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Relationship Between Microstructure, Strength, and Fracture in an Al-Zn-Mg Electron Beam Weld: Part I: Microstructure Characterization

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Abstract

This work presents a detailed, multiscale, spatially resolved study of the microstructure of an electron beam butt weld of the EN-AW 7020 (Al-Zn-Mg) alloy. Using a combination of optical, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and small-angle X-ray scattering, the distribution of phases in the different areas of the heat-affected zone and of the fusion zone is quantitatively characterized, for two different aging states: naturally aged after welding and artificially aged at 423 K (150 °C). The heat-affected zone consists of regions experiencing different levels of precipitate dissolution and coarsening during welding as well as new precipitation during post-welding heat treatment (PWHT). The microstructure of the fusion zone is typical from a fast solidification process, with a strong solute segregation in the interdendritic zones. The precipitate distribution after PWHT follows this solute distribution, and the resulting hardness is much lower than the relatively homogeneous value in the base metal and the heat-affected zone.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are very grateful to the staff of CEA Valduc for welding and metallography. Florence Robaud is thanked for the EPMA measurement; Frederic Charlot is gratefully acknowledged for his assistance on electron imaging. The staff of BM2/D2AM beamline of ESRF thanked for technical support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. SIMAP Laboratory, Université Grenoble Alpes, 38000, Grenoble, France

    Quentin Puydt (Ph.D. Student, Research Scientist), Frédéric De Geuser (Research Scientist), Guillaume Parry (Associate Professor) & Alexis Deschamps (Professor)

  2. CNRS, SIMAP, 38000, Grenoble, France

    Quentin Puydt (Ph.D. Student, Research Scientist), Frédéric De Geuser (Research Scientist), Guillaume Parry (Associate Professor) & Alexis Deschamps (Professor)

  3. CEA Valduc, 21120, Is-Sur-Tille, France

    Quentin Puydt (Ph.D. Student, Research Scientist), Sylvain Flouriot (Research Scientist) & Sylvain Ringeval (Research Scientist)

  4. IRT M2P, Metz, France

    Quentin Puydt (Ph.D. Student, Research Scientist)

  5. Grenoble Institute of Technology, Grenoble, France

    Guillaume Parry (Associate Professor) & Alexis Deschamps (Professor)

Authors
  1. Quentin Puydt
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  2. Sylvain Flouriot
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  3. Sylvain Ringeval
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  4. Frédéric De Geuser
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  5. Guillaume Parry
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  6. Alexis Deschamps
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alexis Deschamps.

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Manuscript submitted April 30, 2014.

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Puydt, Q., Flouriot, S., Ringeval, S. et al. Relationship Between Microstructure, Strength, and Fracture in an Al-Zn-Mg Electron Beam Weld: Part I: Microstructure Characterization. Metall Mater Trans A 45, 6129–6140 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-014-2566-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-014-2566-9

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