Characterization of microstructure and mechanical behaviour of heat affected zones in robotic arc welding of AA6061-T6

Abstract

GMAW welding of aluminum AA6061-T6 introduce changes in the mechanical properties of the heat affected zone (HAZ) by changing the microstructure obtained from heat treatment. The variation of the welding thermal cycle across the HAZ produces different mechanical properties in subzones of the HAZ. The purpose of this investigation is to investigate the variation of the microstructure and mechanical behaviour in the HAZ subzones and correlate these subzones with the welding thermal cycle. In this study, the welding thermal cycle, and the microstructural and mechanical properties of welded aluminum AA6061-T6 plates were studied. The plates were prepared and welded in two different configurations using a Yaskawa robot integrated with Fronius Trans Plus Synergic 4000 arc welding equipment and metal filler AA4043. The welding thermal cycle was obtained experimentally from different locations on the welded plates. Using SYSWELD software the heat source was adjusted using the thermal cycle obtained from the experimental work and the size of the welding pool to reproduce the welding thermal cycle. Simulation was performed to observe the heat distribution in two configurations of the welded plate. The numerical model offers an adequate approximation to the welding thermal profile measured during the welding process. The characterization of mechanical properties was obtained using a microhardness test on welding cross section and a 2D map used to illustrate the microhardness at the welding cross section. Moreover, mechanical behavior and local deformation in subzones of the heat affected zone were investigated using digital image correlation (DIC) with a micro-flat tensile test. The mechanical properties of subzones of the HAZ were correlated with the welding thermal cycle as well as with the microstructure of the HAZ that was investigated experimentally. It was observed that the welding thermal cycle controls the variation of the microstructure across the HAZ, which significantly effects the mechanical behaviour of the HAZ. The change of precipitates sequence from βʺ to βʹ and β explains these changes.

Date	24 Apr 2019
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	École de technologie supérieure
Supervisor	Tan Pham (Supervisor)