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American Society for Testing and Materials

Recent advances in friction-stir welding : Process, weldment structure and properties

The metallurgy of zinc-coated steel

Welding Metallurgy of

Wire-feed additive manufacturing (AM) is a promising alternative to traditional subtractive manufacturing for fabricating large expensive metal components with complex geometry. The current research focus on wire-feed AM is trying to produce complex-shaped functional metal components with good geometry accuracy, surface finish and material property to meet the demanding requirements from aerospace, automotive and rapid tooling industry. Wire-feed AM processes generally involve high residual stresses and distortions due to the excessive heat input and high deposition rate. The influences of process conditions, such as energy input, wire-feed rate, welding speed, deposition pattern and deposition sequences, etc., on thermal history and resultant residual stresses of AM-processed components needs to be further understood. In addition, poor accuracy and surface finish of the process limit the applications of wire-feed AM technology. In this paper, after an introduction of various wire-feed AM technologies and its characteristics, an in depth review of various process aspects of wire-feed AM, including quality and accuracy of wire-feed AM processed components, will be presented. The overall objective is to identify the current challenges for wire-feed AM as well as point out the future research direction.

Wire-feed additive manufacturing of metal components: technologies, developments and future interests

Erosion of thermal spray MCr–Cr3C2 cermet coatings

Ni–Al composite coatings: diffusion analysis and coating lifetime estimation

Pure nickel plates were produced from a sulphamate bath by electrodeposition. A systematic variation of the current density, in the range 0.005 to 0.25 Acm−2, resulted in a variation of the coating microstructure and properties. Deposits plated below a current density of 0.01 Acm−2 had a surface morphology consisting of large, deep crevices surrounding smaller substructures. A banded or laminar type microstructure was observed in cross-section. Above this current density, truncated pyramidal structures, with ridged terraces oriented perpendicular to the growth direction, were found on the surface. The planar dimensions of the pyramidal surface features were found to increase with current density, as well as the columnar grain widths observed in the cross-sectional view. To evaluate the mechanical properties of the coatings, microindentation hardness tests were performed using a Knoop indenter. A Hall–Petch type relationship for the samples deposited at and above 0.01 Acm−2 was seen.

Microstructural characterization and hardness of electrodeposited nickel coatings from a sulphamate bath

The effect of various silicon levels on the reaction between iron panels and Al-Zn-Si liquid baths during hot dipping at 610°C was studied. Five different baths were used: 55Al−0.7Si−Zn, 55Al−1.7Si−Zn, 55Al−3.0Si−Zn, 55Al−5.0Si−Zn, and 55Al−6.88Si−Zn (in wt pct). The phases which formed as a result of this reaction were identified as Fe2Al5 and FeAl3 (binary Fe−Al phases with less than 2 wt pct Si and Zn in solution),T1, T2, T4, T8, andT
 5H (ternary Fe−Al−Si phases), andT
 5C (a quaternary Fe−Al−Si−Zn phase). Compositional variations through the reaction zone were determined. The phase sequence in the reaction zone of the panel dipped for 3600 seconds in the 1.7 wt pct Si bath was iron panel/(Fe2Al5+T
 1)/FeAl3/(T
 5H+T
 5C)/overlay. In the panel dipped for 1800 seconds in the 3.0 wt pct Si bath the reaction zone consisted of iron panel/Fe2Al5/(Fe2Al5+T
 1)/T
 1/FeAl3/(FeAl3+T
 2)/T
 5H/overlay. In the panel dipped for 3600 seconds in the 6.88 wt pct Si bath the phase sequence was iron panel/Fe2Al5/(Fe2Al5+T1)/(T1+FeAl3)/(T1+T2)/T2/T8/T4/overlay. The growth kinetics of the reaction zone were also studied. A minimum growth rate for the reaction zone which formed from a reaction between the iron panel and molten Al−Zn−Si bath was found in the 3.0 wt pct Si bath. The growth kinetics of the reaction layers were found to be diffusion controlled in the 0.7, 1.7, and 6.88 wt pct Si baths, and interface controlled in the 3.0 and 5.0 wt pct Si baths. The presence of the interface between theT2/T5H, Fe2Al5/T
 1, orT
 1/FeAl3 phases is believed responsible for the interface controlled growth kinetics exhibited in the 3.0 and 5.0 wt pct Si baths.

The effects of silicon on the reaction between solid iron and liquid 55 wt pct Al-Zn baths

Fusion welds were prepared between a superaustenitic stainless steel, (the AL-6XN alloy) and two Ni-based filler metals (IN625 and IN622) using the gas-tungsten-arc welding (GTAW) process. Fusionzone compositions over the full range of dilution levels (0 to 100 pct) were produced by varying the independent welding parameters of arc power and volumetric filler-metal feed rate. Microstructural characterization of the welds was conducted via light optical microscopy, with quantitative chemical information obtained through electron-probe microanalysis (EPMA). The dilution level of each weld was determined from the EPMA data as well as through geometric measurements of the weld cross-sectional areas. The dilution level was observed to decrease with increasing filler-metal feed rate and decreasing arc power. These effects are quantitatively interpreted based on a previously proposed processing model. The model is used to demonstrate that, in terms of welding parameters, the dilution level can be correlated exclusively to the ratio of the volumetric filler-metal feed rate (V
 fm) to arc power (VI), i.e., the individual values of V
 fm and VI are not important in controlling the dilution and resultant weld-metal composition. Good agreement is obtained between experimental and calculated dilution values using the model. It is also demonstrated that the melting enthalpies of the filler metal and substrate have only a minor influence on dilution at dilution levels in the range from 40 to 100 pct. This knowledge facilitates estimates of dilution levels in this range when the substrate and fillermetal thermal properties are not accurately known. The results presented from this study provide guidelines for controlling the weld-metal composition in these fusion-zone combinations.

Arnold R. Marder

Papers

Erosion of thermal spray MCr–Cr3C2 cermet coatings

Ni–Al composite coatings: diffusion analysis and coating lifetime estimation

Microstructural characterization and hardness of electrodeposited nickel coatings from a sulphamate bath

The effects of silicon on the reaction between solid iron and liquid 55 wt pct Al-Zn baths

Dilution control in gas-tungsten-arc welds involving superaustenitic stainless steels and nickel-based alloys