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- 2012 (23) (entfernen)
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- Laser beam welding (5)
- Electromagnetic weld pool support (3)
- Gas metal arc welding (3)
- Lorentz force (3)
- Marangoni stresses (3)
- Natural convection (3)
- Corrosion (2)
- Laser welding (2)
- Mechanical properties (2)
- Microstructure (2)
IIW-2326
Austenitic and austenitic-ferritic CrMnNi-stainless steels are suitable materials in the transport and automotive industry due to their high corrosion resistance and high strength that allows weight and cost savings. This study focuses on the laser weldability of a commercial lean duplex and an austenitic high manganese stainless steel. The impact of different laser sources, i.e. a 5 kW CO2- and a 4 kW Nd:YAG-laser, and of the main process parameters on the resulting weld quality will be investigated. One important aspect will concern the appearance of weld defects such as pores and hot cracks. The factors causing such internal imperfections will be analysed in order to find effective methods for preventing them. Weld microstructure and the associated corrosion and mechanical properties will be assessed with different techniques and adequate process parameters for high quality welds will be determined. The advantages and limitations of the applied welding processes will be evaluated for future applications.
Study of fatigue behavior for spot welded tensile shear specimens of advanced high strength steels
(2012)
For automotive body-in-white applications the influence of manufacture-related gaps between the steel sheets and also of manufacture-related surface cracks on the fatigue behavior of tensile shear specimens for spot welded TRIP steel was analyzed. It was shown that gaps between the steel sheets reduce the fatigue strength, whereas the fatigue behavior is neither influenced by cracks in the electrode indentation area nor in the heat effected zone.
In this study, the influence of production-related gaps on the shear tension strength and fatigue performance was investigated for resistance spot welded TRIP steel HCT690. Furthermore, the local strain distribution in shear tension test was calculated by the digital image correlation technique (DIC). The static shear tension strength was found to be almost independent of gaps up to 3 mm. The maximum local strain in the spot weld region however decreases depending on which sample side (deformed or undeformed) is considered. In addition, it has been ascertained that gaps of 3 mm lead to a significant drop in fatigue life compared to gap-free shear tension samples. This fact could be attributed to decreased stiffness, higher transverse vibration and higher rotation (θ) between the sheets as well as increased local stress calculated by 2 dimensional FE simulation.
Due to significant developments over the last decades, laser beam welding has become a well-established industrial process offering high processing speeds and causing low component distortions. But an important issue currently preventing its intense use, especially in the energy or plant construction sector where high alloy steels are applied, concerns hot crack formation. Although considerable advances in understanding hot cracking mechanisms have been made, most of the known influencing factors are metallurgical in character. The thermo-mechanical effects are barely considered or quantified. Up to the present, there exist numerous hot cracking tests that were however conceived for welding methods other than laser beam welding. Considering the special features of the laser welding process, such as high cooling rates and the narrow process zone, results obtained with other welding techniques and test procedures cannot be transferred to laser beam welding. In this study, the laser beam weldability of various stainless steels was examined in terms of their susceptibility to hot cracking by means of the controlled tensile weldability test, which was proven to be suitable for use in conjunction with CO2 laser welding. This test allows the application of tensile strain at a variable fixed cross-head speed transverse to the welding direction. Full and partial penetration bead-on-plate welds were produced. In a first attempt to determine the impact of the applied external strain on the local transient strains and strain rates near the weld pool, an optical system was used to measure the backside surface of partial penetration welds. The results showed the influence of the strain and the strain rates on hot crack formation. Furthermore, a classification of the studied austenitic, duplex and ferritic stainless steels according to the established test criteria (critical strain and cross-head speed) was conducted.
Grain refinement is an important possibility to enhance the weldability of aluminium weld metal that is usually defined by its susceptibility to solidification cracking. In this study, grain refinement was achieved through the addition of commercial grain refiner containing titanium and boron to the GTA weld metal of aluminium alloy 6082. The weld metal mean grain size could be reduced significantly from about 70 µm to a saturated size of 21 µm with a change in grain shape from columnar to equiaxed. The grain refinement prevented the formation of centreline solidification cracking that was present only in welds with unrefined grain structure. A variation of torch speed led to a strong change of solidification parameters such as cooling rate that was measured in the weld metal and the corresponding solidification rate and thermal gradient. The ratio thermal gradient/growth rate (G/R) decreased from 50 K s/mm² (high torch speed) to 10 K s/mm² (low torch speed). However, the variation of torch speed did not change the tendency for solidification cracking. The microstructure of unrefined and completely refined weld metal was compared. The observed change in size and distribution of the interdendritic phases was related to the change in susceptibility to solidification cracking.
