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Influence of grain size on mechanical properties of aluminium GTA weld metal

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Abstract

Grain refinement is an important possibility to enhance the mechanical properties such as strength, ductility and toughness of aluminium weld metal. In this study, grain refinement was achieved through the addition of commercial grain refiner Al Ti5B1 to gas tungsten arc weld metal of the aluminium alloys 1050A (Al 99.5) and 5083 (Al Mg4.5Mn0.7). The grain refiner additions led to a significant reduction of the weld metal mean grain size (Alloy 1050A, 86 %; Alloy 5083, 44 %) with a change in grain shape from columnar to equiaxed. Tensile tests showed for Alloy 5083 that the weld metal's ductility can be increased through grain refinement. No improvement in weld metal strength (i.e. yield strength and ultimate tensile strength) was observed. Furthermore, tear tests with notched specimens revealed that the resistance against initiation and propagation of cracks in the weld metal can be enhanced through grain refinement. The toughness was observed to increase clearly by grain refinement in weld metal of commercial pure Al (Alloy 1050A). In Alloy 5083 weld metal, the toughness was not improved through grain refinement, likely because of a semi-continuous network of brittle intermetallic phases that facilitate crack propagation.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to H. Hayen (formerly working for Aluminium-Bau Jonuscheit GmbH, Germany) and P. Gudde from KBM Affilips B.V., Netherlands, for the very kind donation of plates of Alloy 5083 (Alijo) and grain refiner (KBM Affilips). They also would like to thank M. Babiker (tensile and tear testing), M. Cassau (tear testing), D. Bettge and S. Bohraus (SEM analysis), G. Oder (WDS analysis), M. Marten and N. Stojkic (metallography and hardness testing), H. Strehlau (ICP-OES chemical analysis), D. Köhler (casting of ingots), W. Großmann (machining of inserts) and S. Brauser (strain measurement) for their great support at BAM. The authors are very thankful to the Research Association on Welding and Allied Processes of the DVS for their 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 16.242N.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. BAM—Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Berlin, Germany

    P. Schempp, R. Häcker, A. Pittner & M. Rethmeier

  2. LANL—Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, USA

    C. E. Cross

  3. IPK—Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology, Berlin, Germany

    M. Rethmeier

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  1. P. Schempp
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Correspondence to P. Schempp.

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Doc. IIW-2345 recommended for publication by Commission IX “Behaviour of Metals Subjected to Welding”.

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Schempp, P., Cross, C.E., Häcker, R. et al. Influence of grain size on mechanical properties of aluminium GTA weld metal. Weld World 57, 293–304 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-013-0026-6

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