Journal of Welding Science

This study aimed to investigate the effect of electron beam welding parameters on the microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of the dissimilar joint between 17-4PH stainless steel and Ti6Al4V alloy. For this purpose, the welding of these two alloys was performed with an copper interlayer with a thickness of 1 mm. Two different welding speeds of 0.7 and 0.9 m/min with four levels of beam offset  (0, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 mm) from the center of the interlayer towards the steel were used to accomplish the experiments. The results show that by using the copper interlayer with thickness of 1 mm, the cracks caused by the formation of intermetallic compounds are removed from the weld pool. At the interface between the titanium and the weld pool, at the beam offset  of 0 and 0.2 mm, a solid solution of copper and TiCu2 intermetallic compounds is formed, while at the beam offset  of 0.4 and 0.6 mm, a solid solution of copper and TiCu intermetallic compounds is formed. The weld pool, at the beam offset  of 0 and 0.2 mm, consists of TiCr2+TiFe2 intermetallic compounds while at the beam offset  of 0.4 and 0.6 mm, solid solution of iron (α-Fe), solid solution of copper and TiCu intermetallic compounds are formed. The highest value of hardness is observed at the interface between the weld pool and the titanium alloy, as well as at the interface between the weld pool and the steel, which is due to the presence of intermetallic compounds with high hardness in these regions. By increasing the welding speed and the beam offset, the hardness value decreases, which is due to the reduction of brittle intermetallic compounds in the joint structure. By increasing the beam offset from 0.4 mm to 0.6 mm at the speed of 0.7 m/min, the shear strength increases from 180 MPa to 210 MPa and at the speed of 0.9 m/min, the shear strength raises from 230 MPa to 250 MPa. The welded sample with the welding speed of 0.9 m/min and the beam offset of 0.6 mm has the highest shear strength equal to 250 MPa. The failure in all samples happened at the interface between the weld pool and the titanium alloy, which shows that the weakest region in the joint is this interface.

In this study, we employed the active TIG method with ultrasonic vibration (UV) for welding 316L steel. Throughout the active tungsten inert gas (A-TIG) welding process, a high-frequency ultrasonic generator produced high-intensity acoustic waves at an optimal frequency of 20.3 kHz and a vibration amplitude of 8 micrometers. These waves were directed into the molten weld pool, covered by SiO2 nanoparticles serving as an activating flux. The effect of UV and nanoparticles on weld geometry and weld microstructure was analyzed and compared with conventional TIG welding proces. The results indicated that the use of nanopowder not only increased weld penetration by approximately 17.5% but also reduced the Weld Bead Width (WBW) by 28% compared to Conventional TIG. These values increased by 25% and decreased by 35%, respectively, in the presence of ultrasonic waves. Additionally, the introduction of nanomaterials into the molten pool led to finer grains. The ultrasonic waves played a crucial role in ensuring the uniform distribution of these nanomaterials in the melt, ultimately resulting in an enhanced microstructure of the weld.

In this research, dissimilar joining of biodegradable AZ31 alloy to Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy by rotary friction welding method was investigated with aim of preparation of pin or screw for orthopedic applications. optical and scanning electron microscope (sem) were used to investigate the microstructure, x-ray diffraction was conducted for phase analysis, torsion and micro-hardness tests were carried out to investigate mechanical properties, and polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were employed to evaluate corrosion resistance. in the welding procedure, rotational speed of 1100, 1200 and 1300 rpm and friction time of 2 and 4 seconds were considered as variable parameters, and two parameters of friction pressure and forge pressure were considered as constant parameters at 50 and 40 MPa, respectively. The microstructure of the joint zone showed that there is no deformation in the titanium alloy side. However, in the magnesium side, the greatest amount of deformation occurred with the distance from the joint line, where weld center zone (CZ), dynamic recrystallization zone (DRX), thermomechanical affected zone (TMAZ) and partial deformation zone (PDZ) are detected. The formation of intermetallic phases such as Mg2AlZn, Ti3Al and also the refining the grains size is the main reason for increasing the hardness of the magnesium side near the joint line up to 150 HV. The results of the torsion test showed that the welded sample has the highest shear strength of 81.51 MPa and also the highest corrosion resistance among other samples at a rotation speed of 1200 rpm and a friction time of 4 seconds.

