Patent Application
20170050264
The invention concerns the welding of metal members according to the linear friction welding process. More precisely, it concerns welding together of two members comprising a wrought aluminium member having elongated grains.
Linear friction welding (LFW) is a welding process which involves the rubbing under pressure of one component across the face of another in a reciprocated motion. The reciprocated motion generates frictional heat which softens the material at the interface, and combined with the normal force, pushes this initial interface material out as flash. This process continues until sufficient material (usually a few millimeters) has “burned-off” and has been expelled as flash, whereupon the oscillation ceases and the two members are rapidly brought ,into alignment and a final “forge force” is maintained to consolidate the joint. Machining or grinding can subsequently remove flash produced during the LFW process. This process has recently attracted interest to assemble aluminium alloys.
Patent application U.S. 2003/0168494 describes a method of constructing a preform for use in forming a machined structural assembly wherein members are friction welded.
Patent application U.S. 2007/0084905 describes a method of making a tailored blank using friction welding wherein structural members are disposed with oblique angles.
As recognized in patent application U.S. 2006/054252 one drawback of LFW is a significant drop in ultimate tensile strength and elongation compared to the parent metal. The loss of ductility can in some instance make impractical or even impossible to use the LFW assembled members. It has been proposed to use further thermal treatments in order to
It should be noted that for a welding assembly, elongation is at least in part an indication of how localized within the welding zone the strain is. Mechanical properties are affected in the welding zone, when elongation is improved it can mean that the welding zone is smaller.
Depending on the size and the shape of the structural assembly it may not be possible to realize a post-welding heat treatment; the structural assembly in certain cases has to be used as welded and further machined. Even when a post-weld thermal treatment is realized it would be useful to further improve the mechanical properties of the welded joint.
The problem solved by the present invention is to improve the mechanical properties of the welded joint obtained by linear friction welding. In particular, it would be advantageous to improve elongation of the welded assembly which as explained relates to reducing the extension of the zone affected by welding. It is also needed to improve the balance between strength and fatigue properties of the welded assembly.
An object of the present invention is a method for forming by welding along a flat surface an article comprising at least a first metallic member (10) in the form of an aluminium alloy wrought product having elongated grains in a longitudinal direction (L10), with an anisotropy index in a longitudinal oriented surface of at least 4 according to ASTM E112 and/or an anisotropy index in a planar oriented surface of at least 1,5 according to ASTM E112
The alloys are designated in compliance with the rules of The Aluminium Association (AA), known to the person skilled in the art. The definitions of metallurgical states are indicated in European standard EN 515.
Unless otherwise stipulated, the static mechanical characteristics, in other words the ultimate tensile strength UTS, the 0.2% offset tensile yield stress TYS and elongation at break E, are determined by a tensile test in accordance with standard EN ISO 6892-1; the sampling and the direction of the test being defined by standard EN 485-1. For welded assemblies, a gauge length of 30 mm is used to calculate TYS and E.
Fatigue tests were carried out according to ASTM E466-07 for test samples FPE 5A Kt 1.032 (flat samples with a thickness of 3mm) under the following parameters : frequency of oscillations: f=50 Hz, oscillation maximal stress: σ=275 MPa, Ratio minimum/maximum stress: R=0.1, Maximal number of cycles allowed: N=1 000 000 cycles.
The normal force is increased progressively to a set friction pressure, the frequency and amplitude of oscillations being also set. The soft material layer is no longer able to support the normal force and is extruded into the “flash”. The material at the interface is no longer under sliding friction in this phase.
The oscillatory motion is reduced after a desired parameter has been reached: burn-off (LFW parameter for axial shortening limit value in mm), absolute position in mm, time in s, or a combination of these three. The two components are aligned, the normal force increases up to the value of the forge pressure parameter. This phase is called the deceleration phase. Finally the forge phase allows the resultant joint to cool down whilst an axial compressive force, the forging pressure, is maintained.
