Showing papers on "Welding published in 2013"

Flow Patterns During Friction Stir Welding

Abstract: Friction Stir Welding is a relatively new technique for welding that uses a cylindrical pin or nib inserted along the weld seam. The nib (usually threaded) and the shoulder in which it is mounted are rapidly rotated and advanced along the seam. Extreme deformation takes place leaving a fine equiaxed structure in the weld region., The flow of metal during Friction Stir Welding is investigated using a faying surface tracer and a nib frozen in place during welding. It is shown that material is transported by two processes. The first is a wiping of material from the advancing front side of the nib onto a zone of material that rotates and advances with the nib. The material undergoes a helical motion within the rotational zone that both rotates and advances and descends in the wash of the threads on the nib and rises on the outer part of the rotational zone. After one or more rotations, this material is sloughed off in its wake of the nib, primarily on the advancing side. The second process is an entrainment of material from the front retreating side of the nib that fills in between the sloughed off pieces from the advancing side.

Critical review of automotive steels spot welding: process, structure and properties

Abstract: Spot welding, particularly resistance spot welding (RSW), is a critical joining process in automotive industry. The development of advanced high strength steels for applications in automotive industry is accompanied with a challenge to better understand the physical and mechanical metallurgy of these materials during RSW. The present paper critically reviews the fundamental understanding of structure–properties relationship in automotive steels resistance spot welds. The focus is on the metallurgical characteristics, hardness–microstructure correlation, interfacial to pullout failure mode transition and mechanical performance of steel resistance spot welds under quasi-static, fatigue and impact loading conditions. A brief review of friction stir spot welding, as an alternative to RSW, is also included.

A comparative study of pulsed Nd:YAG laser welding and TIG welding of thin Ti6Al4V titanium alloy plate

Abstract: This paper reports on a study aiming at comparing properties of the Ti6Al4V titanium alloy joints between pulsed Nd:YAG laser welding and traditional fusion welding. To achieve the research purpose, Ti6Al4V titanium alloy plates with a thickness of 0.8 mm were welded using pulsed Nd:YAG laser beam welding (LBW) and gas tungsten arc welding (TIG), respectively. Residual distortions, weld geometry, microstructure and mechanical properties of the joints produced with LBW and TIG welding were compared. During the tensile test, with the aid of a high speed infrared camera, evolution of the plastic strain within tensile specimens corresponding to LBW and TIG welding were recorded and analyzed. Compared with the TIG, the welded joint by LBW has the characters of small overall residual distortion, fine microstructure, narrow heat-affected zone (HAZ), high Vickers hardness. LBW welding method can produce joints with higher strength and ductility. It can be concluded that Pulsed Nd:YAG laser welding is much more suitable for welding the thin Ti6Al4V titanium alloy plate than TIG welding.

Handbook of laser welding technologies

Abstract: Part 1 Developments in established laser welding technologies: Introduction: Fundamentals of laser welding Developments in CO2 laser welding Developments in Nd:YAG laser welding Developments in disk laser welding Developments in pulsed and continuous wave laser welding technologies Conduction laser welding Developments in laser micro welding technology Part 2 Laser welding technologies for various materials: Laser welding of light metal alloys: aluminium and titanium alloys Laser welding and brazing of dissimilar metals Laser welding of plastics Laser welding of glass Defects formation mechanisms and preventive procedures in laser welding Residual stress and distortion in laser welding Part 3 Developments in emerging laser welding technologies: Applications of robotics in laser welding Developments in beam scanning (remote) technologies and smart beam processing Developments in twin-beam laser welding technology Developments in multi-pass laser welding technology with filler wire Developments in hybridisation and combined laser beam welding technologies Developments in hybrid laser-arc welding technology Developments in modelling and simulation of laser and hybrid laser welding Part 4 Applications of laser welding: Applications of laser welding in the automotive industry Applications of laser welding in the railway industry Applications of laser welding in the shipbuilding industry

