Influence of heat input in microwelding of titanium alloy by micro plasma arc

• Published in: Journal of materials processing technology 2016-05, Vol.231, p.100-112
• Main Authors: Baruah, M., Bag, S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Heat transfer; Large-displacement analysis; Microplasma arc welding; Microwelding; Residual distortion; Titanium alloy
• ISSN: 0924-0136
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2015.12.014

[Display omitted] In the present work, an investigation is carried out on microwelding of Ti6Al4V alloy with 500μm thin plate in butt joint configuration. The effect of welding speed and current are analysed to estimate the feasible range of process parameters for a successful joint. The role of fixture to minimize the oxidation and weld induced distortion has been demonstrated in joining of titanium alloy. The critical assessment on the performance of the weld joint is evaluated by micro-tensile, micro-hardness and metallographic analysis. The feasible range of process parameters like welding speed of 2–7mm/s and current of 8–13A produces the high quality weld joint using several other favourable conditions for titanium alloy. A three-dimensional finite element model is developed to simulate the temperature distribution and weld induced distortion of the joint. The sequentially coupled thermo-mechanical model predicts the distortion using large-displacement theory. The shape and size of computed macrograph are well agreed with experimentally measured values and indicates the robustness of the present numerical model used for micro scale welding process.