For a given metal alloy, in a given metallurgical temper, welding parameters may be optimized to obtain a weld whose visual quality is satisfactory and whose mechanical strength and/or elongation is maximized while using the fastest welding speed possible. The welding parameters are essentially defined by the oscillation amplitude and frequency, the friction pressure, the forge pressure and the burn-off (mm).
The invention concerns linear friction welding of at least a first metallic member (10) in the form of an aluminum alloy wrought product having elongated grains in a longitudinal direction (L10), with an anisotropy index in a longitudinal oriented surface of at least 4 according to ASTM E112 and/or an anisotropy index in a planar oriented surface of at least 1,5 according to ASTM E112 and at least a second metallic member (11).
or p(0°) for the planar oriented surface
. The transverse direction of the grains is along test line l(90°) for the longitudinal oriented surface
or t(90°) for the transverse oriented surface
. The planar direction of the grains is along test line t(0°) for the transverse oriented surface
or p(90°) for the planar oriented surface
. For convenience in the present application the longitudinal direction of the grains l(0°), p(0°) is also referred to as L, the transverse direction l(90°), t(90°) is also referred to as T and the planar direction t(0°), p(90°) is also referred to as P, with additional numbers to represent the considered member. For example L10 is the longitudinal direction of the first member (10).
Typically, the aluminium alloy wrought product is a rolled, forged or extruded product that has been sufficiently worked to obtain elongated grains with an anisotropy index in a longitudinal oriented surface of at least 4 according to ASTM E112 and/or an anisotropy index in a planar oriented surface of at least 1,5 according to ASTM E112. Preferably, the anisotropy index in the longitudinal oriented surface is of at least 6 or even at least 8 according to ASTM E112 and/or the anisotropy index in the planar oriented surface is at least 2 or even at least 4 according to ASTM E112.
The present inventors have found that by using specific grain orientation during LFW it is possible to significantly improve the mechanical properties of the weld. Usually, metallic members are welded with the longitudinal direction of the elongated grains substantially perpendicular to the weld plane because the mechanical properties of the members are higher in the longitudinal direction and it is expected to be beneficial to load a welded article along this direction.
According to the present invention an improved weld performance is obtained when the longitudinal direction of the elongated grains (L10) of at least the first metallic member (10) is positioned substantially within the weld plane, as shown for example in
Even more advantageous elongation is obtained in an embodiment where the transverse direction of the grains (T10) of said first metallic member (10) is substantially perpendicular to the weld plane with preferentially the oscillating direction substantially parallel to the planar direction of the grains (P10) of said first metallic member (10). It may be advantageous in another embodiment to have the transverse direction of the grains, (T10) of said first metallic member substantially within the weld plane, in order to obtain an improved combination of strength and fatigue. Advantageously said first metallic member (10) is the forge member and said second metallic member (11) is the oscillating member.
