Xuesong Leng

Effects of Fe−Al intermetallic compounds on interfacial bonding of clad materials

Abstract The growth of intermetallic compounds at the interface between solid Al and Fe and the effects of intermetallic compound layers on the interfacial bonding of clad materials were investigated. The results showed that the interface between the solid Fe and Al formed by heat-treatment consisted of Fe 2 Al 5 and FeAl 3 intermetallic compound layers, which deteriorated the interfacial bonding strength. Fractures occurred in the intermetallic compound layer during the shear testing. The location of the fracture depended on the defects of microcracks or voids in the intermetallic compound layers. The microcracks in the intermetallic compound layer were caused by the mismatch of thermal expansion coefficients of materials during cooling, and the voids were consistent with the Kirkendall effect. The work will lay an important foundation for welding and joining of aluminum and steel, especially for fabrication of Al-Fe clad materials.

Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of ultrasonic-assisted soldering joints of 2024 aluminum alloys

Abstract Ultrasonic-assisted soldering of 2024 aluminum alloys using a filler metal of Zn-5Al alloy was investigated at the temperature of 400 °C, which is lower than the solution strengthening temperature of Al-Cu alloys. The ultrasonic vibration with power of 200 W and vibration amplitude of 15 μm at the frequency of 21 kHz was applied on the top samples. The ultrasonic vibration promoted the dissolution of Al elements in the base metal. The reduction of volume fraction of the eutectic phases in the bonds was investigated by increasing ultrasonic vibration time. As the ultrasonic vibration time increased from 3 s to 30 s, the volume fraction of the eutectic phase in the bonds decreased from 12.9% to 0.9%, and the shear strength of the joints was up to 149-153 MPa, increased by 20%. The improvement of the mechanical properties of joints was discussed based on the modulus and hardness of the phases in the bonds and the fracture of the joints.

Ultrasonic-promoted rapid TLP bonding of fine-grained 7034 high strength aluminum alloys

High strength aluminum alloys are extremely sensitive to the thermal cycle of welding. An ultrasonic-promoted rapid TLP bonding with an interlayer of pure Zn was developed to join fine-grained 7034 aluminum alloys at the temperature of lower 400°C. The oxide film could be successfully removed with the ultrasonic vibration, and the Al-Zn eutectic liquid phase generated once Al and Zn contacted with each other. Longer ultrasonic time can promote the diffusion of Zn into the base metal, which would shorten the holding time to complete isothermal solidification. The joints with the full solid solution of α-Al can be realized with the ultrasonic action time of 60s and holding time of only 3min at 400°C, and the shear strength of joints could reach 223MPa. The joint formation mechanism and effects of ultrasounds were discussed in details.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-Li alloy after TIG welding

Tungsten inert gas weld was carried out on super-light magnesium-lithium alloy plates with a thickness of 2 mm, using argon gas as a protecting atmosphere. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the welded joints were investigated. The results indicate that the microstructure in the fusion zone is fine, and the microstructure in the heat-affected zone is coarser than the parent metal. The tensile strength of the welded joint is about 84% that of the parent metal. The fracture occurs in a mixed type of toughness and brittleness in the heat-affected zone. During the welding process, aluminum and cerium are enriched at grain boundaries in the fusion zone.

Physics characteristic of coupling arc of twin-tungsten TIG welding

Twin-tungsten TIG welding was developed, in which two electrodes were placed in a single welding torch. In order to master this process, the arc physics characteristic was studied. The twin-tungsten coupling arc shape was observed by using CCD camera, and the arc pressure was measured. The results show that the coupling arc includes two arcs that pull each other according to Lorentz force and one big coupling arc is formed; the coupling arc pressure is much lower than that of conventional TIG arc. In the end, a simple welding experiment was carried out. This proves that stable welding process can be achieved by twin-tungsten TIG at higher current than that of conventional TIG because of its low arc pressure and the high efficiency welding is realized.

