Characterising thermoacoustic emission in alternating current spot welding process

The acoustic emission of spot welding with thermoacoustic theory was studied in this paper, which provides new basis to analyze the quality of nugget with acoustic signal. The result shows that the thermoacoustic emission exists in both 5052 Al alloy and cold-rolled steel AC spot welding process and this process takes place later than the load of welding current, and the frequency of thermoacoustic is twice as that of the welding current. The amplitudes of thermoacoustic signals detected from different angles are different, which undergo an up-down-up process. The thermoacoustic emission shows different trends with the thickness increase in AC resistance spot welding experiment for 5052 Al alloy and cold-rolled steel.     

Effects of welding voltage on process stability in hyperbaric gas metal arc welding

Based on hyperbaric gas metal arc welding （GMAW） experiments at ambient pressure of 0. 8 MPa, the process stability of different welding voltages was studied. The experiments were carried out with a high speed camera system including infrared laser backlight and electric signal acquisition system. Keeping wire feed speed at 8 m/min, arc length increases linearly with the increase of welding voltage in O. 8 MPa argon environment. Under this condition, all the metal transfer modes are droplet repelled transfer and the transfer frequency increases with increasing welding voltage. The number of deviating spatter is less with relatively high welding voltage. The results of electric signal waveforms show that the probabilities of short circuit and arc interruption decrease firstly and then increase with increasing welding voltage. When the welding voltage is 37 V, the hyperbaric welding process is the most stable with no probability of short circuit and arc interruption.     

Sequence optimization of hull structure assembly based on prediction of welding deformation

Optimization of assembly process is significant for ship construction, thus reducing the time and related costs of construction. Welding Structure Deformation Analysis （Weld-sta） was used to predict welding deformation of a hull block. After the reliability of simulation was proved by comparing with measured results, four kinds of welding sequences was determined. By considering welding deformation and assembly process with the e]ficieney of automation, decreasing the overturn times （times of turning the erections upside down during welding） and working hours etc, one of the welding sequences is assumed to be the most reasonable one. The study shows this method is very useful in optimal assembly program determination of practical engineering structures.     

Welding deformation control of medium-thickness structures made by advanced high strength steel

In order to investigate the residual angular deformation in fillet welding of T-joint of HG785 high strength steel with a medium thickness plate, both detailed thermo-mechanical finite element simulation and conventional gas metal arc welding experiment were carried out in the present study. In-process deformation control method using backheating method to reduce the residual deformation was discussed.     

摆动电弧窄间隙GMAW熔滴过渡规律

研究摆动电弧窄间隙焊接中的熔滴过渡规律是深入理解该焊接方法的重要基础,由于受到电弧摆动、窄间隙坡口的影响,摆动电弧窄间隙焊接熔滴过渡比常规焊接更加复杂.采用高速摄像系统及焊接电信号采集系统成功地对摆动电弧窄间隙GMAW的熔滴过渡过程进行观测研究,揭示了摆动电弧窄间隙GMAW的熔滴过渡特性,分析了摆动参数、焊接参数对熔滴过渡的影响.结果表明,由于焊丝在坡口之间的摆动改变了焊丝与侧壁之间的距离,引起了焊接电弧长度的变化,促使焊接电流发生了波动,从而导致了摆动电弧窄间隙焊接熔滴过渡的规律性变化.     

厚壁管窄间隙全位置焊接摆动钨极控制系统研制

从钨极摆动控制、钨极摆动迷分析、焊接过程中弧长调节等几方面介绍厚壁管窄间隙全摆动钨极控制系统特点,其在实际管理全位置焊接中工作稳定可靠,达到设计要求。     

Comparison of 2A12 aluminium alloy joint by ultrasonic assisted friction stir welding and friction stir welding

Ultrasonic assisted friction stir welding （UAFSW） is a recent modification of conventional friction stir welding, which adds ultrasonic energy directly into the friction stir welding area by the pin. In this study, 2A12 aluminum alloy was welded by this process and conventional, respectively. The tensile tests, microstructure and fracture surface of FSW joint and UAFSW joint were analyzed. The research results show that the surface forming texture of ultrasonic assisted friction stir welding joint, compared with conventional, is finer and more uniform, showing metallic matte color. The grains are much finer in weld nugget zone, thermo-mechanically affected zone and heat-affected zone; S-phase particles size is much smaller and distribution is more homogeneous in the matrix. The tensile strength of UAFSW joint is 94. 13% of base metal, and the elongation is 11.77%. The tensile strength of FSW joint is 83.15% of base metal, and the elongation is 8.81%. The tests results reveal that ultrasonic vibration can improve the tensile strength and the elongation of welded joints.     

