Effect of welding speed on microstructure and mechanical properties of titanium alloy/stainless steel lap joints during cold metal transfer method

Abstract

Cold metal transfer (CMT) technique is developed for lap joining of titanium (Ti) alloy to stainless steel (SS) with CuSi3 filler wire. The effect of welding speed on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti/SS lap joints is investigated. The results indicate that the wetting angle of the lap joints gradually increases and the weld width decreases with increasing the welding speed. It is found that many coarse phases in the fusion zone are rich in Ti, Fe and Si etc, inferring as Fe–Si–Ti ternary phase and/or Fe2Ti phase at low welding speed. Many fine spherical particles in the fusion zone are considered as iron-rich particles at high welding speed. The transition layer are exhibited at the Ti–Cu interface. With increasing the heat input, the intermetallic layer becomes thicker. A variety of brittle intermetallic compounds (IMCs) are identified in the lap joints. The shear strength of the joints increases with increasing the welding speed. Two fracture modes occur in the lap joints at low welding speed. Thicker reaction layer causes brittle fracture and poor joint strength. The Fe–Ti–Si and Fe2Ti phase within the fusion zone are detrimental to the joint strength. The fracture surface of the joints is dominated by smooth surface and tear pattern at high welding speed. The fracture mode of the joints is merely along the Ti–Cu interface.