Investigation of Hot Cracking Behavior in Transverse Mechanically Arc Oscillated Autogenous AA2014 T6 TIG Welds

Hot cracking studies on autogenous AA2014 T6 TIG welds were carried out. Significant cracking was observed during linear and circular welding test (CWT) on 4-mm-thick plates. Weld metal grain structure and amount of liquid distribution during the terminal stages of solidification were the key cause for hot cracking in aluminum welds. Square-wave AC TIG welding with transverse mechanical arc oscillation (TMAO) was employed to study the cracking behavior during linear and CWT. TMAO welds with amplitude = 0.9 mm and frequency = 0.5 Hz showed significant reduction in cracking tendency. The increase in cracking resistance in the arc-oscillated weld was attributed to grain refinement and improved weld bead morphology, which improved the weld metal ductility and uniformity, respectively, of residual tensile stresses that developed during welding. The obtained results were comparable to those of reported favorable results of electromagnetic arc oscillation.