Effect of temperature field on flashes formation of continuous drive friction welding

On basis of the finite element software DEFORM, the 2D coupled thermo-mechanical model of continuous drive friction welding of ring parts is established. The temperature and the flashes during the welding process are investigated. The results of numerical simulation show that the temperature of friction surface is higher than that of other region and the peak temperature increases with the increase of welding time. During the process of friction stage, no flash appears because of the low temperature and the small axial friction pressure. At the forging stage, the flashes appear, whose dimensions and bending degree increase with the increase of welding temperature. Moreover, with the increase of rotational velocity and axial forging pressure, the dimensions and the bending degree of flashes of continuous drive friction welding increase.     

Numerical analysis on flow field of weld pool during deep penetration electron beam welding of titanium alloy

Flow field of weld pool during deep penetration electron beam welding of TA 15 titanium alloy was numerically and experimentally studied using a hybrid heat source of Gaussian surface heat source and rotational paraboloidal body heat source. And the formation mechanism of the weld pool flow field was analyzed. The results showed that the movement of the liquid metal in the top weld pool was the fiercest and weakened gradually in the middle and bottom of the weld pool. The maximum flow velocity of the liquid metal was about 0. 295 m/s in the top surface of weld pool. The primary driving forces of the movement of liquid metal in the weld pool were the recoil pressure of metal vapor and the surface tension.     

Evaluation model for arc fluctuations of triple-electrode high speed fillet welding

To improve the welding efficiency of conventional arc welding, triple-electrode fillet welding was proposed and developed. Stability of triple-electrode fillet welding process is the assurance for ideal joint. The evaluation model for arc fluctuations of triple-electrode fillet welding was established based on the characteristic parameters and their variation coefficients. This model indicated that variation coefficients could reflect arc voltage flnctuations of welding process, and its analysis result was consistent with the actual welding process.     

A numerical model of wire melting rate in variable-polarity submerged arc welding

Based on the pre-existing wire melting rate model of direct-current submerged arc welding （ DC-SAW） , a new numerical model of wire melting rate was developed for variable-polarity submerged are welding （VP-SAW） by accounting for the combined effects of duty cycle β and offset α. The experimental measurements are in a good agreement with the results calculated by this new wire melting rate model, with the maximum discrepancy being less than 10%. Therefore it is evident that this new numerical model can successfully describe the dependence of wire melting rate on the duty cycle β and offset α.     

Research on welding simulation methods and software development

To develop highly efficient and useful software, we need to understand the essential feature of the welding phenomenon. From the mechanical point view, welding is a transient nonlinear problem in which small but strongly nonlinear region is moving with the welding torch. Noting this characteristic, ISM （Iterative Substructure Method） was developed for the thermal-elastic-plastic analysis of large scale structures. It is also known that the welding distortion and the residual stress are produced by inherent strain. The inherent strain is the sum of irreversible strains such as plastic strain due to welding thermal cycles or phase transformation and creep strain. In addition to the inherent strain, the mismatch produced by cutting error and fitting is also an important cause of the welding distortions and residual stresses. Based on this understanding, an elastic FEM introducing the inherent strain and mismatch is developed. The potential capabilities of these methods are demonstrated through some examples.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of laser welded joints of pure copper and 304 stainless steels

A continuous wave diode laser with an output power of 2.8 kW was used to join pure copper and 304 stainless steel with a thickness of 1 mm. The focused laser beam with a diameter of O. 8 mm was irradiated on the copper side of the butt joints. In process of laser welding, effects of processing primary parameters on tensile strength of the joints were investigated. The interfacial characterizations of the joints were investigated by metallographic microscope, scanning electron microscope （SEM） and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscope （EDS）. The results showed that the element diffusion and solution occur and metallurgical bonding was achieved between pure copper and 304 stainless steel. The maximum tensile strength of the joints was 209 MPa when the laser power of welding was 2. 4 kW and welding speed was 12 mm/s.     

Study on intelligent digital welding machine with a self-learning function

A design idea was proposed that it was about intelligent digital welding machine with self-learning and self- regulation functions. The overall design scheme of software and hardware was provided. It was introduced that a parameter self-learning algorithm was based on large-step calibration and partial Newton interpolation. Furthermore, experimental verification was carried out with different welding technologies. The results show that weld bead is pegrect. Therefore, good welding quality and stability are obtained, and intelligent regulation is realized by parameters self-learning.     

