Effect of hydrogen content in ER5183 welding wire on the tensile strength and fracture morphology of Al–Mg MIG weld

Abstract

In this study, hydrogen was determined in the ER5183 wires for MIG welding, and the effect of hydrogen in the wires on the tensile strength as well as the fracture behavior of Al–Mg MIG weld were investigated in order to clarify the affecting mechanism by hydrogen, which provided a reasonable range of hydrogen content in ER5183 welding wires. The results showed that, with the increasing hydrogen content, the tensile strength of the corresponding welds decreased accordingly. During the fracture process of the weld, hydrogen played serious roles as follows, accelerating the fracture process, promoting the formation of pores and causing the decohesion of the inclusion and matrix. By the mechanisms mentioned above, hydrogen changed the feature of fracture morphology from dimples to various defects. Considering the high tensile strength as well as the fine microstructure of the welds, the hydrogen content of the ER5183 welding wires should be controlled below 0.18 μg/g.