Mechanical properties of electron beam welded dissimilar joints of TC17 and Ti60 alloys

Microstructure, hardness, tensile and high cycle fatigue (HCF) properties of the welded dissimilar joints of Ti60 and TC17 titanium alloys had been investigated in this study. A significant microstructural change was observed to occur after welding, with rod-like α and β phases in the fusion zone (FZ), equiaxed α phases, fine α laths and β phases in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of TC17 side and acicular martensite α' phases+“ghost” α phases in the HAZ of Ti60 side. The microhardness across the joints exhibited an inhomogeneous distribution with the highest hardness of ～404 HV in FZ and the lowest hardness of ～304 HV in base material (BM) of Ti60. All the joints tested in tension fractured at BM of Ti60 side. Fatigue limits of the joints at 10⁷ cycles were 425?MPa at room temperature and 380?MPa at 400?°C, respectively. Welding micropores were found to be the main source of fatigue crack initiation.     

Microstructural and mechanical characterization of laser beam welded AA6056 Al-alloy

Laser beam welding is considered to be a suitable joining process for high speed, low distortion, and high quality fabrication of aircraft structures manufactured from aluminum alloys, which are mainly preferred due to their favourable properties, such as high strength to weight ratio, ease of forming and high thermal and electrical conductivity. However, the laser beam welding of 6000 series aluminum alloys may exhibit a tendency to solidification cracking, and porosity may be a major problem unless appropriate welding parameters and filler metal are employed.In this study, the microstructural aspects and mechanical properties of laser beam welded new generation aluminum alloy, namely 6056, developed especially for aircraft structures, are investigated. A continuous wave CO₂ laser using AlSi12 filler wire was employed. A detailed microstructural examination of the weld region was carried out by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Standard tensile and microflat tensile specimens extracted from the welded plates were tested at room temperature for the determination of general and local mechanical properties of the welded joints. Extensive microhardness measurements were also conducted. Crack growth mechanisms of the joints produced were also determined by conducting fatigue tests under various stress ratios (i.e., 0.1 ≤ R ≤ 0.7).     

Fatigue behaviour of post weld heat treated electron beam welded AA2219 aluminium alloy joints

This paper reports the effect of post weld heat treatment on fatigue behaviour of electron beam welded AA2219 aluminium alloy. An attempt has been made to enhance the fatigue strength of the electron beam welded joints through post weld heat treatment methods such as solution treatment, artificial aging, solution treatment and artificial aging. Electron beam welding machine with 100 kV capacity has been used to fabricate the square butt joints. Servo hydraulic controlled fatigue testing machine with a capacity of 100 kN has been used to evaluate the fatigue life of the welded joints. Of the three post weld heat treated joints, the solution treated and aged joints are enduring higher number of cycles under the action of cyclic loads.     

Reasons for superior mechanical and corrosion properties of 2219 aluminum alloy electron beam welds

Electron beam welds of aluminum alloy 2219 offer much higher strength compared to gas tungsten arc welds of the same alloy and the reasons for this have not been fully explored. In this study both types of welds were made and mechanical properties were evaluated by tensile testing and pitting corrosion resistance by potentio dynamic polarization tests. It is shown that electron beam welds exhibit superior mechanical and corrosion properties. The weld metals have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy; transmission electron microscopy and electron probe micro analysis. Presence of partially disintegrated precipitates in the weld metal, finer micro porosity and uniform distribution of copper in the matrix were found to be the reasons for superior properties of electron beam welds apart from the fine equiaxed grain structure. Transmission electron micrographs of the heat affected zones revealed the precipitate disintegration and over aging in gas tungsten arc welds.     

