Solidification cracking test of aluminium alloy 5052
Tayfun Soysal, Sindo Kou
Abstract
The recently developed transverse-motion weldability (TMW) test, in which a motor pushes the lower sheet in lap welding at velocity V to induce solidification cracking, has been applied to the 2000-, 6000- and 7000-series Al alloys but not the 5000-series. Here, alloy 5052 was TMW-tested under essentially identical conditions including the motor torque that caused the pushing force on the lower sheet. Surprisingly, the fracture surface of the fusion zone was flat instead of dendritic as expected from solidification cracking. When the torque was set at lower levels, a higher V was required to cause cracking, but the fracture surface became dendritic. The torque effect on cracking in alloy 5052 was discussed, and alloy 2219 was also tested for comparison.