In an embodiment of the present invention, which is referred to for convenience as “welding before aging” embodiment, said first metallic member is linear friction welded in a temper that is not artificially aged, typically a T3 or T4 temper, and a post-weld heat treatment, is then carried out. The post-weld heat treatment may include solution heat treatment and/or quenching and/or aging. Preferably, the post-weld heat treatment is an aging treatment carried out at a temperature between 120° C. and 180° C. during 10 to 80 hours. The welded article is typically put in a furnace in order to carry out the post-weld heat treatment. It is advantageous in a first “welding before aging” embodiment that said second metallic member (11) is in the form of an aluminium alloy wrought product, in a temper that is not artificially aged, having elongated grains in a longitudinal direction (L11) with an anisotropy index in a longitudinal oriented surface of at least 4 according to ASTM E112 and/or an anisotropy index in a planar oriented surface of at least 1,5 according to ASTM E112 and wherein the longitudinal direction (L11) of the elongated grains of said second metallic member (11) is positioned substantially perpendicular the weld plane. Preferentially in this first “welding before aging” embodiment the oscillating direction is substantially parallel to the planar direction of the grains (P11) of said second metallic member (11). This first “welding before aging” embodiment may be illustrated for example by
It is advantageous in a second “welding before aging” embodiment that said second metallic member (11) is in the form of an aluminium alloy wrought product, in a temper that is not artificially aged, having elongated grains in a longitudinal direction (L11) with an anisotropy index in a longitudinal oriented surface of at least 4 according to ASTM E112 and/or an anisotropy index in a planar oriented surface of at least 1,5 according to ASTM E112 and wherein the longitudinal direction (L11) of the elongated grains of said second metallic member (11) is positioned substantially within the weld plane and wherein the transverse direction of the grains (T11) of said second metallic member (11) is substantially perpendicular to the weld plane. Preferentially in this second “welding before aging” embodiment the oscillating direction is substantially parallel to the planar direction of the grains (P11) of said second metallic member (11). This second “welding before aging” embodiment may be illustrated for example by
It should be noted that in the “welding before aging” embodiment the joint efficiency is particularly high. If the joint efficiency is defined for convenience as the ratio of ultimate tensile strength of the welded article to the ultimate tensile strength in the L direction of initial member, the joint efficiency in the “welding before aging” embodiment is at least 90% and preferably at least 92%.
In another embodiment of the present invention, which is referred to for convenience “welding after aging” said first metallic member is in a final metallurgical temper, typically T6, T7X or T8, before welding. Final metallurgical temper refers to the metallurgical temper that is used in the final product and is not modified by a further aging treatment. Typically a final metallurgical temper for an aluminium alloy containing Li is a T8 temper, for a 7XXX series alloys it is typically a T6 or a T7X temper, for a 2XXX series alloy which does not contain Li it may also be a T3 or T4 temper.
It is advantageous in the “welding after aging” embodiment that said second metallic member (11) is in the form of an aluminium alloy wrought product, in a final metallurgical temper, having elongated grains in a longitudinal direction (L11), with an anisotropy index in a longitudinal oriented surface of at least 4 according to ASTM E112 and/or an anisotropy index in a planar oriented surface of at least 1,5 according to ASTM E112 and wherein said longitudinal direction of the elongated grains of said second metallic member is positioned substantially within the weld plane. Advantageously in the “welding after aging” embodiment the transverse direction of the grains (T11) of said second metallic member is substantially perpendicular to the weld plane and preferably the oscillating direction is substantially parallel to the planar direction of the grains (P11) of said second metallic member.
In another embodiment of “welding after aging” embodiment, which may in some instances the fatigue performance, the transverse direction of the grains (T11) of said second metallic member is substantially within the weld plane.
This invention allows members made of dissimilar metal alloys to be welded. This may concern, for example, two aluminum alloys whose yield stress is different, or an aluminum alloy and another metal such as a titanium alloy, steel, a copper alloy or a nickel based alloy. Particularly advantageous properties are obtained when the first metallic member and the second metallic member are made of aluminum alloys.
Among aluminum alloys the invention is advantageous in particular for the alloys of the 2XXX, 3XXX, 5XXX, 6XXX, 7XXX and 8XXX families. The invention is particularly advantageous for linear friction welding of members made of aluminum-lithium type aluminum alloy, i.e. containing at least about 0.5% lithium by weight.
Within the scope of this invention, 2XXX alloy members selected from the group AA2X39, AA2X24, AA2X50, AA2X55, AA2X60, AA2X76, AA2X95, AA2X96, AA2X98, AA2X99, are particularly advantageous and 7XXX alloy members selected from the group AA7X10, AA7X40, AA7X49, AA7X50, AA 7X75, AA7X81, AA7X85, AA7X99 are particularly advantageous.
