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Understanding grain refinement in aluminium welding

Henry Granjon Prize 2015 winner category B: materials behaviour and weldability

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Abstract

Grain refinement is an important opportunity to improve mechanical properties of fusion welds and the weldability (susceptibility to solidification cracking) of the base metal. In this study, grain refinement was achieved in aluminium welds through additions of grain refiner to the weld metal. Increasing grain refiner additions led to a decrease of the weld metal mean grain size (down to −86 %). The grain refinement efficiency was the highest in commercial pure Al (Alloy 1050A, Al 99.5), followed by Alloy 6082 (Al Si1MgMn) and Alloy 5083 (Al Mg4.5Mn0.7). To investigate this clear influence of alloy content on grain size, the undercooling parameters P and Q were calculated. Temperature measurements revealed that solidification parameters such as solidification growth rate or cooling rate vary significantly along the solidification front, dependent upon torch speed and alloy. On the basis of this comparison, an analytical approach was used to model the columnar to equiaxed transition (CET). Moreover, wavelength dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (WDS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses revealed particles rich in Ti and B that are probably TiB2 particles coated by Al3Ti nucleating Al grains during solidification. Also, Ti/B contents needed in commercial filler wires to allow optimum weld metal grain refinement were calculated dependent upon base alloy and welding process.

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Acknowledgments

The first author (Philipp Schempp) is very grateful to his PhD supervisors B. Tonn (TU Clausthal), C.E. Cross (Los Alamos National Laboratory), A. Pittner (BAM) and C. Schwenk (formerly BAM). Furthermore, the support by H. Hayen (formerly Aljo Aluminium-Bau Jonuscheit GmbH, Germany) and P. Gudde (KBM Affilips B.V., Netherlands) for their very kind donation of Alloy 5083 plates (Alijo) and Al Ti5B1 grain refiner (KBM Affilips) is appreciated very much. The authors also would like to thank M. Richter and H. Hollesch (workshops) G. Oder (WDS analysis), H. Rooch, I. Dörfel and W. Österle (TEM analysis), M. Marten and N. Stojkic (metallography), H. Strehlau (ICP-OES chemical analysis), D. Köhler (casting of ingots) and W. Großmann (machining of inserts) for their great support at BAM.

The authors are very thankful to the Research Association on Welding and Allied Processes of the DVS for its support and to the Program for Funding of Industrial Research and Technology (IGF) of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology for funding the research project this study is based on.

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  1. Roonstr. 3, 50674, Cologne, Germany

    Philipp Schempp

  2. BAM (Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing), Unter den Eichen 87, 12205, Berlin, Germany

    Michael Rethmeier

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  1. Philipp Schempp
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Correspondence to Philipp Schempp.

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Doc. IIW-2564, recommended for publication by Commission IX “Behaviour of Metals Subjected to Welding.”

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Schempp, P., Rethmeier, M. Understanding grain refinement in aluminium welding. Weld World 59, 767–784 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-015-0251-2

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