A Study of the Influence of Electron Beam Welding Defects on Fracture Processes in Titanium Alloys

The appearance of pores when welding titanium has been extensively studied by domestic and foreign researchers, but there has been no consensus on the causes and conditions of pore formation to date. An overview of advances in the studies of pore formation showed that the problem of formation of the macropores, reaching 0.1 mm was investigated by A.A. Erokhin, V.V. Frolov, G.D. Nikiforov, S.M. Gurevich, V.N. Locks, V.I. Muravyev, B.I. Dolotov, P.V. Bakhmatov et al. The advent of modern x-ray machines in the technological control of permanent joints made by electron beam welding has enabled researchers to detect a specific defect — the so-called dark bands, which make it difficult to assess the quality of permanent connections due to the absence of this defect in the normative and technical documentation. Determining the causes of specific defects and their effect on the properties of titanium alloy structures made by electron beam welding is an important task. This paper presents the results of studies investigating the effect of specific defects of electron beam welding of titanium alloys VT20, VT23 on the nature of destruction under static and dynamic loads and changes in the mechanical properties of the welded joints. It is established that specific defects occurred during electron beam welding have a significant impact on the strength properties of welded joints, as well as on the stages of their destruction. It is determined that the presence of such welding defects as lack of penetration, residual stresses and pores in the fusion zone, expulsion without bonding, etc. contribute to the formation of sub-micropores that lead to brittle destruction of welded joints. The presence of specific defects in permanent joints made by electron beam welding leads to decreased strength properties and to nearly complete absence of such characteristics as elongation and contraction. It is established that heat treatment improves the quality of welded joints.