Modeling and analysis of thin-walled Al/steel explosion welded transition joints for shipbuilding applications

摘要

The study presents an analysis of S355J2+N steel and AA5083 aluminum alloy welded structural joints using explosion welded transition joints of reduced thickness. The transition joint thickness reduction significantly hinders the welding of the joints due to the risk of damage to the Al/steel interface as a result of the high temperatures during welding. Numerical modeling of the welding process is performed to determine safe welding parameters for the transition joint. The numerical analysis is supported by measurements of the temperature areas by a thermographic method. Welded structural joints are analyzed to determine the welding influence on the mechanical properties and microstruc-ture of the transition joints. On this basis, a number of tests are carried out, including microhardness distribution measurements, strength tests of joints in two welding configurations and strength tests of the microspecimens of transition joints. Moreover, an experimental and numerical analysis of strain and stress distributions is carried out in combination with the use of the finite element method and digital image correlation, which allow us to identify the critical areas of the joints with regards to their strength. The results of the microstructural and strength tests carried out using macro- and microspecimens show softening of the aluminum alloy layers. However, the AA5O83 and AA1050 layer softening as a result of welding did not reduce the load capacity of the transition joints, which could determine the strength of the dissimilar Al/steel welded structural joints.