In this paper, T-joint samples in a 1300 MPa yield strength steel were produced using conventional or low transformation temperature (LTT) type consumables. The welded samples were either subjected to high-frequency mechanical impact (HFMI) treatment or to shot-peening. Fatigue testing was performed under fully reversed, constant amplitude bending load. Shot-peening gave a significant increase in fatigue strength for more than around 50,000 cycles. Shot-peened LTT welds had the highest fatigue strength, with conventional welds being shot-peened having slightly lower fatigue strength. HFMI treatment of conventional and LTT welds improved the fatigue strength also, but to a lesser extent, keeping the slope in the SN diagram close to three, while shot-peened samples had a slope of 5–7. Significant differences in compressive residual stress were seen between the different welds, with the most compressive stress found in the shot-peened samples. This was probably one of the main reasons for the improved fatigue life of shot-peened samples. © 2020, The Author(s).

The weldability of additive manufactured Alloy 718 was investigated in various heat-treated conditions. The microstructure of the base metal was examined in detail in order to understand the effect of different pre-weld heat treatments; i.e., solution, solution and aging, and hot isostatic pressing. After welding, the variation in total crack lengths, maximum crack length and the total number of cracks in the heat affected zone (HAZ) were used as criteria for the cracking susceptibility of each material condition where wrought Alloy 718 was used as the reference material. Selective laser melting (SLM) manufactured Alloy 718 was susceptible to HAZ cracking in all material conditions. Total crack lengths in HAZ were highest in the SLM as-built condition and lowest in the SLM hot isostatic pressed condition. The cracks that were found in the HAZ of the welded materials consisted of liquation cracks, with eutectic product surrounding the cracks, as well as cracks from which liquation products were absent.

Porosity is reported to be a major issue when welding cast magnesium. Therefore, it is important to understand the pore formation mechanisms and find procedures that could be used to reduce porosity. This study investigated the possibility of using twin-spot optics for reducing the porosity in laser welded cast magnesium. Two twin-spot welding setups were compared using either a beam splitter or twin-spot welding with primary and secondary (placed in front of the primary optic) optics. The results showed that welding with a dual optic setup with a defocused secondary beam reduced the volumetric porosity in the weld to 5%. The highest levels of volumetric porosity were 30%, and were a result of using the dual optic setup, but with a defocused primary beam. No clear relation between the level of porosity and power or welding speed was found. It was found that the amount of porosity depended on the balance of the energy input (controlled by defocusing) between the two beams. Porosity formation can be reduced if the energy from the first beam results in the nucleation and initial growth of pores. Reheating by the second beam then allows the pores to grow and escape from the molten material without melting additional base material. Furthermore, twin-spot welding is shown to be a promising combination of a production friendly solution and high quality welding.

The effect of grain orientation on hot cracking susceptibility of selective laser additive manufactured Alloy 718 was investigated by Varestraint testing. Electron backscattered diffraction showed that cracks in heat affected zone (HAZ) of the welded samples occurred in high angle grain boundaries. The extent of HAZ cracking was smaller in samples tested parallel to the elongated grain orientation and larger in samples transverse to the elongated grain orientation. However, for solidification cracking in the weld metal, no significant difference with respect to grain orientation in the base metal was found. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

GMAW using the electrode with negative polarity (DCEN) has been frequently suggested as a potential means of increasing production capacity. The objective of this work was to further study the performance of negative polarity in GMAW of carbon steels. In this project phase, bead-on-plate welds were carried out in flat position to assess the effect of different potential shielding gas compositions on bead geometry, finishing and spattering. The characteristics were compared with DCEP at the same current, but depositing the same volume of material per unit of length (more industrial related comparison). The arc length was kept the same by adjusting voltage to reach shortest arcs, yet with suitable non short-circuiting metal transfer mode. An approach to measure bead convexity was also proposed and assessed. The results showed that DCEN is feasible as a means of increasing GMAW production capacity. However, to become DCEN applicable with GMAW, the results suggest an Ar based blend with around 6.5 % of O₂ is the most appropriate shielding gas, as much as that there is a demand for a standard electronic controlled power source able to work in constant current mode. 

