₃Al, was only obtained at the interface closer to the explosive material. The other interface was planar with three intermetallic compounds, excluding the metastable TiAl₂ phase. As a result of a 100-hour annealing at 903 K (630 °C), an Al/TiAl₃/Ti/TiAl₃/Al sandwich was manufactured, formed with single crystalline Al layers. A substantial difference between the intermetallic layer thicknesses was measured, with 235.3 and 167.4 µm obtained for the layers corresponding to the upper and lower interfaces, respectively. An examination by transmission electron microscopy of a thin foil taken from the interface area after a 1-hour annealing at 825 K (552 °C) showed a mixture of randomly located TiAl₃ grains within the aluminum. Finally, the hardness results were correlated with the microstructural changes across the samples.

     

Microstructural and Mechanical Properties of FSW Joints Between AA6101-T6 and AA6351-T6 Dissimilar Al Alloys

Friction stir welding of AA6101-T6 and AA6351-T6 dissimilar Aluminium alloys has been carried out at constant welding speed using a tapered cylindrical threaded tool pin with varying rotational speed. Change in microstructure and hardness near heat affected zone, nugget zone, and Thermo mechanically affected zone have been examined. Tensile tests results showed that the minimum loss of yield strength and ultimate tensile strength with minimised microstructural distortion in the weld correspond to 1100 r.p.m of tool speed. Electron probe micro analysis with energy dispersive spectroscopy result shows that the breakdown of inter granular precipitate of Mg₂Si is found to be equiaxed and it minimizes the heat affected zone, thus attributing to the increase of strength compared to welded joints of 900 and 1300 r.p.m tool speed. The mass% of Si decreases with increase in tool speed and forms finer Mg₂Si precipitates that attributes to reduction in strength with fibrous fracture appearance.     

Microstructural evaluation of Ti-6-22-22 alloy

In this study, the microstructure of Ti-6-22-22 alloy as a function of aging time and temperature was examined and related to its fracture behavior. Fracture primarily occurred along prior β grain boundaries, but the morphology of the fracture surfaces varied from very smooth to rough and dimpled with increasing fracture toughness. Changes in the density of acicular α, silicides, and ordering in α were found to influence the fracture toughness. Ordering in the α phase was found to reduce fracture toughness significantly, while an increased density of acicular α reduced the toughness only slightly. The amount of partitioning of alloying elements was not found to correlate directly with toughness.     

Fatigue Assessment of Cruciform Joints Welded with Different Methods

The advantages of the relatively new laser welding method are low welding distortions and high productivity, and it opens new opportunities for welding of steel structures in the automotive and heavy machinery industries. There is a need for understanding the fatigue strength and to develop fatigue design curves for laser welded joints. In this paper fatigue testing and weld quality of Hybrid Nd: YAG laser/MAG and MAG welded non‐load carrying cruciform joints is examined. Four batches were produced, tested and the results were compared. The local weld geometry of the cruciform welded joints was measured and analysed. The measured parameters were used to calculate the stress concentration factors by implementing FE‐models, in order to anticipate the influence of size of weld geometrical parameters on the stress concentrations. Residual stress measurement was carried out close to the toe region using the X‐ray diffraction method and weld defects (cold laps) in the cracked specimens was measured.     

Microstructural Evolution of Dissimilar Metal Welds Involving Grade 91

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - Dissimilar metal weld failures between low alloy Cr-Mo ferritic steels and austenitic stainless steels made with Ni-base filler metals are typically...     

Weld Quality and Microstructure Development in Ultrasonically Welded Titanium Joints

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - Joints of 0.5 mm thick sheets of commercially pure titanium have been processed by ultrasonic spot welding with the amplitude of vibrations 20 µm...