Research on weldability of ZL101/TiB2 MMCs by laser-TIG hybrid welding

The weldability of in situ TiB2 reinforced ZL101 metal matrix composites （ MMCs） was examined using laser-TIG hybrid welding technology. High speed camera was employed to observe the coupled results between laser plume and electric arc. Optical microscope （OM） , scanning electron microscope （SEM） , tensile machine and wearing equipment were used to evaluate the quality of welding joint. The effective hybrid welding was realized and defect-free seam was obtained when the laser power （8 kW）, TIG current （ 100 A） and welding speed （3 nv/min ） were combined. TiB2 distribution became much more homogeneous than the pre-welded, and microstructure of seam was .finer obviously. Tensile and wear resistance test showed that the weld seam presented higher strength and better wear-reslstance properties than the base metal. The results indicated that TiB2 reinforced aluminum matrix composites were successfully welded using the laser-T1G hybrid welding method.