A multi-physics numerical model was developed to investigate the influence of a steady magnetic field during partial penetration keyhole laser beam welding of an aluminum plate in flat position. Three-dimensional heat transfer, fluid dynamics including phase transition and electromagnetic field partial differential equations were solved with the finite element differential equation solver COMSOL Multiphysics. The magnetic field was aligned perpendicularly to the welding direction. The main objective of these simulations was to estimate the critical value of the magnetic field needed to suppress convective flows in the weld pool during high-power (up to 20 kW) laser beam welding of aluminum alloys with up to 20 mm deep weld pool. It reveals that steady magnetic fields with corresponding Hartmann numbers Ha^2 ~ 10^4 based on the half-width of the weld pool can effectively suppress convective flows in the weld pool. Moreover, the typically occurring wineglass-shape of the weld cross section caused by thermo-capillary flow is weakened.
Simulation of an inductive weld pool support for deep penetration laser beam welding of metal parts
(2012)
three-dimensional laminar steady state numerical model was used to investigate the influence of an altemating current (ac) magnetic field during single pass high power laser beam keyhole welding of 20 mm thick aluminum. The three-dimensional heat transfer, fluid dynamics and electromagnetic field equations were solved with the commercial finite element package COMSOL Multiphysics. Dominant physical effects of the process were taken into account: Thermo-capillary (Marangoni) convection at the upper and lower weld pool surfaces, natural convection due to the gravity influence and the latent heat of solid-liquid phase transition. Simulations were conducted for several magnetic field strengths and it was found that the gravity drop-out associated with welding of thick plates due to the hydrostatie pressure can be prevented by the application of an ac magnetic field below the weld specimen of around 70 mT (rms) at an oscillation frequency of 450 Hz. The inductive support System allows for single-pass laser beam welding of thick aluminum plates. The flow pattem in the molten zone and the temperature distributions are significantly changed by the application of the electromagnetic forces in the weld pool.
Thick-walled pipes made of steel are the basis of a large number of components in mechanical and installation engineering, e.g. for hydraulic components, in power station technology or in the petroleum industry. Particularly when strict positional and shape tolerances are demanded, the classical manufacturing process is chip-producing machining from the solid material. However, this is time-intensive and material-intensive. The laser/GMA hybrid processes with modern high-power lasers are a suitable alternative. With these processes, it is currently possible to weld components with a wall thickness up to approx. 15 mm with little distortion in one pass. However, in initial experiments, solidification cracks with longitudinal and vertical orientations in relation to the welding direction, so-called central line cracks, were established in welds on pipes. Within the framework of a research project, it was possible to determine the cause of the cracking and to find measures in order to avoid it. The technical boundary conditions could be complied with in this respect. The article gives an overview of the research project and the essential results.
The main characteristic feature of deep penetration laser beam welding is a large temperature difference between the plasma cavity (keyhole) in the centre of the weld pool and the melting/solidification front. Large temperature gradients in the weld pool result in a very intensive thermocapillary (Marangoni) convection. The weld pool surface width becomes very large and unstable. However, an externally applied oscillating magnetic field can stabilize the surface of the melt (the Garnier-Moreau effect, 1983). In the present work this technology was used to stabilize the surface of the weld pool in partial penetration 4.4 kW Nd:YAG laser beam welding of AW-5754 alloyin PA position. The AC magnet was mounted on the laser welding head. The oscillating magnet field was oriented perpendicular to the welding direction. It was found that the AC magnet field can drastically reduce the surface roughness of welds. The analysis of the x-ray images shows a rastic reduction of porosity content in the welds. This effect can be explained as a result of electromagnetic ectification of the melt.
In the rough conditions in the fabrication of automobile bodies, it is not always possible to avoid welding-induced imperfections such as cracks during the resistance spot welding of high-strength steels. In this respect, the influence of such cracks on the fatigue strength particularly of modern high-strength austenitic steels is not sufficiently well-known at present. The influence of welding cracks with various positions and formations was therefore investigated within the framework of this paper. In this case, the analysis of the standardised stiffness courses of specimens and the comparison of the numbers of failure stress cycles served to prove that the surface cracks produced without any spatter in the centre, interfacial region and peripheral region of the weld nugget do not have any negative influence on the fatigue strength of the high-strength austenitic material investigated here. Specimens which were manufactured with welding spatter and exhibit cracks in the peripheral region show considerably higher numbers of failure stress cycles than crack-free reference specimens.
Spot welding is one of the most important technologies for joining sheet metal. While there are lot of approaches to non-destructive testing, quality assurance still mainly relies on welding parameter monitoring and destructive testing, leading to significant failure rates. In this paper an approach to spot weld testing using flash thermography is presented. The main focus of attention is on the identification of two typical error classes: stick welds and welds at the splash limit. Besides investigating the principal feasibility of thermography for zinc plated samples the results of a series test of spot welds joining 1 mm thick TRIP steel are shown. Based upon these results a statistical criterion is developed which allows a reliable classification of the named error classes.
