Yes / Resistance spot welding of aluminum (Al5754) to magnesium (AZ31B) alloys results in the formation of a variety of solidification microstructures and intermetallic compounds that may affect the in-service performance of the weld. This study evaluates the relationship between the welding parameters and the properties of the weld nugget that is formed, and clarifies the morphological and microstructural evolutions within the weld regions during the low-current “small-scale” resistance spot welding of Al5754 to AZ31B. The investigations included a combination of microstructural characterization and thermodynamic analysis of the weld region. The results show that the welding time and clamping force parameters have significant effects on the properties of the nugget formed. The optimal welding parameters were found to be 300 ms welding time and 800 N clamping force. Weld nuggets formed with lower welding time and clamping force were undersized and contained extensive porosity. Meanwhile, a clamping force above 800 N caused gross deformation of the test samples and the expulsion of the molten metal during the welding process. The most significant microstructural changes occurred at the weld/base metal interfaces due to the formation of Al17Mg12 and MgAl2O4 intermetallic compounds as well as significant compositional variation across the weld pool. The thermal gradient across the weld pool facilitated the formation of several microstructural transitions between equiaxed and columnar dendrites.

Ferritic stainless steel is typically used in the automotive industry to fabricate welded tube that is plastically deformed for flanging, bending and necking. The effect of welding parameters during autogenous gastungsten arc welding (GTAW) of thin sheet on the weld metal structure and tensile properties were determined. Two grades of ferritic stainless steels, a titanium-containing Grade 441 and a titanium-free molybdenum-containing Grade 436, were used as base metal. Statistical analysis was used to determine the influence of welding parameters on the microstructure of autogenous GTAW welds. The results of Grade 441 indicated that the welding speed and peak welding current had a statistically significant influence on the amount of equiaxed grains that formed. For Grade 436, the same welding parameters (welding speed and peak welding current) had a statistically significant influence on the grain size of the weld metal grains. The ductility of a tensile test coupon machined parallel to the weld direction, for both base metal grades, was unaffected by the welding parameters or the weld metal microstructure. The elongation was determined by the amount of weld metal in the gauge area of a tensile coupon. The titanium content of the base material seems to have the most significant effect on the formation of equiaxed grains. / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering / MEng / Unrestricted

The aluminium alloys for electrical conductivity applications are generally not grain refinedsince the addition of grain refiners drops the electrical conductivity by introducing impuritiesinto the melt. Non-grain refined aluminium may lead to bar fracture and cracks during themetalworking process. The present study focuses to find an optimum balance between the grain refiner addition andthe electrical conductivity of commercial EC grade 1070 aluminium alloy for electricalapplication. In order to reach this goal, the electrical conductivity and the macrostructure ofcommercial EC grade 1070 aluminium (commercial pure aluminium) have been studiedunder a series of controlled lab scale trails. Specific addition levels of different grain refiners(TiBloy, Al-5Ti-1B, Al-3Ti-0.15C, and Al-3Ti-1B) were added to the metal melt and sampleswere taken at specific time intervals. The collected samples were sectioned, ground andmacro-etched. Thereafter, the macrostructure was analysed by the use of a digital camera andthe electrical conductivity was measured at temperature. The obtained result was expressed asa percentage of the International Annealed Copper Standard (IACS %). The macro-structuralanalysis showed that TiBloy, Al-5Ti-1B, and Al-3Ti-1B, with the maximum addition level of0.1%, cannot grin refine commercial pure aluminium. However, at higher grain refiner levelsthe number of columnar grains increased and their size decreased. The Al-3Ti-0.15C master alloy, with the same addition level as the once chosen for the othergrain refiners (up to 0.1%), showed significantly better grain refining. By the addition of0.1% of this grain refiner the macrostructure became very equiaxed already after 30 minutesof grain refiner addition. The fading of the Al-3Ti-0.15 master alloy was, however, observedfor samples with a long holding time. Nevertheless, by maximum addition level (0.1%) and a90 minutes holding time the macrostructure remained as equiaxed grains. The electrical conductivity results showed that none of the applied grain refiners (TiBloy, Al-5Ti-1B, Al-3Ti-0.15C, and Al-3Ti-1B), with the maximum addition level of 0.1%, decreasedthe electrical conductivity of commercial pure aluminium.

La radiographie X synchrotron ou avec une source microfocus a été appliquée pour étudier différents phénomènes dépendants du temps en relation avec la solidification directionnelle d'alliages Al-Cu. Les effets de la gravité ont été étudiés par comparaison d'expériences sur Terre et en microgravité dans le cadre du projet ESA-MAP XRMON. Les mouvements des fragments sont le sujet majeur de notre étude. Sur Terre, le mouvement des fragments est imposé par la poussée d'Archimède, avec une forte influence des effets de paroi et de la morphologie du fragment, alors qu'en microgravité, la force motrice pour le mouvement des fragments est l'écoulement du fluide interdendritique induit par la contraction du solide. L'effet d'un champ magnétique permanent sur la solidification des grains équiaxes dans un gradient de température a été également étudié. Nous avons montré qu'un couplage entre le gradient de température et le champ magnétique donne naissance à une force Thermo-électromagnétique qui agit sur les grains solides. Une bonne description a été obtenue en utilisant un modèle analytique pour une particule sphérique. Enfin, nous avons étudié l'évolution d'une zone pâteuse dans un gradient de température fixe. Trois régimes successifs ont été identifiés, suivant l'intensité de la diffusion du soluté dans la zone pâteuse et dans le bain fondu. L'analyse quantitative des radiographies par traitement d'image a clarifié le rôle de chaque phénomène de diffusion (TGZM, fermeture des canaux, murissement et diffusion du soluté dans le bain fondu). / X-ray radiography with synchrotron and microfocus sources was applied to investigate various time-dependent phenomena related to directional solidification of Al-Cu alloys. Gravity effects were investigated by a comparative study of ground and microgravity experiments in the framework of ESA-MAP XRMON project. Fragment motion was the major subject of our investigation. On Earth, fragmentation motion was imposed by buoyancy, with a strong dependency on wall influence and fragment morphology, whereas in microgravity conditions, the driving force for fragment motion is the interdendritic fluid flow induced by the solid shrinkage. The effect of a permanent magnetic field on the solidification of equiaxed grains in a temperature gradient was also studied. We have shown that a coupling between the temperature gradient and the magnetic field gives birth to a Thermo-Electro-Magnetic force that acts on the solid grains. A good description was obtained by using an analytical model for a spherical particle. Finally we studied the evolution of the mushy zone in a fixed temperature gradient. Three successive regimes were identified, depending on the relative magnitude of solute diffusion in the mushy zone and in the bulk liquid. Quantitative analysis of radiographs by image processing enlightened the role of each diffusion phenomena (TGZM, channel closure, coarsening and solute diffusion in the bulk liquid).