Tailoring Weldability for Microstructures in Laser-Welded Near-α Titanium Alloy: Insights on Mechanical Properties
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Experimental Materials and Method
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Weldability Analysis
3.2. Microstructure of the Welded Joint
3.3. XRD Phase Analysis
3.4. Microhardness
3.5. Mechanical Properties
4. Conclusions
- (1)
- The laser welding of TA15 titanium alloy achieved good weld formation, with successful and flat weld formation, and there were no internal pores, cracks, incomplete penetration, or other defects.
- (2)
- The base material was a typical α + β bimodal structure, with the α phase accounting for approximately 14.7%. HAZ was composed of parallel layer α phases in the transformation where the β group dissolved, and the interior of the equiaxed α was transformed towards a short rod shape. WM presented a typical basket-weave microstructure consisting of a large number of α′ martensitic phases and a small number of high-temperature residual β phases. The internal α′ martensitic phase had a high aspect ratio, and the layer α phases were deformable bodies with different Bulger orientation relationships.
- (3)
- The microhardness of the welded joint was distributed in a hump distribution, gradually increasing from BM to HAZ. The microhardness of the fusion line was the highest at 454 HV. The hardness of the welded metal zone fluctuated between 410 and 450 HV, which was higher than that in the base metal area. The microhardness value of BM was the lowest at about 340 HV because a large number of needle-like α′ martensites, with high dislocation density and twinning, were formed in the welded metal zone.
- (4)
- The ultimate tensile strength of the welded joint was 1006 ± 8.5 MPa (yield strength 935 MPa, the elongation 13% ± 1.2%), and the tensile strength of BM was 994 MPa (yield strength 931 MPa, the elongation 14% ± 0.8%). The fracture location was located in the base metal area, and the fracture morphology showed equiaxed dimples of varying sizes in a ductile fracture mode. The impact absorption energy of BM was higher than that of HAZ and WM. The weld metal zone had the lowest impact performance (5.3 J) since the weld metal was mainly composed of a large number of α′ martensitic phases.
- (5)
- This shows that laser welding TA15 titanium alloy can produce good weldability and mechanical properties in lightweight aerospace components. The fatigue and durability performance of laser-welded TA15 titanium alloy joints are the main aspects that should be focused on in future investigations.
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
- Banerjee, D.; Williams, J.C. Perspectives on Titanium Science and Technology. Acta Mater. 2013, 61, 844–879. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Zhang, D.; Qiu, D.; Gibson, M.A.; Zheng, Y.; Fraser, H.L.; StJohn, D.H.; Easton, M.A. Additive manufacturing of ultrafine-grained high-strength titanium alloys. Nature 2019, 576, 91–95. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Zhang, R.; Xu, K.; Sun, F.; Ma, Z.; Huang, L.; Bolzoni, L.; Geng, L.; Yang, F. Achieving highly variable mechanical behaviors in TiBw/TA15(Si) composite by microstructure manipulation. Mater. Charact. 2024, 212, 113978. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Yao, W.; Li, X.; Wei, Q.; Fu, M.; Wang, B.; Pan, S. Oxidation behavior of TA15 titanium alloy at high-temperature and the effect on infrared emissivity. J. Alloys Compd. 2024, 983, 173707. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Rizwan, M.; Lu, J.; Ullah, R.; Zhang, Y.; Zhang, Z. Microstructural and texture evolution investigation of laser melting deposited TA15 alloy at 500 °C using in-situ EBSD tensile test. Mater. Sci. Eng. A 2022, 857, 144062. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ji, R.; Zhu, K.; Zhang, H.; Luo, H.; Mao, J. Microstructure evolution, mechanical response and strengthening models for TA15 titanium alloy during thermal processes: A brief review. J. Mater. Res. Technol. 2024, 28, 1644–1656. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Zhu, S.; Yang, H.; Guo, L.G.; Fan, X.G. Effect of cooling rate on microstructure evolution during α/β heat treatment of TA15 titanium alloy. Mater. Charact. 2012, 70, 101–110. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Yu, J.; Cai, C.; Xie, J.; Chen, Z.; Chen, H. Keyhole stability, arc behavior, and molten pool flow in narrow-gap oscillating laser-arc hybrid welding of titanium alloy. Int. J. Heat Mass Transf. 2024, 220, 124922. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Deng, A.; Chen, H.; Zhang, Y.; Meng, Y.; Liu, Y.; Zeng, Y.; Liu, H.; Zhang, Z.; Zhang, M. Enhanced strength and ductility of aluminum alloy laser welded joints through Ca micro˗alloyed welding materials. Mater. Sci. Eng. A 2024, 900, 146482. