Microstructure and Properties of Diffusion Bonded Mg/Al Joints

Abstract

In this study, magnesium alloy AZ31 was successfully welded with aluminum alloy 6061 by diffusion bonding method. In addition, annealing process was applied to refine micro-structure and improve mechanical property. Microstructure and elemental distribution of interface were investigated with Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Electron Probe Micro Analyzer (EPMA). Furthermore, experiments on diffusion bonded specimens with the usage of Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) were carried out. At last, tensile strength was measured. It can be obtained that the width of diffusion layers increase with the increasing annealing temperatures. Elemental distribution of specimens with annealing were more uniform than that without annealing. The intermetallic compounds in diffusion layers are Al3Mg2 and Al12Mg17, their crystal structure are respectively face-centered cubic (fcc) and body-centered cubic (bcc). What’s more, tensile strength turns to be strongest after annealing at 250°C.