Numerical and experimental study for electron beam welding process of Al6061-T6 material

Abstract Joining the aluminium 6061-T6 alloy (Al6061-T6) using Electron Beam Welding (EBW) wais important, especially in aerospace. Although the EBW method has been used for different materials in the literature, there are a limited number of studies for Al6061-T6 alloy. The study aimed at the weldability and welding quality of 6061-T6 aluminium alloy plates by experimentally and numerically using the EBW technique. A numerical model has been generated to obtain the appropriate voltage, beam current, and welding speed parameters to simulate the EBW process instead of the hit and trial method, which is costly. The numerical model is based on a user-defined function based on the heat source as a function of temperature, welding parameters and material properties. The validation of the model has been compared by obtained width from numerical model and experimental work. Three EBW parameter sets were employed with the numerical model. Three different experimental parameter sets were determined according to the most suitable processing parameter that emerged from the numerical model, and experimental studies were carried out. Experimental studies showed defects in the microstructure due to process defects by unsuitable parameters. While the mechanical strength was 70% of the tensile strength performance compared to the main material, the elongation performance was 75%. The microhardness of the heat affected zone was measured as 84% of the base material, and a hardness reduction of 40% was also observed in the fusion zone. In addition, it showed that using the proper parameter set can eliminate such defects. The application of post-weld heat treatment procedures that can effectively improve the mechanical properties could be investigated in future studies.