Preparation and Evaluation of a Novel Al-5.4Si-0.5Mg Welding Wire
An Al-5.4Si-0.5Mg filler wire was developed and produced by direct chill (DC) casting, extrusion, and roll-die and hole-die drawing for the welding of newly developed Mg-containing high-Si aluminum alloys. The Al-12.7Si-0.7Mg alloy plates were butt-welded by tungsten inert gas arc welding (TIG) method using the as-produced welding wire. The microstructures and mechanical properties of these welded joints in different solid solution and artificial aging treatment conditions were studied to evaluate the weld qualities of the novel welding wire. The results showed that the Al-5.4Si-0.5Mg welding wire was an ideal special welding wire of the Al-12.7Si-0.7Mg alloy and the filler metal proved to be heat-treatable. The welded joints exhibited much higher mechanical properties after the post-weld heat treatment (PWHT). All of this provides the possibility of wide application of the novel Al-5.4Si-0.5Mg welding wire and the Al-12.7Si-0.7Mg alloy weldments.