Mechanical properties of 2024-T4 aluminium alloy joints in ultrasonic vibration enhanced friction stir welding

Ultrasonic vibration enhanced friction stir welding （UVeFSW） is a recent modification of conventional friction stir welding （FSW）, which transmits ultrasonic vibration directly into the localized area of the workpiece near and ahead of the rotating tool. In this study, a high strength aluminium alloy （2024-T4） was welded by this process and conventional FSW, respectively. Then tensile tests, microhardness tests and fracture surface analysis were performed successively on the welding samples. The tests results reveal that ultrasonic vibration can improve the tensile strength and the elongation of welded joints. The microhardness of the stir zone also increases.     

Adaptive control strategy of the welding current

The welding process essentially is a complicated nonlinear system with time-varying, uncertain, strong-coupling characteristics, so it is difficult to get high welding quality by traditional control approaches such as the standard proportionalintegral （ PI） algorithm. A new algorithm based on artificial neural network （ANN） is presented to achieve optimal P1 parameters and improve its adaptability. First, main parameters of artificial neural network are researched to improve the convergence rate and system stability. Then, six expert rules are proposed to constitute the expert adaptive ANN-PI algorithm. Experimental results show that the welding current control system＇has high dynamic response rate, and the welding process is stable.     

Numerical analysis of temperature profile and weld dimensions in laser ＋ GMAW hybrid welding of aluminum alloy T-joint

The temperature fields in the transient state and weld dimensions in laser ＋ gas metal arc welding （GMAW） hybrid welding of aluminum alloy T-joint for different welding conditions were calculated using the developed heat source model, and the effect of welding speed on them was analyzed. The results show that the temperature field for the first weld pass only shows the feature of GMAW and the one for the second weld pass has the characteristics of both laser welding and GMAW. Welding speed can affect greatly weld dimensions and temperature distribution. When welding speed reaches 3.5 m/min, the fusion zones of two weld passes are separated and the maximum peak temperature of thermal cycle on the workpiece surface decreases largely.     

Effect of Zr-Ti combined deoxidation on impact toughness of coarse-grained heat-affected zone with high heat input welding

In this study, the effects of Zr-Ti combined deoxidation and AI deoxidation on the impact toughness of coarse- grained heat-affected zone in high-strength low-alloy steels were investigated. More fine oxides were formed in the Zr-Ti-killed steel than in Al-killed steel. It was also found that more acicular ferrite grains were formed in the coarse-grained heat-affected zone in the Zr-Ti-killed steel than in Al-killed steel. The impact toughness of coarse-grained heat-affected zone of Zr-Ti-kiUed steel was higher than that of Al-killed steel. The good impact toughness was attributable to the pinning effect of fine oxides and the formation of acicular ferrite grains on fine oxides.     

Exploring material flow in friction stir welding using stacked structure of 2024 and 6061 aluminum alloys

An experimental technique based on stacked structures was developed to observe the material flow behavior of the friction stir welding （FSW） process. Analysis of section views along different directions revealed important new details of the material flow in FSW process. In this work, a general flow model of FSW was constructed based on the analysis of different static section views of stacked structure weld. The formation of onion rings was found to be a geometric effect due to layered deposition attd the extrusion occurred at the interface between flow arm （FA） and stirring zone （SZ）.     

Investigation on process and microstructure of Ti/Ni/Cu joints by electron beam welding

In this article, the electron beam welding of the Cu alloy （ QCrO. 8） with Ti alloy （TC4） sheet was processed and the joint microstructure as well as the welding process were studied. The results show that brittle reaction layer which was mainly composed of TiCu, Ti2Cu, Ti2Cu3 and TiCu2formed at the weld fusion line, regardless of welding on the middle or on the Cu side. The mechanical properties of the joint were severely deteriorated by the layer that tensile strength was only 89. 4 MPa for welding on the Cu side. The microstructure of the joint was improved with pure nickel as filler metal for the electron beam welding. The weld was mainly composed of solid solution. Intermetallic compound phase decreased signifwantly in fusion line compared with the joint without filler metal. The mechanical properties of the joint were obviously improved that the average tensile strength was 205.2 MPa and the bending strength was 413.3 MPa with O. 5 mm offset of electron beam on the Cu side.