Microstructure and mechanical properties of dissimilar welded Mg–Al joints by ultrasonic spot welding technique

Abstract

Dissimilar spot welds of magnesium–aluminium alloy were produced via a solid state welding process, i.e. ultrasonic spot welding, and a sound joint was obtained under most of the welding conditions. It was observed that a layer of intermetallic compound (IMC) consisting of Al₁₂M₁₇ formed at the weld centre where the hardness became higher. The lap shear strength and failure energy of the welds first increased and then decreased with increasing welding energy, with the maximum lap shear strength and failure energy occurring at ～1250 J. This was a consequence of the competition between the increasing diffusion bonding arising from higher temperatures and the deterioration effect of the intermetallic layer of increasing thicknesses. Failure predominantly occurred in between the aluminium alloy and the intermetallic layer, which normally stayed at the magnesium side or from the cracks of the IMCs in the reaction layer.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of tungsten inert gas welded–brazed Al/Ti joints

The tungsten inert gas welding–brazing process using Al-based filler metal has been developed for joining 5052 Al alloy to Ti–6Al–4V alloy in a butt configuration. The results indicated that heat input influenced the morphology and thickness of the interfacial reaction layer of Al/Ti joints, which played an important role in the mechanical properties of weldment. With the optimised tungsten electrode offset D of 1.0?mm from Al/Ti initial interface to Al side and welding current of 70?A, the thin cellular-shaped and club-shaped TiAl₃ reaction layers formed in the brazing zone, which contributed to suppressing crack initiation and propagation during tensile test. Eventually, the maximum tensile strength of 183?MPa was obtained and the optimised Al/Ti joint fractured at Al alloy base plate. Moreover, the power density characterisation and joining mechanism of Al/Ti joints were discussed.     

Microstructure and mechanical property characterisation of aluminium–steel joints fabricated using ultrasonic additive manufacturing

Driven by the interest to weld steel and aluminium in the solid state to prevent intermetallic formation, 9?kW ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM) has been used to fabricate Al 6061-4130 steel dissimilar metal builds. In addition, Al 6061-Al-6061 builds were fabricated using similar techniques to provide a baseline for mechanical property measurement. Mechanical testing performed using pushpin testing shows that steel–aluminium dissimilar metal welds fail across multiple layers while Al–Al welds delaminate from the substrate. Multi-scale characterisation indicates that the change in failure morphology is due to the formation of metallurgical bonds in the Al–steel builds. Texture analysis shows identical textures at the interface of Al–steel, Al–Al and Al–Ti joints; showing that the bond formation in all cases relies extensively on plastic deformation across multiple materials. In addition, no changes to the bonding mechanism occurred when the materials used as foils and substrate were swapped.     

Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of Al−3.6Cu−1Li alloy via cryorolling and aging

An Al−3.6Cu−1Li alloy was subjected to room temperature rolling and cryorolling to investigate their effects on microstructure evolution and mechanical properties. The microstructure and aging characteristics of the room temperature-rolled and the cryorolled alloys with 70% and 90% of thickness reductions were studied by microstructure analysis and mechanical tests. The samples subjected to cryorolling with 90% of thickness reduction have high strength and good toughness. This is mainly due to the inhibition of dynamic recovery and the accumulation of high-density dislocations in cryorolled samples. In addition, the artificial aging reveals that the temperature at which peak hardness is attained is inversely proportional to the deformation amount and directly proportional to the rolling temperature. Moreover, bright field images of cryorolled samples after aging indicate the existence of T1 (Al2CuLi) precipitates. This suggests that the high stored strain energy enhances the aging kinetics of the alloy, which further promotes the nucleation of T1 phases.     