Microstructure and mechanical behaviors of electron beam welded NiTi shape memory alloys

The vacuum electron beam welding (EBW) technique was employed to weld Ni_50.8Ti_49.2 shape memory alloy sheets, and the microstructure, transformation behaviors and mechanical behaviors of the welding joints were investigated systematically. The microstructure observation showed that the weld seam was composed of coarse columnar crystals at the center and relatively fine columnar crystals near the fusion line. The abnormal high intensity of B2_2 0 0 peak in XRD patterns and preferred orientation in EBSD indicated that the grains in the weld seam have grown preferentially along the 〈1 0 0〉 crystal orientation. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) curves exhibited an increase of the martensite start temperature (M_s) of the weld seam, which led to the mixed microstructure of martensite and austenite at room temperature. As a result, the ultimate tensile strength of the welding joint was 85% as high as that of the base metal at room temperature, while it could reach 93% at 223 K when both the weld seam and the base metal were in pure martensitic state.     

Influence of the filler metal on the mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V electron beam weldments

The influence of various filler metals on the mechanical properties of 17 mm thick Ti-6Al-4V electron beam welded joints has been analysed. Autogeneous welded joints exhibit higher toughness when compared to the parent plate but this improvement was less marked than that observed in plasma arc welded joints. To achieve better toughness, without suffering unacceptable losses of strength, different morphologies of commercially pure titanium filler metals have been employed. Using 0.50 mm thick sheet as filler metal leaded to maximum toughness but as counterpart a significant decrease in strength was observed. To obtain high toughness while maintaining a high strength level 0.25 mm sheet and 1 mm diameter filler metals are recommended. Fractographic examination of the failed specimens helped to explain the fracture behaviour of the different welded joints.     

Electron beam surface treatment. Part II: microstructure evolution of stainless steel and aluminum alloy during electron beam rapid solidification

Surface rapid solidification microstructures of AISI 321 austenitic stainless steel and 2024 aluminum alloy have been investigated by electron beam remelting process and optical microscopy observation. It is indicated that the morphologies of the melted layer of both stainless steel and aluminum alloy change dramatically compared to the original materials. Also, the microstructures were greatly refined after the electron beam irradiation.     

Force response characteristics and mechanical properties of friction stir welded AA2024 sheets

Process force and tensile properties in friction stir welding of AA2024 sheets were studied. Results show that the forces present a periodic variation with the same periodicity which is nearly equal to the time of one tool rotation, and thus it only depends on rotation speed. With increasing welding speed the forces increase gradually, while with increasing rotation speed the forces first decrease and then increase. Joints with superior strength-ductility synergy are produced at 900?rev?min^?1–300?mm?min^?1 and 1000?rev?min^?1–350?mm?min^?1. These joints experience nearly the same peak temperature and axial force. As heat input increases the failure initiates from the interface between nugget zone (NZ) and thermo-mechanically affected zone to heat-affected zone continuing to NZ.     

Effect of tool pin eccentricity on microstructure and mechanical properties in friction stir welded 7075 aluminum alloy thick plate

Four different tools with the pin eccentricity of 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm and 0.4 mm were designed to friction stir weld 10 mm thick AA7075-O plate. The effect of pin eccentricity on microstructure, secondary phase particles transformation and mechanical properties of the joints was investigated. The results show that the nugget area (A_NZ) increases firstly and then decreases with increasing the pin eccentricity. When the pin with 0.2 mm eccentricity is applied, the A_NZ is the largest; meanwhile the grains size is the smallest which is about 3 μm and secondary phase particles are the most dispersive in nugget zone compared with other tools. While the grains are coarsened to 7–11 μm as the eccentricity is more than 0.4 mm, some coarse hardening particles get to cluster in the thermo-mechanically affected zone. The joints produced by the pin with 0.2 mm eccentricity perform the highest tensile strength and elongation, which is attributed to better interfaces, finer grains and more dispersive secondary phase particles.     

Microstructure and tensile properties of friction welded aluminum alloy AA7075-T6

Solid-state welding processes like friction welding and friction stir welding are now being actively considered for welding aluminum alloy AA7075. In this work, friction welding of AA7075-T6 rods of 13 mm diameter was investigated with an aim to understand the effects of process parameters on weld microstructure and tensile properties. Welds made with various process parameter combinations (incorporating Taguchi methods) were subjected to tensile tests. Microstructural studies and hardness tests were also conducted. The results show that sound joints in AA7075-T6 can be achieved using friction welding, with a joint efficiency of 89% in as-welded condition with careful selection of process parameters. The effects of process parameters are discussed in detail based on microstructural observations.     

