Efecto de los ciclos térmicos de soldadura por arco eléctrico indirecto modificado (AEIM) en las propiedades mecânicas de la aleación AA6061-T6

Results of temperature measurements during welding of 12.7 mm thick AA6061-T6 alloy plates by modified indirect electric arc (MIEA) are presented. This study describes the thermal cycles of the heat affected zone (HAZ) and also in the fusion zone. Depending upon the position of the transducers, the maximum temperatures measured in the HAZ range from 308 to 693 °C, these measurements were related with the tensile test results, and the failure zone reported previously by the authors [1]. It was observed that, there is a decrease in the mechanical strength of the welded joints, due to the microstructural changes suffered by AA6061-T6 alloy in which formation of the β' occurs according to the TTT transformation diagram. The inherent cooling conditions of the weld pool observed for the MIEA technique (only one pass of welding), have permitted to establish the characteristics of solidification and microstructure for a specific cooling rate.