Pores in the weld metal lower the mechanical properties of the weld. It is therefore important to understand the pore formation mechanisms and find procedures that could reduce porosity. This study focused on laser welding of 3 mm thick magnesium alloy AM50, investigating how different parameters affect porosity formation. Low levels of porosity content were achieved by either increasing the welding speed or using a two-pass welding approach. It was found that higher welding speeds did not allow pores,which were pre-existing from the die-casting process, to have sufficient time to coalesce and expand. In the two-pass welding technique, pores were removed as a result of a degassing process which occurred through the second pass.

Cracking in Alloy 718 using laser metal powder deposition has been evaluated in this study. It is found that the material is susceptible to cracking when the laser power is high, the scanning speed is high and the powder feeding rate is low. Almost all the cracks are located close to the center of the deposited wall and propagates in the normal direction to the substrate. Evidence of liquation are found at the cracked surfaces and since all cracks reside in regions which are reheated several times, the cracks are determined to mostlikely be heat affected zone liquation cracks. The influence of respective process parameter was evaluated using a design of experiment approach. It is shown that, when the powder feeding rate is incorporated as avariable, the heat input is not a suitable indicator for the hot cracking susceptibility in laser metal powder deposition of Alloy 718. A combinatory model using the power ratio together with the heat input is therefore proposed.

A systematic matrix with 25 samples, using five different point distances and five laser exposure times, depositing 75-μm-thick layers of Alloy 718 has been studied. The work has concentrated on defects formed, hardness of the deposits, and the microstructure. Relatively large amount of defects, both lack of fusion and porosity, was found in several of the specimens in the deposits. The defects were never possible to fully eliminate, but a significant decrease, mainly in the lack of fusion, was seen with increasing laser exposure time. The gas porosity on the other hand was not affected to any larger degree, except for the lowest laser energy input, where a slight increase in porosity was seen. A small increase in hardness was noted with increasing laser energy input. The width of the deposited beads increased with increasing laser energy, while the depth of deposits was more or less constant. However, for the lowest combination of point distance and laser exposure time, quite deep and narrow beads were formed. A comparison was made with deposition of 50-μm-thick layers, with quite similar laser energy input, but with some variation in detailed deposition parameters. It was found that the 75-μm-thick layers contained less lack of fusion, particularly for small point distances. The amount of porosity was also less, but that did not vary with deposition parameters.© 2017 The Author(s)

A microstructural study of Laser Metal Powder Deposition (LMPD) of Alloy 718, using a low (40 J/mm) and high (100 J/mm) heat inputs (HIs) was performed. The microstructure was characterized in as-deposited condition as well as after a standard heat-treatment, using optical microscope (OM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). Laves, MC-carbides, γ' and γ'' are observed in the interdendritic areas of both conditions. However, the dendritic core only consists of γ-matrix. The high HI condition shows a slightly larger Primary Dendrite Arm Spacing (PDAS) as compared to the low HI condition. Additionally, the particle size of the Nb-rich constituents in the interdendriticregions (Laves-phase and Niobium carbide) are larger in the high HI sample. After heat-treatment, the Laves phase dissolves and is replaced by δ-phase in the interdendritic regions, while γ', γ'' and MC-carbideremain in the interdendritic regions. However, the γ'' precipitates seems to be less developed in the dendritic core as compared to the interdendritic regions, especially in the high HI sample. This can be attributed to a heterogeneous distribution of Nb in the microstructure, with a lower Nb content in the dendritic core as compared to close to the interdendritic regions.

Manufacturing of Alloy 718 with selective laser melting (SLM) process faces several challenges. One of the challenges is the process-induced porosities in as-manufactured SLM parts. Another challenge is the microstructure of Alloy 718 that contains a high amount of segregating elements, such as MC-type carbides and γ/Laves phase eutectics in interdendritic regions. The microstructural heterogeneity in the as-manufactured SLM part unavoidably leads to mechanical heterogeneity and hence, post-processing heat treatments become necessary to achieve a homogeneous microstructure. Therefore, by investigating various post heat treatment options the knowledge on how to decrease/eliminate these segregations will be developed. © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.