Influence of cold-rolling and annealing treatments on microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir-welded Al–Cu joints

The influence of post-weld cold-rolling (PWCR) and annealing treatments on microstructure and mechanical properties of the friction stir-welded Al–Cu joints were investigated in detail. The tensile fractures along at the Al–Cu interface in as-welded (AW) joint was effectively inhibited by PWCR. Accordingly, the strength of the dissimilar Al–Cu butt joints significantly increased from 79?MPa to 384?MPa for the AW state and the post-weld cold-rolled treated state, respectively. By the annealing treatment after the PWCR, the elongation of the dissimilar joints was increased from 1.0% to 17.5%, companied with an acceptable decrement of the strength. The optimised distribution of the intermetallic compounds layer at the Al–Cu interface, the reduced property gradients as well as the microstructure refinements, accounts for the improvement of the mechanical performances of the dissimilar Al–Cu joint.     

Enhancing metallurgical and mechanical properties of friction stir lap welding of Al–Cu using intermediate layer

Abstract

In this paper, the material behaviour and mechanical characteristics of lap joint friction stir welding (FSW) between dissimilar alloys, namely, Cu and Al, is investigated. In order to produce welds of a higher quality, a layer of Cu is anodised on the aluminium alloy. The mechanical and the microstructural characterisations are performed on the welds, which are produced using various welding parameters. Scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy is used to identify the elemental compositions of phases that are formed. The results reveal that the use of the copper anodised layer prevented formation of brittle intermetallic compounds due to the direct FSW of 6061 aluminium alloy to copper and, as a result, enhanced the weld metallurgical and mechanical properties.     

Tensile properties and failure analysis of Ti–6Al–4V joints by electron beam welding

The microstructural and mechanical characterization of electron beam welded joints of forged Ti–6Al–4V were investigated. Microhardness tests indicate that the hardness of the fusion zone(FZ) is higher than that of the heat-affected zone(HAZ) and base metal. The tensile results show that the mechanical properties of the welded joints are comparable with those of the base metal in terms of static strength and are in accordance with the relationship between microstructure and mechanical properties of welded joints. The ultimate tensile strength of the weld is equal to that of the hourglass joint, which indicates that the mechanical properties of the longitudinal FZ and those of the transverse FZ are the same. Macromechanical behavior and macrofracture and microfracture of the base material,joint, and weld specimens are observed. A comparison among the three types of specimen fracture phenomena reveals the following distinctive differences:(1) the fracture mode,(2) the micrograph of the dimple pattern at the central region, and(3) the size of the dimple at the central region and the transition region.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Al–Si alloy modified with Al–3P

Al–Si alloy was modified with Al–3P master alloy at 740 °C. The effects of Si content (7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 wt.%) and adding amount of alterant Al–3P (0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.6, 1.0 and 1.5 wt.%) on microstructures and tensile properties of the alloy were investigated with optical microscope (OP), Image Pro Plus 6.0, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and universal testing machine. When the content of Al–3P is 0.6 wt.%, the area fraction of primary α(Al) in the Al–Si alloy increases more compared to the unmodified alloy with an increase in Si content, which could be explained by the movement of non-equilibrium eutectic point. When the Si content is constant (Al–10Si), with the increase of Al–3P content, the increased rate in area fraction of primary α(Al) phase in the Al–10Si alloy increases first and then decreases. And when 0.6 wt.% Al–3P is added, the increase in area fraction of primary α(Al) phase is the largest. Compared to the unmodified Al–10Si alloy, the tensile strength and elongation of Al–10Si alloy increase by 2.3% and 47.0%, respectively, after being modified with 0.6 wt.% Al–3P alloy. The fracture mode of the modified Al–10Si alloy is ductile fracture.     

