Kaifeng Wang

Investigation of Interfacial Layer for Ultrasonic Spot Welded Aluminum to Copper Joints

The bonding formation for ultrasonic welding of dissimilar metals has been shrouded in mystery because of the complex thermomechanical behavior at the bonding interface. We investigated the microstructure and phases at the bonding interface of ultrasonically welded aluminum to copper joints using transmission electron microscopy, and found a ~10 nm thick transition layer composed of amorphous phase and nanocrystallines, which was believed to form the bonding between these two metals in addition to mechanical interlocking observed at a larger scale. Interdiffusion of parent elements (i.e. Al and Cu) was noticed in the amorphous phase, which was mainly driven by plastic deformation in solid state introduced by ultrasonic vibration. High densities of dislocations and stacking faults were also observed in the parent metals close to the transition layer, confirming the effects of severe plastic deformation.

Forming an age hardenable aluminum alloy with intermediate annealing

A method to improve formability of aluminum sheet alloys by a two-stage stamping process with intermediate annealing was developed for a non-age hardenable Al-Mg alloy where the annealing heat treatment provided recovery of cold work from the initial stamping and recrystallization of the microstructure to enhance the forming limits of the material. This method was extended to an age hardenable, Al-Mg-Si alloy, which is complicated by the competing metallurgical effects during heat treatment including recovery (softening effect) vs. precipitation (hardening effect). An annealing heat treatment process condition was discovered wherein the stored strain energy from an initial plastic deformation can be sufficiently recovered to enhance formability in a second deformation; however, there is a deleterious effect on subsequent precipitation hardening. The improvement in formability was quantified with uniaxial tensile tests as well as with the forming limit diagram. Since strain-based forming limit curves (FLC)...