Resistance spot welding of additively manufactured maraging steels Part II: Failure behavior

Application of maraging steels via selective laser melting process in the automotive industry was unavoidably involved in the resistance spot welding with conventional steels. Due to the rapid cooling rate of welding process, selective laser melted maraging steels with unique chemical components and stack microstructure could induced the different microstructural evolution, resulting in the complicated fracture behavior in the spot welds. This paper developed a FEA model to predict the fracture mode of spot welds of DP600 to maraging steel and the effect of test conditions and printing orientations were studied. A method was proposed to calculate the material properties of fusion zone by introducing the combined effect of melting DP600 and maraging steels via selective laser melting, resulting in the accurate prediction of fracture mode and strength of spot welds. An interlayer with lower strength was found around the fusion zone and the fracture path propagated in the region, resulting in the partial interfacial failure of spot welds. Meanwhile, the printing orientation had no significant effect on the fracture mode and strength of spot welds, but the different material properties of maraging steels could affect the fracture displacement of spot welds. These findings could pave a way to guide the application of maraging steels via selective laser melting process in multiple industries, especially in the automotive industry.

Role of Ultrasonic Shot Peening in Environmental Hydrogen Embrittlement Behavior of 7075-T6 Alloy

The effect of ultrasonic shot peening on the environmental hydrogen embrittlement behavior of the 7075-T6 aluminum alloy is investigated. The 7075-T6 tensile specimens were treated by ultrasonic shot peening for 50 s. Surface residual stress and the depth of residual stress under the surface were evaluated using an X-ray diffractometer. Then, the specimens were tensile tested in humid air and dry nitrogen gas by the slow strain rate technique. The results showed that the ultrasonic shot-peened specimen has a superior hydrogen embrittlement resistance. Further, the ultrasonic shot peening changes the fracture mode from an intergranular fracture mode to the transgranular one. It was suggested that ultrasonic shot-peening has two effects on hydrogen embrittlement behavior; the distribution of hydrogen inside the surface layer by introducing dislocations/vacancies as hydrogen traps and reducing the normalized amount of hydrogen trapped per unit length of the grain boundary.