Effect of interlayer on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al–Ti ultrasonic welds

Joints of Al6061 and Ti6Al4?V alloys with pure Al-particle interlayers were conducted using ultrasonic spot welding. The microstructure, hardness, lap shear strength and fracture energy were measured for different welding energies. With increasing welding energy delivered through the sonotrode, the lap shear strength of the joints increased, reaching about 106?MPa at a welding energy of 1100?J, at which failure occurred in the pull-out mode. In the weld region, the hardness of Al6061 alloy increased with increasing weld energy, whereas the hardness of Ti6Al4?V did not change discernibly. No brittle intermetallic compounds were observed in the joints. Moreover, two simple mechanisms were described for the formation of ultrasonic spot-welded Al–Ti joints with and without the pure Al interlayer.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of bulk nanocrystalline Al–Fe alloy processed by mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering

Nanocrystalline Al–5 at.% Fe alloy powders produced by mechanical alloying were consolidated by spark plasma sintering. The sintered sample showed high strength >1000 MPa with a large plastic strain of 15% at room temperature and 500 MPa at 350 °C. Microstructure characterizations by transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography revealed that the sintered samples are composed of α-Al and Al₆Fe nanocrystalline regions with 90 nm in diameter and a minor fraction of Al₁₃Fe₄ phase and coarsened 0.5–1 μm α-Al grains. This bimodally grained feature is attributed to the relatively large plastic strain for the strength level of 1000 MPa at room temperature.     

Microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of Cu–Al alloys subjected to equal channel angular pressing

Ultrafine-grained (UFG) or nanocrystalline (NC) Cu–Al alloys were prepared using equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) to investigate the influence of stacking fault energy (SFE) on the microstructural evolution during deformation and the corresponding mechanical properties. The grain refinement mechanism was gradually transformed from dislocation subdivision to twin fragmentation by tailoring the SFE of alloys. Meanwhile, homogeneous microstructures and nanoscale grains were readily achieved in the low-SFE Cu–Al alloys and the equilibrium grain size was decreased by lowering the SFE. Moreover, in the Cu–Al alloy with extremely low SFE, shear fracture occurred during ECAP at strain levels higher than two due to the formation of macroscopic shear bands. In addition, the normalized deformation conditions at large strain were qualitatively discussed. More significantly, the strength and uniform elongation were simultaneously improved by lowering the SFE. This simultaneity results from the formation of profuse deformation twins and microscale shear bands, and their extensive intersections.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Fe–Si–Ti–(Cu,Al) heterostructured ultrafine composites

The influence of partial substitution of Fe by Cu or Al in Fe_75?xSi₁₅Ti₁₀(Cu, Al)_x (x = 0 and 4) ultrafine composites on the microstructure and mechanical properties has been investigated. The Fe₇₁Si₁₅Ti₁₀Cu₄ ultrafine composite exhibits a favorable microstructural evolution and improved mechanical properties, i.e., large plastic strain of ～5% and pronounced work hardening characteristics. The mechanical properties of the ultrafine eutectic composite are strongly linked to the length scale heterogeneity and the distribution of the constituent phases.     

Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of spark plasma sintered W–Ni–Mn alloy

Tungsten heavy alloys (90W–6Ni–4Mn) were prepared through spark plasma sintering (SPS) using micron-sized W, Ni, and Mn powders without ball milling as raw materials. The effects of sintering temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the 90W–6Ni–4Mn alloys were investigated. SPS technology was used to prepare 90W–6Ni–4Mn alloys with relatively high density and excellent comprehensive performance at 1150–1250 °C for 3 min. The 90W–6Ni–4Mn alloys consisted of the W phase and the γ-(Ni, Mn, and W) binding phase, and the aγerage grain size was less than 10 µm. The Rockwell hardness and bending strength of alloys first increased and then decreased with increasing sintering temperature. The best comprehensiγe performance was obtained at 1200 °C, its hardness and bending strength were HRA 68.7 and 1162.72 MPa, respectiγely.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of butt joints of QCr0.8／1Cr21NiSTi equal-thickness dissimilar materials by electron beam welding