Effect of isothermal deformation on microstructure and properties of electron beam welded joint of Ti2AlNb/TC11

Abstract

The present paper reports the influence of hot work (isothermal deformation accompanied with heat treatment) on microstructure and properties of electron beam welded dissimilar joint. Ti₂AlNb alloy and TC11 alloy were used to fabricate the joints. Isothermal deformation and heat treatment were performed under certain conditions. The structures were analysed using optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The results show that the as welded metal of Ti₂AlNb/TC11 joint is mainly composed of α₂ and β phases. The metastable β phase transformed into α+β phases during deformation and heat treatment processes. There are no big differences in tensile strength of joints under different conditions. However, the impact toughness of the weld has improved 72% after hot work.     

Control of the electron beam active zone position in electron beam welding processes

It is known that charged particles emitted from the region of electron beam (EB) interaction with the material being processed, are an important source of information for the understanding of EB welding processes. Measurements for the three largest groups of charged particles, namely, backscattered electrons, true secondary electrons and ions are presented here. It was estimated that only the signals of the direct component amplitude of these particles’ currents, processed by neural networks, could be used to effectively control the EB welding process. Computer simulations of various models of neural networks are described. The best result was obtained for a network that determines an optimal value of focusing current for the weld being made, based on the amplitude of signals measured with a moderately defocused EB.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of nickel based superalloy IN718 produced by rapid prototyping with electron beam melting (EBM)

Abstract

A nickel alloy of a composition similar to that of the nickel based superalloy Inconel alloy 718 (IN718) was produced with the electron beam melting (EBM) process developed by Arcam AB. The microstructures of the as processed and heat treated material are similar to that of conventionally produced IN718, except that the EBM material showed some porosity and the δ phase did not dissolve during the solution heat treatment because the temperature of 1000°C apparently was too low. Mechanical testing of the layer structured material, parallel and perpendicular to the built layers, revealed sufficient strength in both directions. However, it showed only limited elongation when tested perpendicular to the built layers due to local agglomerations of pores. Otherwise, data for the hardness, Young’s modulus, 0·2% yield tensile strength and ultimate tensile strength match those recommended for IN718.     

Effects of sleeve plunge depth on microstructures and mechanical properties of friction spot welded alclad 7B04-T74 aluminum alloy

Friction spot welding (FSpW) was applied to join the 7B04-T74 aluminum alloy successfully, and effects of sleeve plunge depth on weld appearance, microstructures and mechanical properties were investigated in detail. When the sleeve plunge depth was larger than 2 mm, a surface indentation with a depth of 0.2 mm should be applied in order to eliminate the defect of annular groove. The tensile shear properties of the joints were dependent on hook geometry, location of alclad layer, and hardness of stir zone (SZ). With increasing the sleeve plunge depth from 2 to 3.5 mm, the hook height increased, the alclad layer downward migrated further and the hardness of SZ decreased. The optimized FSpW joint was obtained when the sleeve plunge depth was 3 mm, and the corresponding tensile shear failure load was 11921 N. Two different failure modes, i.e. shear fracture mode and tensile-shear mixed fracture mode, were observed in the tensile shear tests.     

Effect of post-weld heat treatment on microstructure and properties of electron beam welded joint of Ti2AlNb/TC11

Abstract

The present paper reports the influence of post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) on microstructure and properties of electron beam welded dissimilar joint. Ti₂AlNb and TC11 alloys were used to fabricate the joints. Three PWHTs were applied to the welded joints. The structures were analysed using optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy techniques. The results show that weld metal of the fusion zone is mainly composed of α₂ and β phases. As the energy input increases under different PWHTs, the decomposition degree of metastable phases (α′/β) rises, but the tensile strength and impact toughness of the joint reduce. Under each condition, the tensile strength of the joint is higher than that of the TC11 base metal.     