In this research, the effect of temperature and time parameters are investigated on the microstructure and mechanical properties of  dissimilar brazing of 17-4 PH stainless steel and Ti-6Al-4V alloy with BNi-2 filler metal. The microstructure of the joint is evaluated with optical and scanning electron microscopes and the mechanical properties of the joint are also evaluated with tensile-shear and microhardness tests. It can be seen that at a constant temperature of 1050°C, increasing the time from 15 to 30 minutes decreases the shear strength from 34.66 to 29.39 MPa. Formation of brittle intermetallic compounds like NiTi2 and FeTi2 increase strength and promote brittle fracture.At a fixed time of 15 minutes, increasing the temperature from 1050 to 1100 °C causes the strength to increase from 34.66 to 38.46 MPa. Also, the increase in temperature and time increases the ISZ thickness formed in the joints on the side of the filler metal - Ti-6Al-4V from 41.40 to 81.48 microns. The increase in temperature and time also causes more diffusion of boron into the SS-filler joint, which forms various boron compounds and widens this region.

In this study, mechanical properties of the transient liquid phase (TLP) bonds between Hastelloy X to Ni3Al IMC at temperature range of 800 - 900 °C were investigated. The microstructure of the joints was examined by optical and scanning electron microscopy. Also, high temperature XRD (HTXRD) analysis was utilized to investigate the phase changes at different temperatures of half-joints. According to microscopic observations, the joint cross-section consisted of three regions including diffusion affected zone (DAZ), isothermal solidification zone (ISZ), and Athermal solidification zone (ASZ), which increasing temperature and time result in ISZ consisting of nickel-rich solid solution developed across the microstructure. The optimum joint bonding strength was achieved for the sample treated at 1100 °C – 180 min equal to 355 ± 4.5 MPa. The ultimate tensile strength reached 36.5 ± 1 and 20.5 ± 1 MPa at temperatures of 800 °C and 900 °C, respectively. Fracture occurred on the side of the IMC substrates at both test temperatures due to the presence of shrinkage porosity during the solidification stage of IMC and crystal lattice parameters mismatch with the matrix.

316 steel is used in transportation, space, and chemical equipment. This steel is in demand in these industries due to its durability. It is used to increase the lifespan and renovate equipment. The research explores the impact of laser energy density on st6 cladding. It specifically focuses on the microstructure and geometric characteristics of the cladding. The cladding is applied on 316 steel. The experiment was designed with energy density changes from 40 to 116 J/mm and powder rate changes between 12 and 20 g/min. Optical and electron microscopic images were used to evaluate the samples. The results indicated that the dendritic arms grew larger with increased energy density. The dimensions increased from 1.5 to approximately 3. In other words, the speed of cooling is doubled. Increasing energy density from 40 to 75 J/mm reduced cobalt to chromium ratio from 2 to 0.7. It also decreased cobalt to iron ratio from 35 to 3. The changes emphasize how energy density affects microstructure and phase transformations.

In this study, the effects of friction stir welding (FSW) parameters on the properties of dissimilar joints formed between 5083 aluminum alloys and 316L austenitic stainless steel, with a thickness of 4 mm, are investigated. The tool speed is varied in the range of 16 to 25 mm/min, while the tool rotation speed is maintained at a constant value of 250 rpm. To examine the microstructure of different weld regions, both optical and scanning electron microscopes are employed. To assess the mechanical properties, hardness and tensile tests are conducted. The results shows the formation of a composite region characterized by steel reinforcement particles dispersed within an aluminum matrix. At the steel-aluminum interface, a single layer of discontinuous intermetallic composition with a thickness of approximately 2 micrometers is observed. Notably, when the rotation speed is set to 250 rpm and the tool speed is 16 mm/min, a tensile strength of 298 MPa and ductility of 26% (93% of the tensile strength and 50% of the ductility of the 5083 aluminum alloy) are achieved.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of diffusion welding parameters on the microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of the dissimilar joint between AISI 418 stainless steel and Inconel 738 superalloy using Ni interlayer with a thickness of 50 µm. The experiments were performed in a vacuum furnace at three temperatures of 1000, 1050 and 1150 °C for 45, 60, 75 and 90 min under the pressure of 5 MPa.The results show that voids and non-bonded areas are seen in the samples that were bonded at a lower temperature (1000 °C). By increasing the joining temperature from 1000 °C to 1050 °C, all micro discontinuities have disappeared, which shows that the microplastic deformation of roughness has improved. Then, by increasing the temperature to 1150 °C,non-bonded areas are observed in the joint due to the reduction of pressure on the contact surfaces. When pure nickel is used as an interlayer, intermetallic compounds of
γ' [Ni3(Al, Ti)] are formed in the γ matrix phase on the side of Inconel 738 superalloy while compounds of FeNi3 and γ (γFe, Ni) are formed on the side of AISI 418 stainless steel. According to the results of line scan analysis, the slope and penetration of elements in Inconel 738 superalloy is lower than AISI 418 stainless steel , which indicates less penetration in Inconel 738 superalloy. In the sample welded at the temperature of 1050 °C and the time of  90 Min, the penetration value of the nickel interlayer in AISI 418 stainless steel  and Inconel 738 superalloy was 40 µm and 35 µm, respectively. By comparing the maximum hardness, it can be concluded that the joint at the temperature of 1050 °C and the time of 90 Min has a lower maximum hardness than other samples. Therefore, it has better joint characteristics than other samples in terms of intermetallic compounds. The highest value of shear strength was obtained at the temperature of 1050 °C and the time of 90 Min, which is equal to 270 MPa.

