Abstract
The present study provides an overview of previous studies on the welding of the AA7075-T6 aluminum alloy, followed by an investigation of the influence of short-time solution annealing on the mechanical properties of the weld. Conventional laser welding of Al-Zn-alloys leads to a low weld strength, which makes a post weld heat treatment (PWHT) favorable. The PWHT includes solution annealing, quenching and subsequent aging. For solution annealing, different holding times and cooling rates are investigated in this study. The focus of the investigation is on a short solution annealing time, which on the one hand is ecological and economically favorable and on the other hand offers great potential for inline heat treatments. The shortest solution annealing time of 10 s shows a significant increase in weld strength (joint efficiency of 72%), compared to the non-heat treated weld (joint efficiency of 52%). The microstructural analysis reveals that the cooling rate after solution heat treatment affects the formation of precipitates in the microstructure of the welded AA7075 alloy. Moreover, the enhancement of mechanical properties is related to the formation of Mg-Al-Cu and Mg-Zn rich precipitates.
Highlights
Lightweight structures are of great interest in industry
The present study provides an overview of previous studies on the welding of the AA7075T6 aluminum alloy, followed by an investigation of the influence of short-time solution annealing on the mechanical properties of the weld
Conventional laser welding of Al-Zn-alloys leads to a low weld strength, which makes a post weld heat treatment (PWHT) favorable
Summary
Lightweight structures are of great interest in industry. A recent example is the need for high strength lightweight bicycle frames for e-bikes to reduce overall weight and increase the payload. Another aspect is more than ever the careful use of resources and the reduction of CO2 by the reduction of material usage and saving energy in the use phase of transport devices. One way to reduce the weight of structures is the use of high strength lightweight materials, such as the AA7075 aluminum alloy. In the aerospace industry, where the AA7075 alloy is widely used, joining technologies like riveting and bolding are used with all their disadvantages. Many attempts have been made in the past to weld the alloy using various processes, as illustrated
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