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Gao, F.; Cui, Y.; Lv, Y.; Yu, W.; Jiang, P. Microstructure and properties of Ti–6Al–4V alloy welded joint by keyhole gas tungsten arc welding. Mater. Sci. Eng. A 2021, 827, 142024. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Acherjee, B. Hybrid laser arc welding: State-of-art review. Opt. Laser Technol. 2018, 99, 60–71. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Xu, C.; Liu, H.Q.; Li, C.H.; Yang, H.J.; Shao, X.H.; Ma, X.L. Internal tensile properties of characteristic zones in the electron beam weldment of TC17 titanium alloy. Mater. Sci. Eng. A 2023, 875, 145087. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Atabaki, M.M.; Yazdian, N.; Ma, J.; Kovacevic, R. High power laser welding of thick steel plates in a horizontal butt joint configuration. Opt. Laser Technol. 2016, 83, 1–12. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Xu, C.; Shao, X.H.; Yang, H.J.; Lv, M.; Liu, H.Q.; Ma, X.L. Uncovering the hierarchical clusters in the heat-affected zone of an electron beam welded α/β titanium alloy joint. J. Mater. Sci. Technol. 2024, 174, 120–132. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Li, G.; Wang, Y.; Liang, Y.; Gao, P.; Liu, X.; Xu, W.; Yang, D. Microstructure and mechanical properties of laser welded Ti-6Al-4V (TC4) titanium alloy joints. Opt. Laser Technol. 2024, 170, 110320. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Li, F.S.; Wu, L.H.; Zhao, H.B.; Xue, P.; Ni, D.R.; Xiao, B.L.; Ma, Z.Y. Realizing deep penetration and superior mechanical properties in a titanium alloy thick plate joint via vacuum laser beam welding. J. Mater. Res. Technol. 2023, 26, 2254–2264. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Lei, Z.; Cao, H.; Cui, X.; Ma, Y.; Li, L.; Zhang, Q. A novel high efficiency narrow-gap laser welding technology of 120 mm high-strength steel. Opt. Lasers Eng. 2024, 178, 108232. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Zhang, J.X.; Xue, Y.; Gong, S.L. Residual welding stresses in laser beam and tungsten inert gas weldments of titanium alloy. Sci. Technol. Weld. Join. 2005, 10, 643–646. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Xie, J. Plasma fluctuation and keyhole instability in laser welding. In Proceedings of the ICALEO® ‘99: Proceedings of the Laser Materials Processing Conference, San Diego, CA, USA, 15–18 November 1999. [Google Scholar]
- Deng, C.Y.; Liu, C.; Gong, B.M.; Zhang, C.Z.; Chang, L.I.U.; Yong, L.I.U. Effect of microstructure inhomogeneity on mechanical properties of different zones in TA15 electron beam welded joints. Trans. Nonferrous Met. Soc. China 2020, 30, 678–687. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Zhan, X.; Peng, Q.; Wei, Y.; Ou, W. Experimental and simulation study on the microstructure of TA15 titanium alloy laser beam welded joints. Opt. Laser Technol. 2017, 94, 279–289. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Xu, W.; Lui, E.W.; Pateras, A.; Qian, M.; Brandt, M.J.A.M. In situ tailoring microstructure in additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V for superior mechanical performance. Acta Mater. 2017, 125, 390–400. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Qian, M. Additive manufacturing of strong and ductile Ti–6Al–4V by selective laser melting via in situ martensite decomposition. Acta Mater. 2015, 85, 74–84. [Google Scholar]
- Ohnishi, T.; Kawahito, Y.; Mizutani, M.; Katayama, S. Butt welding of thick, high strength steel plate with a high power laser and hot wire to improve tolerance to gap variance and control weld metal oxygen content. Sci. Technol. Weld. Join. 2013, 18, 314–322. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Chen, X.; Zhang, X.; Pang, S.; Hu, R.; Xiao, J. Vapor plume oscillation mechanisms in transient keyhole during tandem dual beam fiber laser welding. Opt. Lasers Eng. 2018, 100, 239–247. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Zhang, S.W.; Sun, J.H.; Zhu, M.H.; Zhang, L.; Nie, P.L.; Li, Z.G. Fiber laser welding of HSLA steel by autogenous laser welding and autogenous laser welding with cold wire methods. J. Mater. Process. Technol. 2020, 275, 116353. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Frostevarg, J. Factors affecting weld root morphology in laser keyhole welding. Opt. Lasers Eng. 2018, 101, 89–98. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Fan, J.; Zhao, D.; Chen, Z.; Zhang, Z.; Wang, J.; Tang, B.; Chen, Z.; Wang, Q.; Kou, H.; Li, J. Tailoring texture in a near-α titanium alloy: Insights from strain paths and cooling rate influences. J. Mater. Res. Technol. 2024, 30, 1388–1402. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Liu, Y.; Wang, J.; Yan, T.; Yin, X.; Zhan, X. Effect of synchronous gas cooling method on microstructure and mechanical properties of laser welded joint for Ti6Al4V titanium alloy. Mater. Today Commun. 2024, 39, 108779. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Gey, N.; Humbert, M. Specific analysis of EBSD data to study the texture inheritance due to the β → α phase transformation. J. Mater. Sci. 2003, 38, 1289–1294. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Chen, X.; Zhang, J.; Chen, X.; Cheng, X.; Huang, Z. Electron beam welding of laser additive manufacturing Ti–6.5Al–3.5Mo–1.5Zr–0.3Si titanium alloy thick plate. Vacuum 2018, 151, 116–121. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- An, F.; Liu, X.; Zhang, H.; Zhang, L.; Ning, J.; Na, S.J. Comparison of performance of laser powder bed fusion thin-walled TC11 alloy samples welded via laser welding and electron beam welding. Opt. Laser Technol. 2024, 170, 110256. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Farabi, E.; Hodgson, P.D.; Rohrer, G.S.; Beladi, H. Five-parameter intervariant boundary characterization of martensite in commercially pure titanium. Acta Mater. 2018, 154, 147–160. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Wang, K.; Liu, G.; Zhao, J.; Wang, J.; Yuan, S. Formability and microstructure evolution for hot gas forming of laser-welded TA15 titanium alloy tubes. Mater. Des. 2016, 91, 269–277. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Wang, S.C.; Aindow, M.; Starink, M.J. Effect of self-accommodation on α/α boundary populations in pure titanium. Acta Mater. 2003, 51, 2485–2503. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Zhang, J.; Guo, H.; Hu, M.; Xu, H.; Ju, H.; Xu, D.; Teng, C.; Yang, R. Effect of common alloying elements on α’ martensite start temperature in titanium alloys. J. Mater. Res. Technol. 2023, 27, 4562–4572. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Neelakantan, S.; Rivera-Díaz-del-Castillo, P.E.J.; Zwaag, S.V.D. Prediction of the martensite start temperature for β titanium alloys as a function of composition. Scr. Mater. 2009, 60, 611–614. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Wang, S.; Li, W.; Chen, C. Microstructure and mechanical properties in ultrasonic-magnetic field coaxial hybrid GTAW joints of Ti-6Al-4V. J. Manuf. Process. 2024, 120, 795–808. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- GB/T 2650-2008/ISO 9016:2001; Destructive Tests on Welds in Metallic materialsimpact Tests-Test Specimen Location, Notch Orientation and Examination. Standardization Administration of the Peolple’s Republic of China: Beijing, China, 2008.
- Zhan, X.; Yan, T.; Gao, Q.; Zhu, Z.; Bu, H.; Wang, Z. The porosity formation mechanism in the laser welded joint of TA15 titanium alloy. Mater. Res. Express 2019, 6, 076558. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Abdel-Hady, M.; Hinoshita, K.; Morinaga, M. General approach to phase stability and elastic properties of β-type Ti-alloys using electronic parameters. Scr. Mater. 2006, 55, 477–480. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Al | V | C | Zr | Fe | O | Si | Mo | N | H | Ti |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6.7 | 2.4 | 0.01 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.02 | 1.9 | 0.02 | 0.002 | Bal. |
No. | Laser Power | Welding Speed | Defocus Amount |
---|---|---|---|
P/kW | v/(m/min) | F/mm | |
1 | 2.2 | 1.2 | +20 |
2 | 2.5 | 1.2 | +20 |
3 | 2.8 | 1.2 | +20 |
4 | 3.0 | 1.2 | +20 |
5 | 3.2 | 1.2 | +20 |
6 | 3.0 | 1.8 | +20 |
7 | 3.0 | 1.5 | +20 |
8 | 3.0 | 0.9 | +20 |
Material | UTS | YS | Elongation | Fracture Location |
---|---|---|---|---|
MPa | MPa | % | ||
Base metal | 994 ± 5.6 | 931 ± 4.7 | 14 ± 0.8 | Base metal |
Welded joint | 1006 ± 8.5 | 935 ± 5.6 | 13 ± 1.2 | Base metal |
Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content. |
© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Share and Cite
Zhang, S.; Cong, B.; Zeng, Z.; Liu, Y.; Chai, L. Tailoring Weldability for Microstructures in Laser-Welded Near-α Titanium Alloy: Insights on Mechanical Properties. Metals 2024, 14, 690. https://doi.org/10.3390/met14060690
Zhang S, Cong B, Zeng Z, Liu Y, Chai L. Tailoring Weldability for Microstructures in Laser-Welded Near-α Titanium Alloy: Insights on Mechanical Properties. Metals. 2024; 14(6):690. https://doi.org/10.3390/met14060690
Chicago/Turabian StyleZhang, Shiwei, Baoqiang Cong, Zhi Zeng, Ying Liu, and Lu Chai. 2024. "Tailoring Weldability for Microstructures in Laser-Welded Near-α Titanium Alloy: Insights on Mechanical Properties" Metals 14, no. 6: 690. https://doi.org/10.3390/met14060690
APA StyleZhang, S., Cong, B., Zeng, Z., Liu, Y., & Chai, L. (2024). Tailoring Weldability for Microstructures in Laser-Welded Near-α Titanium Alloy: Insights on Mechanical Properties. Metals, 14(6), 690. https://doi.org/10.3390/met14060690