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Review
. 2021 Dec 24;15(1):122.
doi: 10.3390/ma15010122.

A Review: Laser Welding of Dissimilar Materials (Al/Fe, Al/Ti, Al/Cu)-Methods and Techniques, Microstructure and Properties

Sergey Kuryntsev  1
Affiliations
Review

A Review: Laser Welding of Dissimilar Materials (Al/Fe, Al/Ti, Al/Cu)-Methods and Techniques, Microstructure and Properties

Sergey Kuryntsev. Materials (Basel). .

Abstract

Modern structural engineering is impossible without the use of materials and structures with high strength and low specific weight. This work carries out a quantitative and qualitative analysis of articles for 2016-2021 on the topic of welding of dissimilar alloys. It is found that laser welding is most widely used for such metal pairs as Al/Fe, Al/Ti, and Al/Cu. The paper analyzes the influence of the basic techniques, methods, and means of laser welding of Al/Fe, Al/Ti, and Al/Cu on the mechanical properties and thickness of the intermetallic compound (IMC). When welding the lap joint or spike T-joint configuration of Al/Fe, it is preferable to melt the steel, which will be heated or melted, by the laser beam, and through thermal conduction, it will heat the aluminum. When welding the butt-welded joint of Al/Fe, the most preferable is to melt the aluminum by the laser beam (150-160 MPa). When welding the butt-welded joint of Al/Ti, it is possible to obtain the minimum IMC and maximum mechanical properties by offsetting the laser beam to aluminum. Whereas when the laser beam is offset to a titanium alloy, the mechanical properties are 40-50% lower than when the laser beam is offset to an aluminum alloy. When lap welding the Al/Cu joint, under the impact of the laser beam on the aluminum, using defocusing or wobbling (oscillation) of a laser beam, it is possible to increase the contact area of electrical conductivity with the tensile shear strength of 95-128 MPa.

Keywords: dissimilar metals; intermetallic layer; laser welding; mechanical properties; microstructure; weldability.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution diagram of the topics of the articles on laser welding of dissimilar metals for 2016–2021 inclusively. Author’s own diagram.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution diagram of the number of articles on laser welding of dissimilar metals for 2016–2021 inclusively. Author’s own diagram.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Joint configurations. Author own figure.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Tensile testing of double-flanged joints [25].
Figure 5
Figure 5
Diagram of weld cross section under different groove shapes: (a) square-shape groove at steel side, (b) half Y-shape groove at steel side, (c) half V-shape at steel side. Comparison of weld profile between experimental and numerical results: (d) experimental joint with square-shape groove, (e) experimental joint with half Y-shape groove, (f) experimental joint with half V-shape groove, (g) numerical joint with square shape groove, (h) numerical joint with half Y-shape groove, (i) numerical joint with half Y-shape groove [26].
Figure 5
Figure 5
Diagram of weld cross section under different groove shapes: (a) square-shape groove at steel side, (b) half Y-shape groove at steel side, (c) half V-shape at steel side. Comparison of weld profile between experimental and numerical results: (d) experimental joint with square-shape groove, (e) experimental joint with half Y-shape groove, (f) experimental joint with half V-shape groove, (g) numerical joint with square shape groove, (h) numerical joint with half Y-shape groove, (i) numerical joint with half Y-shape groove [26].
Figure 6
Figure 6
Microstructure of welded joints, (a–c)–impact of the beam from the steel side, (d–f)–impact of the beam from the aluminum side [2].
Figure 7
Figure 7
Comparison between the experimental and the FEM results: (a–c) macrograph vs. thermal profile. Reprinted with kind permission of Elsevier 2017 from Reference [28].
Figure 8
Figure 8
Effect of processing on tensile resistance of the steel/Al joints produced by dual-beam laser welding with side-by-side configuration: (a) dual-beam laser power ratios (%), (b) dual-beam distance (mm) [29].
Figure 9
Figure 9
Effect of laser power on IMC thickness and tensile strength. Reprinted with kind permission of Elsevier 2017 from Reference [31].
Figure 10
Figure 10
Schematic representation of the mechanical inter-lock induced during the welding process. (a) heating process, (b) mechanical interlock [32].
Figure 11
Figure 11
Diagram of offset and trajectory of the laser beam [33].
Figure 12
Figure 12
Schematic diagram of the macrostructure of the joint under study and a part of a detailed study of the microstructure (top, middle, bottom) [33].
Figure 13
Figure 13
FZ/304SS interface obtained at different laser offset, (a–c) ΔD = 0.6 mm, (d–f) ΔD = 0.8 mm, (g–i) ΔD = 1.0 mm [33].
Figure 14
Figure 14
Macrostructure of the two joints: (a) 72 J/mm, (b) 36 J/mm [62].
Figure 15
Figure 15
Macrostructure of a welded joint of the Ti and Al: (a) joint with a full top and bottom spreading, (b) fracture surface of a tensile speciment (c) joint with lack of fusion and bottom spreading [27].
Figure 16
Figure 16
SEM image of the C (a) and A (b) region in Figure 15a [27].
Figure 17
Figure 17
Microstructure of the Ti–Al after TSS (tensile shear strength): (a) welded joint microstructure (green arrows is a TSS direction), (b) crack microstructure [20].
Figure 18
Figure 18
REM analysis (2 μm) of Al–Cu joint: (a) ∆x = 200 μm, (b) ∆x = 100 μm [68].
Figure 19
Figure 19
Welded joint of aluminum and copper: (a) macrostructure, (b) geometrical parameters of the weld seam [69].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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