Simultaneously Enhanced Strength and Plasticity of 2024 Aluminum Alloy Fusion Welds by Sc/Zr Microalloyed AlMg6 Filler
摘要
The demand for high-strength and low-defect aluminum alloy welded structures has led to significant challenges in fusion welding technology, which is largely influenced by filler materials. This paper introduced a Sc/Zr microalloyed AlMg6 (AlMg6ScZr) filler wire for the welding of 2024 aluminum alloys. An AlCu4Mg1 filler wire was adopted for comparative analysis. Results demonstrate that the addition of AlMg6ScZr filler resulted in a better homogeneity of grain structure and a significant grain refinement in the weld zone, with a remarkable reduction in grain size of 59.3%. In contrast to the AlCu4Mg1 filler, no phases were continuously distributed along the grain boundaries in the weld zone. Nanoscale spherical Al3(Sc, Zr) phase formed on the surface of the α-Al matrix and together with the separately distributed bone-like α-Al + S-Al2CuMg + β-Al3Mg2 eutectics. The addition of AlMg6ScZr filler considerably improved the uniformity of hardness distribution, with a slight reduction of hardness values in the weld zone. The UTS and elongation were 318.0 MPa and 15.0%, respectively, showing an increase of 7.4% in UTS and 200% in elongation compared to the welds with AlCu4Mg1 filler. The results provide a valuable basis for obtaining high-performance fusion welds of high-strength aluminum alloys.