Abstract
The development of high-performance dissimilar aluminum–steel joints is necessary to promote the feasibility of multi-material design and lightweight manufacturing. However, joining aluminum to steel is a challenging task mainly due to the formation of brittle intermetallic compounds (IMC) at the joint interface. Laser welding is considered a very promising joining process for dissimilar materials, although its application in industry is still limited by the insufficient mechanical performance of the joints. The present paper aims to give a comprehensive review of relevant recent research work on laser joining of aluminum to steel, contributing to highlighting the latest achievements that could boost acceptance of laser joining of dissimilar materials by the modern industries. To this end, the most important challenges in laser joining of aluminum to steel are presented, followed by recent approaches to overcome these challenges, the state-of-art of comprehension of IMC formation and growth, and the different strategies to minimize them.
Highlights
Environmental issues have risen the modern industries’ concerns on reducing human carbon footprint
Rissman et al [1] stated that in 2014 industry was responsible for about one-third of global anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, and they suggested improving the material efficiency as a strategy toward decarbonization of global industry
friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid-state joining process that uses a non-consumable tool to join the materials, avoiding metallurgical issues present in fusion welding [26], and has been extensively used to join aluminum to steel [27] with excellent mechanical properties [28]
Summary
Environmental issues have risen the modern industries’ concerns on reducing human carbon footprint. Low-heat input welding processes facilitate controlling the formation and growth of the IMC layer, leading to better mechanical performance In this context, laser welding stands out as a very precise technique [17,18], which enables accurate control of heat input [19] and high cooling rates due to its very high energy density [20]. FSW is a solid-state joining process that uses a non-consumable tool to join the materials, avoiding metallurgical issues present in fusion welding [26], and has been extensively used to join aluminum to steel [27] with excellent mechanical properties [28]. We hope we will further contribute to complement other short reviews already available such as [36] and the recently published [37] To this end, firstly the main challenges in laser joining of aluminum to steel are presented. The microstructural features of IMCs within dissimilar aluminum–steel joints are shown, followed by discussion, conclusions and future prospects
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