Experimental investigation of plasma arc welded Ti–6Al–4V sheets

In the present work, experimental trials were conducted with Ti–6Al–4V sheet. The influence of process parameters on the weld bead geometry of bead on joint welding and butt joint configuration was studied. It was concluded that at high current and low travel speed, the heat input was found to be maximum. This led to a higher linear heat input over the base metal that subsequently yielded a full depth of penetration. The strength and integrity of the welded butt joint configuration were ascertained by tensile and bend tests. The microhardness values of the fusion and heat-affected zones were concluded to be higher compared to the base metal. In addition, an Erichsen cupping test ensured that the formability of the welded specimen was comparable to that of the base metal.

Formability of Medium Mn Steel Welded Joints

In this study, a new-generation high-strength and high-ductility medium Mn steel (0.1C-5Mn-Fe) for the automotive industry was joined by the fiber laser and gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) methods. Formability testing of the welded joints was done by the Erichsen cupping test and finite element (FE) analysis. The results showed that the formability of medium Mn steel welded joints was sensitive to the welding parameters and inferior to that of the base metal (BM). The hardening zone (HZ) was formed in the welded joint, which was composed of the fusion zone and two symmetrical parts of the heat-affected zone. The width of the HZ was one of the primary factors affecting the formability of the welded joints, while the tensile strength and ductility of the HZ were secondary factors. FE simulation of the Erichsen cupping test results indicated that the forming strain of the welded joint with narrow HZ concentrated on the BM, while the forming strain of the welded joint with wide HZ concentrated on the HZ. The HZ strain reached the deformation limit first due to its weak ductility; therefore, the welded joint with wide HZ had the worst formability. It was also observed that adopting high-velocity and high-laser power welding could greatly improve the formability of the welded joint as a result of reducing the width of the HZ.

Formability of Heat Treated AA19000, AA5052 and Simulation using ABAQUS/CAE

In this paper the formability of heat treated AA19000 and AA5052 aluminium alloys was studied through experimentation and finite element simulation. The aluminium alloys of 1mm thickness as received and annealed condition were subjected to tensile test and Erichsen cupping test. The experimental results showed that AA5052 possessed better formability than AA19000, due to its magnesium content. The material properties obtained from the tests were validated through simulation using ABAQUS/CAE.