This article studies the three dimensional transient weld pool dynamics and the influence of groove angle on welding of low carbon structural steel plates using the ForceArc® process. The deformation of the weld bead is also calculated with an accurate coupling of the heat transfer with fluid flow through continuity, momentum and the energy equations combined with the effect of droplet impingement, gravity, electromagnetic force, buoyancy, drag forces and surface tension force (Marangoni effect). Different angles of V groove are employed under the same welding parameters and their influence on the weld pool behavior and weld bead geometry is calculated and analyzed, which is needed for subsequent calculations of residual stress and distortion of the workpiece.
Such a simulation is an effective way to study welding processes because the influence of all welding parameters can be analyzed separately with respect to heat transfer, weld pool dynamic, and microstructure of the weld. Good agreement is found between the predicted and experimentally determined weld bead cross-section and temperature cycles. It is found that the main flow pattern is more or less the same although the groove angle increases, but it will evoke larger amount of fluid to flow downward to get deeper penetration.
Longitudinal residual stresses in beam welds ranging at the value of the local yield strength can diminish the lifespan of components. To extend the service life of welds special methods of welding residual stress reduction were developed earlier which are however not effective for beam welds in complex component geometries. Application of beam welding sources for postwelding heat treatment of components has become a flexible tool for reducing longitudinal stresses in beam welds. Such heat treatment in a specific transversal distance to the weld by a defocused beam results in huge stress reductions depending on the used process parameters. Experimental results for ferritic and austenitic steels reveal weld stress reductions to up to compressive stresses. For different materials and diverse material thicknesses special process parameter regions have to be used in this procedure. At a transmission component this procedure shows a stress reduction by >300 MPa.
Resistance spot welds were prepared on 3 mm thick sheets of continuous cast and rolled AZ31 magnesium alloy. The microstructure and composition analysis of weld nugget, heat affected zone (HAZ) and base metal were examined using optical and scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM and EDS/X). The resistance spot welded magnesium alloy joints consist mainly of weld nugget and HAZ. The nugget contains two different structures, i.e. the cellular-dendritic structure at the edge of the nugget and the equiaxed dendritic structure in the centre of the nugget. The structure transition is attributed to the changes of solidification conditions. In the HAZ, grain boundary melting occurred and grain boundaries became coarse. It has been shown that hardness reduction in the weld nugget and HAZ compared with base metal is evident due to dendritic microstructure and grain growth, respectively. The results showed that spot welded joints have failed in interfacial mode under torsion and tensile–shear loading conditions. Digital image correlation during tensile–shear testing showed that low surface strains occur in the interfacial failure mode, because fracture and deformation happened primarily in the nugget area.
Full penetration 15 kW Yb fibre laser butt welding of thick AlMg3 (AW 5754) plates was performed in PA position. A contactless inductive electromagnetic weld pool support system was used to prevent gravity dropout of the melt. The welding speed needed to achieve 20 mm penetration was ~0·5 m min-1. An ac power supply of ~244 W at 460 Hz was necessary to completely suppress gravity dropout of the melt and eliminate sagging of the weld pool root side surface. The oscillating magnetic field can suppress the Marangoni convection in the lower part of the weld pool. The system was also successfully used in the full penetration welding of 30 mm thick AlMg3 plates.
In various applications, welding-induced residual stresses have a substantial impact on the integrity of welded constructions. Tensile residual stress can promote stress-corrosion cracking, brittle fracture, and reduces the fatigue life in service, as well as influences component design due to critical stress concentrations within the component.
In the present paper, a six bead multi-pass gas metal arc weld of 20 mm thick structural steel S355J2+N is experimentally and numerically investigated. The studies include transient 2D and 3D numerical calculations which consider temperature-dependent material properties, phase transformations, 'thermal' tempering, transformation plasticity, volume change due to phase transformation, an elasticplastic material model, and isotropic strain hardening. The experimentally determined and calculated residual stresses are in a good agreement. Furthermore, the influence of the preheat and interpass temperature on welding-induced residual stresses is shown in the present investigation.
