Aluminum Alloy Welding in Automotive Industry

Abstract

The paper presents the possibilities of using light alloy components in vehicle construction. Material 6082 was chosen for use in responsible structural components. The structure and strength parameters of the material in the delivery state were tested. Tested material parameters were compared with normative requirements. The purpose of the paper is to check the mechanical properties of aluminum alloy welded joints by various processes and parameters. Until now, welding of 6082 alloy did not give good and repeatable results. Because of that, two welding methods were analyzed (MIG and TIG) in the field of the quality of welds, strength of welded joints, and material structures obtained as a result of welding with various parameters.

Development of FSW Process Parameters for Lap Joints Made of Thin 7075 Aluminum Alloy Sheets

“…The ability of FSW to produce high-strength and high-quality welds without the need for melting the base materials has made it a valuable technology for joining high-strength aluminum alloys like EN AW 7075. Due to its wide range of applications, this aluminum alloy is still the subject of many studies [16][17][18]. EN AW 7075 is a high-strength aluminum alloy [19] known for its excellent mechanical properties, which makes it attractive for various aerospace and automotive applications [18,[20][21][22].…”

Studies on Quality of Joints and Phenomena Therein for Welded Vehicle Components Made of Aluminium Alloy – a Review

“…In case of TIG and MIG methods used for welding of components made of 6082 alloy, an enhancement in tensile strength and in the value of yield point in the weld area occurred. During tensile tests of samples made of welded parts made of such alloy, the cracking of such samples occurred outside of the weld area, while the exact location indicated the propagation of neck under tension in the HAZ area [14].…”

“…Conventional welding of Al alloys allowed limiting technological or executive difficulties [39] No problems were reported when producing good-quality Al joints in conventional, less-efficient slag-free welding processes [40] Welding with a coated electrode did not provide acceptable weld quality, as porous structures with a tendency to crack occurred. Therefore, welding with coated electrodes is used rarely and only for irrelevant structural components [14]. The most popular nonslag welding processes used on the industrial scale are tungsten inert gas TIG and metal inert gas MIG methods [14,41].…”

“…Therefore, welding with coated electrodes is used rarely and only for irrelevant structural components [14]. The most popular nonslag welding processes used on the industrial scale are tungsten inert gas TIG and metal inert gas MIG methods [14,41]. Gas Tungsten-Arc Welding (GTAW) is also known as Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding [42].…”

“…According to [14] 6082 alloy can be welded with TIG and MIG processes. The MIG welding provided better effects than the TIG process regarding tensile strength and fatigue strength.…”