1 mm thick tailor-welded blank of 6061 alloy has been fabricated by Nd:YAG laser welding. The microstructure and the failure mechanism of the welded blank are investigated using optical microscope, atomic force microscope, energy dispersive spectroscopy, microindentation, and nanomechanical tester. The dendrite structure exists at the fusion zone. The partially melted zone is found near the fusion line. The tensile tests show that the welded alloy exhibits lower strength and ductility than the base alloy, and failure occurs at the partially melted zone during tensile testing. Combined nanoindentation with in-situ AFM imaging reveal that the hardness at the partially melted zone is distributed inhomogeneously on the microscopic scale. The hardness at the area adjacent to the grain boundary is lower than that at the center of grain. This is responsible for the failure upon tensile loading, and attributed to the loss of strength and ductility of the welded blank on a macroscopic scale.
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January 2004
Technical Papers
Interfacial Structure and Micro and Nano-Mechanical Behavior of Laser-Welded 6061 Aluminum Alloy Blank
N. Q. Wu,
N. Q. Wu
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15261
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Cedrix Xia,
Cedrix Xia
Ford Research Laboratory, Dearborn, MI 48121
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Ming Li,
Ming Li
Alcoa Technical Center, Alcoa Center, PA 15261
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N. Perrusquia,
N. Perrusquia
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15261
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Scott X. Mao
e-mail: smao@engrng.pitt.edu
Scott X. Mao
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Search for other works by this author on:
N. Q. Wu
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Cedrix Xia
Ford Research Laboratory, Dearborn, MI 48121
Ming Li
Alcoa Technical Center, Alcoa Center, PA 15261
N. Perrusquia
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Scott X. Mao
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15261
e-mail: smao@engrng.pitt.edu
Contributed by the Materials Division for publication in the JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY. Manuscript received by the Materials Division August 20, 2002; revision received February 3, 2003. Associate Editor: W. Soboyejo.
J. Eng. Mater. Technol. Jan 2004, 126(1): 8-13 (6 pages)
Published Online: January 22, 2004
Article history
Received:
August 20, 2002
Revised:
February 3, 2003
Online:
January 22, 2004
Citation
Wu, N. Q., Xia, C., Li, M., Perrusquia , N., and Mao, S. X. (January 22, 2004). "Interfacial Structure and Micro and Nano-Mechanical Behavior of Laser-Welded 6061 Aluminum Alloy Blank ." ASME. J. Eng. Mater. Technol. January 2004; 126(1): 8–13. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1631023
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