Manganese alloyed stainless steels represent a cost-effective alternative to conventional CrNi- stainless steels due to strong fluctuations of the market prices for nickel seen during the last years. In CrMnNi steels, nickel is partially replaced by lower-cost manganese and small amounts of nitrogen for stabilization of the austenitic phase. This also brings benefits regarding the mechanical properties, as it results in an increased material strength. Laser beam welding of such materials was investigated for direct comparison with standard CrNi steels. Main emphasis was laid on finding adequate process parameters to achieve a stable welding process and obtain a good weld quality. Two different laser sources, a 4.4 kW Nd:YAG and a 5 kW CO2 laser, were used to weld 1.5 mm stainless steel sheets in continuous wave mode. A high-Mn austenitic (1.4376) and a lean duplex (1.4162) steel, as well as the standard austenitic (1.4301) and duplex (1.4362) grades were selected as test materials. Both butt and lap joint configurations were studied. Experiments were carried out systematically, varying the welding speed, laser power and focal point position in order to determine adequate process windows. The influence of the shielding gas type and flow rate on the process stability and the weld quality were investigated. The effects of weld edge preparation on the weld appearance and quality levels attained were also examined. The obtained welded joints were subjected to radiographic tests for detection of internal imperfections. Also a metallurgical characterization of the samples regarding the resulting phase composition or balance and hardness depending on the welding process parameters was conducted. Furthermore, tensile and potentiodynamic tests were performed to evaluate the mechanical and corrosion properties, respectively. The results provide an insight into the advantages and limitations of the laser beam welding process for joining high-manganese alloyed stainless steels. Conditions for the production of defect-free and corrosion-resistant welds having good mechanical properties could be determined.
A three-dimensional laminar steady-state numerical model was developed to investigate the influence of an alternating current (ac) magnetic field during high-power full-penetration laser welding on the weld pool dynamics and weld cross section of a 20 mm thick aluminium plate in flat position. Three-dimensional heat transfer, fluid dynamics including phase transition and electromagnetic field partial differential equations were solved iteratively with the commercial finite element software COMSOL Multiphysics using temperature-dependent material properties up to evaporation temperature. Thermocapillary convection at the weld pool surfaces, natural convection and latent heat of solid–liquid phase transition were taken into account in this model. Solidification was modelled by the Carman–Kozeny equation for porous media morphology. The ac magnet was mounted on the root side of the weld specimen. The magnetic field was aligned perpendicular to the welding direction. The flow pattern in the melt and thus also the temperature distribution were significantly changed by the application of oscillating magnetic fields. It was shown that the application of an ac magnetic field to laser beam welding allows for a prevention of the gravity drop-out. The simulation results are in good qualitative agreement with the experimental observations.
For spot-welded joints, the resistance to
mechanical stress depends on the local strength properties
and gradients in the weld area. The commonly used
methods for investigating the stress–strain behaviour across
the weld area are connected with a high level of sample
preparation and with considerable limitations in local resolution.
A promising method for determining locally
resolved stress–strain curves is the instrumented indentation
test in connection with the method of representative
stress and strain (RS) and the method of artificial neural
networks (NNs). The stress–strain properties of the weld
nugget and the base metal determined by these two methods
are compared and discussed, additionally in relation to
the stress–strain curves obtained from the tensile test. The
measured Vickers hardness across the weld area is compared
with the evaluated local stress–strain properties.
Three steels used in automobile manufacturing are investigated:
mild steel DC04 and two advanced high-strength
steels (TRIP steel HCT690T and martensitic steel HDT
1200M). The results of the two methods (RS and NN) show
good correspondence for the base metal area but some
significant differences for the weld nugget. Comparing the
data across the weld area, no evidence of the presence of
residual stress (which would influence the results) was
found.
A single-layer pulsed gas metal arc weld of structural steel S355J2+N with a thickness of 5 mm is experimentally and numerically investigated. Two tack welds are considered in the numerical simulation into two different ways. First, the tack welds are represented by elements belonging to the initial material. This implies that the 'tack weld material' was not exposed to any thermal load or phase transformation before actual welding was performed. The weld seam is shortened and there is an influence on the stiffness of the whole structure affecting the calculation result. Secondly, the tack welds were simulated as conducted in the experimental welding procedure. The cases considering tack welding are compared to a simulation neglecting tack welding and to the experimental results.
The influence of tack welds on the calculated welding-induced distortion is clarified and a contribution to an improved simulation-based prediction of welding-induced distortion is possible by modeling tack welding according to the realistic fabrication procedure.
The residual stresses in narrow electron or laser beam welds with high stress gradients are decreased without any contact surfaces or additional equipment by applying the welding beam after welding in a defocused mode for heating the material regions in a certain distance from the weld on both sides. In case of electron beam application, the beam is positioned and focused by the electromagnetic coil with high frequency. In case of laser beam application a laser scanner optics enables fast positioning by an optomechanic beam deflection, while defocusing of the laser beam is obtained by increasing the distance between scanner optics and workpiece. Dependent on the component geometry and on the beam power different process parameters are used. The adjustable process parameters are the radius and the power of the defocused beam and the transversal and longitudinal distances between the welding and the defocused beam. The mechanism and the influence of the process parameters are investigated by FEM-simulation and a number of experiments on a ferritic steel S355J2+N with 5 mm thickness. FEM-simulation is used to reduce the matrix of process parameters for the experiments. The best experimental result shows a stress reduction of about 70%.