Study on the Effects of the Periodical Oscillation during AC TIG Joining of Titanium Alloy to Stainless Steel Assisted by a Magnetic Field
摘要
The magnetic field-assisted welding method has been widely used to join dissimilar metals. The specific welding process depends significantly on the interaction between the magnetic field direction and the current direction. In this paper, alternating current tungsten inert gas (AC TIG) assisted by a static magnetic field ranging from 0 to 24 mT was implemented to join titanium alloy to stainless steel. The interaction between the magnetic field and the alternating current causes the arc to contract at the top while expanding at the bottom. The peak temperature during welding decreases due to the decreasing energy density of the arc. Meanwhile, the molten pool flow becomes oscillatory, evidenced by the periodic disappearance of oxides and a decrease in the cooling rate of the molten pool. Consequently, heat dissipation is impeded and the holding time at high temperature is prolonged. Furthermore, the thickness of the TC4/seam transition zone, consisting of a uniform layer A (rich in Ti and poor in Cu) and a complex layer B (poor in Ti and rich in Cu), increases with the increasing magnetic field intensity due to the prolonged diffusion time of elements at high temperature. The difference between the velocity and concentration boundary layers is the reason for the layering phenomenon of layers A and B; the formation and morphology of microstructure within the layers are determined by constitutional supercooling. Besides, the increasing spacing of primary dendrite arm and secondary dendrite arm on the seam side close to layer B indicates a decrease in cooling rate. Ultimately, with the increase in magnetic field intensity, the strength of the joints initially increased and then decreased. A maximum average tensile strength of 424.82 MPa can be achieved at 12 mT.