Mechanism and possible solution for transverse solidification.pdfVIP

Materials Science and Engineering A 429 (2006) 287–294 Mechanism and possible solution for transverse solidification cracking in laser welding of high strength aluminium alloys B. Hu ?, I.M. Richardson Netherlands Institute for Metals Research, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 2, 2628CD Delft, The Netherlands Received 17 November 2005; received in revised form 5 May 2006; accepted 11 May 2006 Abstract In laser and hybrid laser/arc welding of high strength aluminium alloys, a large number of transverse cracks were found in the weld fusion zone. The cracking behaviour was evaluated experimentally and scanning electron microscopy images of crack surfaces confirmed that the cracks occurred when the weld fusion zone was in the semi-solid state. Thermal histories in the workpiece under representative welding conditions were measured and constitutive modelling of thermo-mechanical behaviour in the weld was performed. It was found that the cracking is related to the elongated temperature distribution in the welding direction, which induces a transverse tensile strain in the weld fusion zone during the cooling p r ? K 1 7 m l w W r z s t a e A t N l i 0 dhase. One of the possible solutions to the cracking problem is to use an additional heat source to alter the temperature distribution and thus to educe the cracking tendency. The effect of welding with an appropriately placed secondary heat source was verified by experimental tests. 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. eywords: Aluminium alloy; Laser; Hybrid welding; Transverse cracking; Modelling; Mechanism . Introduction Heat-treatable aluminium alloys 2024(T3) (AlCu4Mg1) and 075(T6) (AlZn5.5MgCu) are two of the most common com- ercial high strength aluminium alloys. Because of their excel- ent strength to weight ratio, these alloys can be employed for a ide range of applications, especially in the transport industry. elding of these high strength aluminium alloys