The present study focuses on optimizing the mechanical properties and microstructure of laser welding in Haynes 25 (L-605) cobalt-based superalloy. Initially, the influence of laser welding variables such as laser power, pulse frequency, welding speed, and pulse width on the mechanical and metallurgical properties of the weld joints is investigated. By examining the welding variables, the values of G (thermal gradient) and R (cooling rate) are calculated, and their ratio (G/R) and cooling rate (G×R), which predominantly affect the solidification microstructure, are determined. The structural correlation with the mechanical properties resulting from welding is examined.  In this research, it is considered to obtain the welding variables to create a high percentage of the structure in the form of equiaxed dendrite. Microstructural analysis reveals the growth of equiaxed grains and dendritic structures in the weld zone. The high cooling rate in the weld pool leads to dendritic solidification starting from columnar dendrites at the weld walls and ending in equiaxed dendrites at the center of the weld. The microhardness value in the weld zone is HV 328, which is very close to the microhardness of the base material. The tensile strength of the weld samples reaches about 93% to 94% of the base metal tensile strength. Tensile testing of the weld samples indicates a ductile-brittle fracture. Examination of the scanning electron microscope confirms the presence of dimples, intergranular cracks, and microvoids in the fracture zone.

In this research, the transient liquid phase bonding of St52 carbon steel to WC-Co cermet using a copper interlayer with 50 μm thickness was done. For this purpose, samples were jointed to each other at a constant temperature of 1100 ºC and bonding times of 1, 15, 30, and 45 min. The microstructure of the joints was examined using an optical microscope and scanning electron microscope equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. XRD analysis was also used to investigate the effect of bonding on the phase changes of the bonding area. Microhardness and tensile shear tests were also conducted to study the mechanical properties of the samples. Microstructural investigations showed the formation of three different zones including isothermal and athermal solidification zones and DAZ in the WC-Co base material side, which determine the characteristics of the samples. The isothermal solidification zone contained a Fe-rich solid solution and the athermal solidification zone contained a Cu-rich solid solution. η phase was not formed in the DAZ of WC-Co cermet at bonding times of 1 and 15 min. This phase was formed in the DAZ of WC-Co cermet by increasing the bonding time to 30 and 45 min. The microhardness studies showed that all samples had the same trend. Maximum microhardness was 1100 HV which was related to WC-Co base cermet and the lowest microhardness was about 220 HV which was related to steel base metal. Also, the maximum tensile-shear strength of the bonded samples was about 180 MPa for a bonded sample at a bonding time of 15 min, which was due to the increase in the volume fraction of iron-rich solid solution, as well as proper microstructural continuity and the presence of an optimal amount of copper-rich phase in the microstructure.

The dissimilar joint of alumina to copper with active filler metals Ag-Cu-Ti-Sn and Ag-Cu-Ti-Sn-%3.5Zr were done using the induction brazing process at temperatures of 840 and 860 ℃ for 15 minutes. The microstructures of joints were evaluated using optical microscope (OM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Vickers hardness test and shear tensile strength test were used to evaluate the mechanical properties. The results of the microstructural studies showed that the Al2O3/Cu joints using Ag-Cu-Ti-Sn and Ag-Cu-Ti-Sn-%3.5Zr fillers contain a reaction layer at the interface between alumina and the filler metal. At the area of the reaction layer with Ag-Cu-Ti-Sn filler metal, two TiO and Cu3Ti3O phases were observed, and also at the reaction layer with Ag-Cu-Ti-Sn-%3.5Zr filler metal, two TiO and ZrO2 phases were observed. The results of the shear strength test showed that due to the greater thickness of the filler metal and the lower thickness of the reaction layer, the joint with the filler metal Ag-Cu-Ti-Sn-%3.5Zr (14 MPa) has a higher shear strength as compared with the joint with filler metal Ag-Cu-Ti- Sn (9 MPa).