| Abstract Scope |
Similar/dissimilar aluminum alloy joints find extensive applications in the aerospace and automotive sector. During welding, formation of porosities is a major challenge as it significantly hampers mechanical properties. Besides, hot-cracking, alloying element loss, and atmospheric contaminations are few added issues during fusion welding. For aluminum alloy joining, the electron beam welding (EBW) process is gaining popularity. However, reports on effect of different EBW processing conditions on weld characteristics of aluminum alloys are limited. For this study, dissimilar butt-joints of AA2024 to AA6061 were produced using different EBW conditions like varying welding speed, number of weld passes, and beam oscillation patterns. The joints were subjected to porosity and microstructure analysis and mechanical property evaluations. It was observed that for certain optimized processing conditions 60-85% reduction in weld porosity content occurs. Microstructure became more homogenous and mechanical properties (Charpy and fatigue) improved with an increase in welding speed or oscillating beam joints. |