Effect of Preheating and Post-Heating on the Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of TC17-Ti2AlNb Joint with Electron Beam Welding

Abstract

To enhance welding quality and performance, preheating and post-heating are usually employed on high-temperature materials, concurrently with welding. This is a novel technique in vacuum chamber electron beam welding (EBW). TC17 and Ti₂AlNb alloys are the hot topics in aero-engine parts, and the welding of dissimilar materials is also a broad prospect. To settle welding cracks of Ti₂AlNb, EBW with preheating and post-heating was investigated on TC17 and Ti₂AlNb dissimilar alloy, which improved the manufacturing technology on high-temperature materials. The dissimilar joint no longer had cracks after preheating, which exhibited excellent welding stability and metallurgical homogeneity, and preheating and annealing had an important effect on mechanical properties. The joint strength after 630 °C annealing is higher than that of TC17 alloy base metal (BM) and other annealing temperatures, reaching 1169 MPa at room temperature and 894 MPa at 450 °C tensile condition. The joint plasticity after 740 °C annealing is equivalent to TC17 BM. EBW with preheating improved the microstructure characteristics and enhanced the plasticity of Ti₂AlNb alloy weld and dissimilar joint, which would contribute to the application of Ti₂AlNb alloy and Ti₂AlNb dissimilar parts.

Keywords: dissimilar materials; electron beam welding (EBW); heat treatment; mechanical property; microstructure.