2024铝合金搅拌摩擦焊接头塑性变形行为研究

为了研究搅拌摩擦焊卷焊管坯的力学性能及接头塑性变形行为,以5 mm厚的2024退火态铝合金搅拌摩擦焊板坯为对象,采用网格法测试接头塑性变形分布,用EBSD测量接头各区域晶粒尺寸及位相,并结合SEM观察接头第二相的分布,研究了接头力学性能、应变分布与微观组织之间的关系.研究表明:搅拌摩擦接头强度与母材等强,延伸率下降44%;接头前进侧距离焊缝中心8～17 mm的母材较早出现了应变的集中,局部应变可达23%,而焊核区和接头返回侧母材发生的变形较小,平均应变分别为3%和11%,各区域应变的不均匀主要是由于接头各区晶粒尺寸及位相的差异造成的,导致接头整体延伸率的下降.     

Interfacial characteristics of electron beam welding joints of SiCp/Al composites

Abstract

The electron beam welding of SiCp/101Al composites has been carried out. The influence of welding parameters on weldability and mechanical properties of the welded joints was discussed. The welding parameters were therefore optimised under the current experimental circumstance. Results show that only weak interfacial reaction between SiC particle and liquid aluminium occurred. Minute quantity brittle Al₄C₃ compounds and single phase Si were generated in the welded joint. The interfacial reaction between SiC particles and Al matrix could be greatly suppressed by adopting appropriate technique measures such as high welding speed and low heat input. The content of Al₄C₃ can be therefore greatly decreased in the welded joint. Moreover, modification welding and electron beam scanning could further improve the appearance of weld, and the welded joint with better quality could be obtained.     

Comparative study on local and global mechanical properties of bobbin tool and conventional friction stir welded 7085-T7452 aluminum thick plate

7085-T7452 plates with a thickness of 12 mm were welded by conventional single side and bobbin tool friction stir welding (SS-FSW and BB-FSW, respectively) at different welding parameters. The temperature distribution, microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of joints along the thickness direction were investigated, and digital image correlation (DIC) was utilized to evaluate quantitatively the deformation of different zones during tensile tests. The results indicated that heat-affected zone (HAZ), the local softening region, was responsible for the early plastic deformation and also the fracture location for SS-FSW samples, while a rapid fracture was observed in weld nugget zone (WNZ) before yield behavior for all BB-FSW specimens. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of SS-FSW joints presented the highest value of 410 MPa, 82% of the base material, at a rotational speed of 300 rpm and welding speed of 60 mm/min, much higher than that of BB-FSW joints, with a joint efficiency of only 47%. This should be attributed to the Lazy S defect produced by a larger extent of heat input during the BB-FSW process. The whole joint exhibited a much higher elongation than the slices. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis of the fracture morphologies showed that joints failed through ductile fracture for SS-FSW and brittle fracture for BB-FSW.     

Ti17合金电子束焊接接头的性能及组织分析

分析了Ti17合金真空电子柬焊接接头的显微组织结构及其显微硬度分布规律,并结合室温和高温拉伸试验结果分析了焊接接头的力学性能。结果表明,用电子束焊接方法焊接的Ti17合金其焊缝区和热影响区显微组织为β相基体上分布着细长针状α相,母材为典型的α＋β双相网篮组织,焊后焊缝晶粒细化,焊接接头的焊缝区硬度最高,焊缝的抗拉强度和缺口敏感性均高于母材。     

Relational analysis between parameters and defects for electron beam welding of AZ-series magnesium alloys

In the last half century, lightweight magnesium alloy has gradually shifted from military applications to civil applications. More noteworthy is that its low melting point, high thermal conductivity, and superior fluidity are good for weld pool flow and welding parameter research. This paper presents a novel approach to these characteristics, which analyzes the influences of electron beam welding parameters on weldment strength and defect formation by linking Taguchi's method with the grey relational analysis. Not only are the parameter contribution and the defect weight individually quantified, but also the relationship between welding parameters and defect dimensions can also be obtained this way.