A Study on Welding Characteristics, Mechanical Properties, and Penetration Depth of T-Joint Thin-Walled Parts for Different TIG Welding Currents: FE Simulation and Experimental Analysis

Considering the effect of heat input of tungsten inert gas (TIG) arc welding for T-joint welding of thin-walled parts of aluminum alloy 6061-T6, here, the welding characteristics are analyzed via the finite element method. The experiments are carried out using scanning electron microscope (SEM), optical microscope (OM), and tensile test of specimens to investigate the microstructure variation of the weld zone (WZ), heat-affected zone (HAZ), and base metal (BM), and the mechanical properties of the T-welded joint. The mechanical properties of the T-welded joint are explored and assessed combined with the tensile test in terms of yield strength, tensile strength, and Vickers hardness. Furthermore, the effects of different welding currents on welding penetration variation under welding deformation are thoroughly investigated, and the appearance of porosity and incomplete fusion defects of T-welded joints are clearly illustrated. The results show that the yield and tensile strength of T-welded joints, respectively, account for less than 37% and 74% of the base metal (BM) strength. Moreover, the welding penetration depth and microstructure of T-welded joints are deeply affected by the welding current. The maximum penetration depth is achieved at about 2.18 mm under the maximum welding current, and partial welding defects emerged, affecting and reducing the mechanical properties of the welded joint. It is expected that these results will provide an analysis foundation for optimization of the welding process, suppression of welding defects, and promotion of mechanical properties for thin-walled parts in the future.