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Effect of Heat Input on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Electron Beam-Welded AW2099 Aluminium-Lithium Alloy

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Abstract

The paper focuses on the investigation of the effect of heat input on the microstructure and mechanical properties of welded joints produced by electron beam welding of 4.0 mm-thick AW2099 aluminum-lithium alloy. This type of alloy is intended for application in an airplane fuselage. Information on electron beam welding of such type of materials is up to now is very limited. Non-dendritic equi-axed zone (EQZ) was observed at the heat-affected zone–weld metal interface. The higher heat input (HHI) led to the development of EQZ with a larger width. The thickness of EQZ was non-uniform across the base material thickness. EQZ was characterized by the presence of higher amounts of elements at the grain boundaries due to segregation. Eutectics based on α-aluminum + θ-Al2Cu were detected in those areas. Transmission electron microscopy detected the presence of AlLi and Al2Li3 intermetallic phases in the weld metal. Dissolution of the low-temperature δ'-Al3Li phase was observed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Higher peak temperatures of a thermal cycle were measured during HHI welding. A peak temperature of 451 °C at a distance of 1.5 mm from the weld centerline was measured. The dissolution of precipitate particles caused by a thermal welding cycle resulted in the drop of microhardness in the fusion zone. Mean microhardness was slightly higher in the case of lower heat input (LHI) welding, i.e., 73% of that of the base material. The maximum weld tensile strength reached more than 83.8% of that of base materials. The fracture surface revealed the presence of dimples and bright brittle surfaces along with the microcracks and grain boundary eutectics.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under contract No. APVV-15-0337 and VEGA grant agency of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic, project No. 1/0287/21. The paper was prepared also with the support of the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports of the Czech Republic. The research was financed by the project SGS22/157/OHK2/3T/12 “Research of mechanical properties of new materials after technological processing”. EBSD was done at Warsaw University of Technology and the results were analyzed using Micrometer program, which was invented there.

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  1. Department of Manufacturing Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Technická 4, 166 07, Prague 6, Czech Republic

    Miroslav Sahul

  2. Institute of Materials Science, Faculty of Materials Science and Technology in Trnava, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, J. Bottu 25, 917 24, Trnava, Slovakia

    Miroslav Sahul, Martin Sahul, Peter Jurči, Mária Dománková & Marián Drienovský

  3. Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Military University of Technology, Gen. S. Kaliskiego 2, 00-908, Warsaw, Poland

    Marta Orłowska

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Sahul, M., Sahul, M., Orłowska, M. et al. Effect of Heat Input on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Electron Beam-Welded AW2099 Aluminium-Lithium Alloy. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 33, 776–796 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-023-08002-4

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