Arc Plasma Torch Modeling

Abstract: Arc plasma torches are the primary components of various industrial thermal plasma processes involving plasma spraying, metal cutting and welding, thermal plasma CVD, metal melting and remelting, waste treatment and gas production. They are relatively simple devices whose operation implies intricate thermal, chemical, electrical, and fluid dynamics phenomena. Modeling may be used as a means to better understand the physical processes involved in their operation. This paper presents an overview of the main aspects involved in the modeling of DC arc plasma torches: the mathematical models including thermodynamic and chemical non-equilibrium models, turbulent and radiative transport, thermodynamic and transport property calculation, boundary conditions and arc reattachment models. It focuses on the conventional plasma torches used for plasma spraying that include a hot-cathode and a nozzle anode.

Modeling of bead section profile and overlapping beads with experimental validation for robotic GMAW-based rapid manufacturing

Abstract: Robotic gas metal arc welding enables the capacity of fabricating fully dense components with low cost in rapid manufacturing During the layer additive manufacturing, the cross-sectional profile of a single weld bead as well as overlapping parameters is critical for improving the surface quality, dimensional accuracy and mechanical performance This paper highlights an experimental study carried out to determine the optimal model of the bead cross-section profile fitted with circular arc, parabola, and cosine function, by comparing the actual area of the bead section with the predicted areas of the three models A necessary condition for the overlapping of adjacent beads is proposed The results show that different models for the single bead section profile result in different center distances and surface qualities of adjacent beads The optimal model for the bead section profile has an important bearing on the ratio of wire feed rate to welding speed

Process and performance evaluation of ultrasonic, induction and resistance welding of advanced thermoplastic composites:

Abstract: The possibility of assembling through welding is one of the major features of thermoplastic composites and it positively contributes to their cost-effectiveness in manufacturing. This article prese...

Advanced gas metal arc welding processes

Abstract: There is an increased requirement in the automotive, food and medical equipment industries to weld heat-sensitive materials, such as thin sheets, coated thin plates, stainless steel, aluminium and mixed joints. Nevertheless, relevant innovations in arc welding are not widely known and seldom used to their maximum potential. In the area of gas metal arc welding welding processes, digitalisation has allowed integration of software into the power source, wire feeder and gas regulation. This paper reviews developments in the arc welding process, particularly the effect of the set-up of the welding process parameters on waveform deposition. It is found that good weldability, good mechanical joint properties and acceptable process efficiency can be obtained for thin sheets through advanced power source regulation, especially over short circuiting, controlled polarity and electrode wire motion. The findings presented in this paper are valuable for waveform and deposition prediction. The need is furthermore noted for an algorithm that integrates gas flow parameters and wire motion control, as well as a variable sensor on the tip of the electrode, permitting flexibility of control of the current and the voltage waveform.

New insight on the solidification path of an alloy 625 weld overlay

Abstract: Ni-based alloys are a special class of engineering material with excellent corrosion resistance in harsh environments. However, microstructural changes due to the solidification, may result in solidification cracks and reduction in the corrosion resistance. Knowing the microchemical and microstructural evolutions during the solidification of these alloys is essential for the understanding of the relationship between the metallurgical aspects and the properties. This research presents a new insight on the solidification path of alloy 625 weld metals deposited by the TIG cold wire process on the C–Mn steel plates. After the welding, samples having been extracted and evaluated by the scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy techniques. The results showed the presence of two types of secondary phases, identified as Laves phase and complex nitride/carbide particles. Due to the presence of nitrides particles, stable in the solid state during the melting of the alloy, during the solidification it is noted the occurrence of a complex nitride/carbide precipitation. This implies in a new route to explain the solidification of the aforementioned alloy.