The invention method is particularly advantageous to manufacture structural articles, particularly for automobiles or aircrafts. “Structural article” of a mechanical construction here refers to a mechanical part for which the static and/or dynamic mechanical properties are particularly important for the performance of the structure, and for which a structural analysis is usually prescribed or performed. These are typically articles the failure of which is likely to endanger the safety of said construction, its users or others. For an aircraft, these structural articles include the parts which make up the fuselage (such as the fuselage skin, stringers, bulkheads, circumferential frames), the wings (such as the upper or lower wing skin, stringers or stiffeners, ribs and spars) and the tail unit, made up of horizontal and vertical stabilizers, as well as floor beams, seat tracks and doors. The invention method is particularly suited for the manufacture of ribs.
Articles made by linear friction welding of AA2050 rolled members in a T8 temper have been prepared. This example illustrates the “welding after aging” embodiment. The AA2050 members were 75×40×25 mm coupons cut from a plate. The AA2050 members had elongated grains in a longitudinal direction with an anisotropy index in a longitudinal oriented surface of 8.75 according to ASTM E112 and an anisotropy index in a planar oriented surface of 2.5 according to ASTM E112. Grain orientation references are conform to ASTM E112
The orientation of the various test samples is provided in Tables 2a and 2b. As an example the forge part coupon of test samples 5 and 6 is presented
Welding was realized on a E20 machine manufacture by Thomson friction welding. The welding conditions are provided in Table 3. The burn-off was 2.5 mm for all the samples.
The results of the tensile tests of the welded articles (L0=30 mm) and of the fatigue tests are provided in Table 4. The balance between ultimate tensile strength (Rm) and elongation is presented in
Articles made by linear friction welding of AA2050 rolled members in a T3 temper have been prepared. This example illustrates the “welding before aging” embodiment. The AA2050 members were 75×40×25 mm coupons cut into a plate. The AA2050 members had elongated grains similar to those of the AA2050 T8 members of example 1. The coupons were linear friction welded by contacting the 40×25 mm sections, the oscillating direction was the direction of the 25 mm dimension. Following the welding operation, a post-weld heat treatment of 18 hours at 155 ° C. was carried out.
The orientation of the various test samples is provided in Tables 5a and 5b. Test sample 10 is a reference test sample and test samples 11 to 17 are according to the invention.
Welding was realized on a E20 machine manufacture by Thomson friction welding. The welding conditions were the same as those of references 1, 4 and 6 of example 1, except that for sample 17, burn-off was 1 mm.
The results of the tensile tests of the welded articles (L0=30 mm) and of the fatigue tests are provided in Table 6. The balance between ultimate tensile strength (Rm) and elongation is presented in
Invention test samples exhibit significantly improved elongation compared to the reference test sample.
Very high elongation is obtained for test sample 14, wherein the longitudinal direction of the elongated grains of the forge member is within the weld plane and the longitudinal direction of the elongated grains of the oscillating member is perpendicular to the weld plane. Test sample 17 also exhibit a significantly improved balance between strength and elongation Fatigue results for invention test samples are usually similar and sometimes higher than fatigue results of the reference sample.
Articles made by linear friction welding of AA2050 rolled members in a T8 temper have been prepared. This example illustrates the specific technical effect of anisotropy indexes. The AA2050 members were 75×40×25 mm coupons cut from a plate. The AA2050 members had an ultimate tensile strength of 523 MPa and a departure from an equiaxed shape which was not severe. The coupons were linear friction welded by contacting the 40×25 mm sections, the oscillating direction was the direction of the 25 mm dimension.
Welding was realized on a E20 machine manufacture by Thomson friction welding. The welding conditions were the same as those of references 1, 4 and 6 of example 1.
The results of the tensile tests of the welded articles (L0=30 mm) and of the fatigue tests are provided in Table 7. The balance between ultimate tensile strength (Rm) and elongation is presented in
Invention test samples exhibit significantly improved elongation so as a better balance between strength and elongation compared to the test sample 18.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13354021.1 | Jun 2013 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2014/001817 | 6/24/2014 | WO | 00 |
