Mechanical properties and microstructure evolution of Ti-3Al -2.5V thin sheets welded using micro-plasma arc welding process

In this paper, the process of joining Ti-3Al-2.5V titanium alloy thin sheets by means of micro-plasma arc welding (MPAW) is reported. An experimental set-up was developed using traditional gas tungsten arc welding apparatus and a home-built torch for butt welding of coupon specimens. The specimens were welded under controlled welding parameters, such as voltage, current, travel speed and shielding gas flow rate. An appropriate set of parameters for MPAW process was examined by mechanical properties tests and microstructure characterization. Mechanical tests including tensile test, bending test and micro-hardness evaluation across the weld line generally show that if suitable welding parameters are used, the tensile strength of the welded specimen is well comparable with that of the base metal while its hardness increased at the fusion zone (FZ). The bending test revealed that using appropriate welding parameters, no crack or notch appeared at the welded joint. Fractography, X-ray diffraction and metallograpghy were also performed to study the microstructure evolution. SEM images of the fracture surface presented characteristics of ductile rupture. Studies on microstructure morphology of the specimens at the FZ and HAZ reveal occurrence of phase transformation from high temperature phase to acicular phase