Evolution of microstructures and mechanical properties during dissimilar electron beam welding of titanium alloy to stainless steel via copper interlayer

Abstract: The influence of operational parameters on the local phase composition and mechanical stability of the electron beam welds between titanium alloy and AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel with a copper foil as an intermediate layer has been studied. It was shown that two types of weld morphologies could be obtained depending on beam offset from the center line. Beam shift toward the titanium alloy side results in formation of a large amount of the brittle TiFe2 phase, which is located at the steel/melted zone interface and leads to reducing the mechanical resistance of the weld. Beam shift toward the steel side inhibits the melting of titanium alloy and, so, the formation of brittle intermetallics at the titanium alloy/melted zone interface. Mechanical stability of the obtained junctions was shown to depend on the thickness of this intermetallic layer. The fracture zone of the weld was found to be a mixture of TiCu (3–42 wt%), TiCu1−xFex (x=0.72–0.84) (22–68 wt%) and TiCu1−xFex (x=0.09–0.034) (0–22 wt%). In order to achieve the maximal ultimate tensile strength (350 MPa), the diffusion path length of Ti in the melted zone should be equal to 40–80 µm.

Effect of welding heat input on microstructures and toughness in simulated CGHAZ of V-N high strength steel

Abstract: For the purpose of obtaining the appropriate heat input in the simulated weld CGHAZ of the hot-rolled V–N microalloyed high strength S-lean steel, the microstructural evolution, hardness, and toughness subjected to four different heat inputs were investigated. The results indicate that the hardness decreases with increase in the heat input, while the toughness first increases and then decreases. Moderate heat input is optimum, and the microstructure is fine polygonal ferrite, granular bainite, and acicular ferrite with dispersive nano-scale V(C,N) precipitates. The hardness is well-matched with that of the base metal. Moreover, the occurrence of energy dissipating micromechanisms (ductile dimples, tear ridges) contributes to the maximum total impact energy. The detrimental effect of the free N atoms on the toughness can be partly remedied by optimizing the microstructural type, fraction, morphologies, and crystallographic characteristics. The potency of V(C,N) precipitates on intragranular ferrite nucleation without MnS assistance under different heat inputs was discussed.

Interfacial microstructure and mechanical property of Ti6Al4V/A6061 dissimilar joint by direct laser brazing without filler metal and groove

Abstract: Laser brazing of Ti6Al4V and A6061-T6 alloys with 2 mm thickness was conducted by focusing laser beam on aluminum alloy side, and the effect of laser offset distance on microstructure and mechanical properties of the dissimilar butt joint was investigated. Laser offset has a great influence on the thickness of interfacial intermetallic compound (IMC) layer and the mechanical property of joint. The thickness of interfacial IMC layer is less than 500 nm, and the average tensile strength of the joint reaches 64% of aluminum base material strength, when suitable welding conditions are used. The interfacial IMC is TiAl 3 . The formation of interfacial IMC layer and its effect on mechanical property of the joint are discussed in the present study.

Configurable welding table and force indicating clamp

Abstract: Disclosed is a configurable table that uses configurable mounting pieces to mount a work piece on the configurable table at a predetermined location. The configurable table includes a fixed portion of a mounting clamp that can engage a rotatable portion of a mounting clamp on a positioner or other device. The positioner can then rotate the configurable table and work piece to various orientations for performing horizontal welds, using robotic welders, as well as machining and cutting. The configurable table can also be used for initial fabrication, cutting, or working, which eliminates the need for separate fabrication and finish welding tables.

Autonomous weld seam identification and localisation using eye-in-hand stereo vision for robotic arc welding

Abstract: One of the main difficulties in using robotic welding in low to medium volume manufacturing or repair work is the time taken to programme the robot to weld a new part. It is often cheaper and more efficient to weld the parts manually. This paper presents a method for the automatic identification and location of welding seams for robotic welding using computer vision. The use of computer vision in welding faces some difficult challenges such as poor contrast, textureless images, reflections and imperfections on the surface of the steel such as scratches. The methods developed in the paper enables the robust identification of narrow weld seams for ferrous materials combined with reliable image matching and triangulation through the use of 2D homography. The proposed algorithms are validated through experiments using an industrial welding robot in a workshop environment. The results show that this method can provide a 3D Cartesian accuracy of within ±1 mm which is acceptable in most robotic arc welding applications.