Some studies on mechanical properties and microstructural characterization of automated TIG welding of thin commercially pure titanium sheets

Abstract Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) is a commonly used welding process for welding Titanium materials. Welding of titanium and its alloys poses several intricacies to the designer as they are prone to oxidation phenomenon. To overcome this contamination, a relatively new type of shielding arrangement is experimented. The proposed design and arrangement have been employed for joining commercially pure titanium sheets with variations in the GTAW process parameters namely the welding current and travel speed. Bead on plate (BoP) trials were conducted on thin sheets of 2 mm thickness by varying the process parameters. Subsequently, the macro structure images were captured. Based on these results, the process parameters are chosen for carrying out full penetration butt joints on 1.6 mm and 2 mm thick titanium sheets. The influences of these parameters of GTAW on the microstructure, mechanical properties and surface morphology at the fractured locations of the welded joints are examined. The microstructural properties of base metal, heat affected zone and fusion zone are analyzed through optical microscopy. The welded joints showed an ultimate tensile strength of about 383 MPa with 15.7% elongation. The hardness value at fusion zone and base metal are typically observed to be 191 and 153 HV-0.5, respectively. X-ray diffraction study is conducted to examine the chemical composition in the parent metal and fusion zone of the weld. Fractured surface is examined using Scanning Electron Microscopy which revealed dimple kind of rupture present at the fractured surfaces owing to insufficient or excessive heat with slight impurities that prevents the accomplishment of stronger micro-level weld integrity.