Butt joints of QCrO. 8/1Cr2lNiSTi equal-thickness dissimilar materials were obtained by electron beam welding with fixed accelerating voltage 60 kV and focus current 1.99 A, changed electron beam current and welding velocity. Microstructure and composition of the EBW joint were investigated by means of optical micrography and EDX analysis, mechanical properties of the joint were also tested. The results show that joint‘ s macrostructure was divided into three zones : top weld zone near QCrO. 8 and bottom weld zone consisting of Cu (ss. Fe ) with a certain amount of dispersedly distributed (α ε) mixed microstructure , middle weld zone consisting of (α ε ) microstracture with a small amount of Cu (ss. Fe )particles. Morphological inhomogeneous macrostructure and uneven chemical compostion of QCrO. 8/1Cr21NiSTi joint by EBW are the most important factor to result in decreasing joining strength.     

Microstructures and mechanical properties of Ti–24Al–17Nb (at.%) laser beam welding joints

Laser beam welding of Ti–24Al–17Nb (at.%) alloy was conducted to investigate the microstructures and the mechanical properties of its joints. The results indicated that the weld microstructure consisted primarily of retained ordered β phase (namely B2 phase) and was independent of the laser welding parameters, while the size and the orientation of the weld solidification structures and then the bend ductility of the joints were related to the welding conditions. The microstructures became coarser and the strains of inducing crack and fracturing decreased as the heat input increased. The fracture occurred in the base metal when the transverse tensile test of the joints was conducted. The tensile strength of the joints was equal to that of the base material and the tensile ductility could reach 12∼17%, which was near to that of the base material.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of spot welded Al–5·5Mg–0·3Cu alloy

Abstract

The influences of spot welding on the microstructure and mechanical properties of an Al–5·5Mg–O·3Cu alloy have been investigated. Results showed that dendrites were formed with porosity and cracks in the nugget. Grain boundary melting occurred in the heat affected zone and wide grain boundaries appeared. The alloy exhibited low hardness in the nugget centre. Tensile cracks propagated at the edge of the nugget and mixed rupture with dimples and intergranular fracture occurred. Fatigue fracture initiated at the edge of the nugget and propagated perpendicularly to the tensile axis. Transgranular fracture with striations was also observed.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of butt joints of QCr0.8/1Cr21Ni5Ti equal-thickness dissimilar materials by electron beam welding

0　IntroductionThedissimilarmaterialsjointisusuallyemployedinindustrialproductiontomakefulluseofthematerialsperformanceadvantageorspecialstructuralpurpose.Thedissimilarmaterialsjoiningtechnologybetweencopperalloyandstainlesssteelhasattractedagreatdealofattention,botheffectiveassemblageputweldedcomponent’scoolingandhighstrengthintoeffect.However,becauseofbothmaterialschemicalandthermophysicalperformancedifferenceandcomplexityofweldingmetallurgy,thedefectsuchaspore,crackandbrittlephaseandarathe…     

Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of a novel γ'phase-strengthened Ir-W-Al-Th superalloy

The present work introduces a novel γ'phase-strengthened Ir-W-Al-Th superalloy for ultrahigh-temper-ature applications.First,the as-cast microstructure and phas...     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of tungsten inert gas welded–brazed Mg/Ti lap joints

The tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding–brazing technology using Mg based filler was developed to join AZ31B Mg alloy to TA2 pure Ti in a lap configuration. The results indicate that robust joints can be obtained with welding current in the range of 60–70 A and welding speed of 0·2 m min^?1. The joints were found to be composed of the coarse grained fusion zone accompanied with the precipitated phase of Mg₁₇Al₁₂, and a distributed Mg–Ti solid solution zone at the interface of Mg/Ti, indicating that metallurgical bonding was achieved. The maximum tensile–shear strength of 193·5 N mm^?1, representing 82·3% joint efficiency relative to the Mg alloy base metal, was attained. The optimised Mg/Ti joint fractured at Mg fusion zone upon tensile–shear loading, mainly caused by grain coarsening. Moreover, the fracture surface practically consisted of scraggly areas, which was characterised by equiaxed dimple patterns accompanied with a few lamellar tearing.