Abstract
Recently Al alloys are being used gradually for structural materials of transports. In welding of Al alloys used for transports, good weldabilities as well as adequate mechanical properties of the welds should be ensured as structural materials. In this study, the welds formation, macro and microstructural characteristics, generation of defects and hardness distribution in welds of Al alloys of 5083, 6N01 and 7N01 by DCSP- and AC-GTA welding process, were investigated. The deeper penetration was obtained in all welds of the alloys by DCSP-GTAW with He gas, compared with those by using AC-GTAW. The 6N01 alloy showed high susceptibilities to solidification cracking in weld metal and liquation cracking in HAZ of the welding beads of both DCSP- and AC-GTAW process. The cracking ratio of 6N01 alloy was increased with increasing of welding current. The porosity ratios in weld metal of all alloys used were extremely low including all welding conditions of DCSP-GTAW. However, in AC-GTAW process, the porosity ratios of the welds using Ar gas showed much higher values than those using He gas.
