High-Throughput Experiment and Numerical Simulation to Study Solidification Cracking in 2195 Aluminum Alloy Welds

Solidification cracking during welding is a severe concern in aluminum alloys. Hot-cracking criteria have been successful in grading the crack susceptibility of an alloy. However, they do not offer a safe window of processing conditions for a crack-free weld. This work intends to determine the processing window for crack-free welding using a high-throughput experiment coupled with computer simulation. An experimental setup to produce a spiral welding path was developed to obtain a wide variation in heat input resulting in a range of cooling rates ((T) triple over dot) and temperature gradients (G) in a single experiment. Simulations using OpenFOAM (R) were performed to determine the spatial variation in (T) triple over dot and G. A parametric space constructed using cooling rate and thermal gradient extracted from various points along the spiral path was used to map the regime for a crack-free weld. The results were validated using linear welds. The results were rationalized using microstructure evolution, and micro-segregation predicted using phase-field simulations. (C) The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM International 2022