Strengthening mechanism of ceramic particle reinforced bonds by ultrasonic brazing of AlMMCs

Abstract Composite materials (55% (volume fraction) SiC p /A356) were brazed with the assisted ultrasonic wave by filling with a Zn-based alloy solder. With different bonding temperatures, two kinds of bonds, which contained 7% and 35% SiC particles, respectively, were fabricated. The results show that the two kinds of bonds have not only different microstructure properties, but also different crack propagation behaviors, which will bring on wide difference in mechanical properties. The shear strength of the bond containing 35% SiC particles is above 244 MPa, which is 84.7% higher than that of the bond containing 7% SiC particles. The reason is that the SiC particles in the composite bonds can effectively suppress the fracture. And the fracture is also effectively delayed by the Al-based solid solution in the composite bonds. Therefore, with appropriate bonding parameters, ultrasonic brazing can make the SiC particles and Al contents increase in the bond, and this distribution will contribute to the enhanced strength of the brazed bonds.

High-performance joining technology for aluminium matrix composites using ultrasonic-assisted brazing

ABSTRACT High-performance aluminium matrix composite joints were fabricated using a new joining technology assisted by ultrasonic vibration. The performance of the joints was close to that of the parent materials. The microstructure and the mechanical performance were found to be systematically dependent on the volume fraction and the distribution of reinforcement particles in the bond region. The authors believe that this study can be generalised to the bonding of other ceramic-reinforced metal matrix composites.

Microstructural evolution of SiC joints soldered using Zn–Al filler metals with the assistance of ultrasound

SiC ceramics were successfully soldered with the assistance of ultrasound. Two kinds of filler metals, namely non-eutectic Zn-5Al-3Cu and eutectic Zn-5Al alloys, were used. The effects of ultrasonic action on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the soldered joints were investigated. The results showed that ultrasound could promote the wetting and bonding between the SiC ceramic and filler metals within tens of seconds. For the Zn-5Al-3Cu solder, a fully grain-refined structure in the bond layer was obtained as the ultrasonic action time increased. This may lead to a substantial enhancement in the strength of the soldered joints. For the Zn-5Al solder, the shear strength of the soldered joints was only ∼102 MPa when the ultrasonic action time was shorter, and fractures occurred in the brittle lamellar eutectic phases in the center of the bond layer. With increasing ultrasonic action time, the lamellar eutectic phase in the bond layer of SiC joints could be completely transformed to a fine non-lamellar eutectic structure. Meanwhile, the grains in the bond layer were obviously refined. Those results led to the remarkable enhancement of the shear strength of the joints (∼138 MPa) using the Zn-5Al solder, which had approached that enhancement using the Zn-5Al-3Cu solder. The enhanced mechanical properties of the joints were attributed to the significant refinement of the grains and the change in the eutectic structure in the bond layer. Prolonged enhanced heterogeneous nucleation triggered by ultrasonic cavitation is the predominant refinement mechanism of the bond metals of the SiC joints.

Interfacial microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of Al/Sn joints by ultrasonic-assisted soldering

Abstract Soldering aluminum alloys at low temperature have great potential to avoid softening of base metals. Pure Al was soldered with pure tin assisted by ultrasound. The influence of primary α(Al) on the microstructure of Al/Sn interface and its bonding strength was studied. It is found that the primary α(Al) in liquid tin tends to be octahedron enclosed by Al {111} facet with the lowest surface free energy and growth rate. The ultrasonic action could increase the nucleation rate and refine the particles of primary α(Al). For the longer ultrasonic and holding time, a large amount of the octahedral primary α(Al) particles crystallize at the Al/Sn interface. The bonding interface exhibits the profile of rough dentation, resulting in an increment of bonding interface area and the effect of mechanical occlusion. The bonding strength at interface could reach 63 MPa with ultrasonic time of 40 s and holding time of 10 min.