MIG-WELDING OF MAGNESIUM ALLOYS WITH PARTICULAR CONSIDERATION OF DROP DETACHMENT

During the last years, great progress has been made in the fields of welding power sources and filler materials for the MIG-welding of magnesium alloys. This advice resulted in a better welding process, md, therefore, in highly improved welding results. Furthermore the gap between short-circuiting- and spray-arc-trunsfer could be closed by the triggered short-circuiting- and the short-circuiting-arc with pulse overlay. A crucial contribution to the welding process is the energy input into the filler material. Many problems result from the physical properties of magnesium, for instance its narrow interval between melting point 600$^{\circ}C$ and vaporization point 1100$^{\circ}C$. The energy input into the filler material has to be regulated in such a way that the wire will melt but not vaporize. For th is reason, special characteristics of power sources hue been examined and optimized with the help of high-speed-photographs of the welding process with particular consideration of the drop detachment. An important improvement of the weld seam profile has been achieved by using filler material of only 1.2 mm in diameter. The experiments hue been made with 2.5 mm thick extruded profiles of AZ31 and AZ6l. The results of tensile testing showed strength values of 80 to 100% of the base metal. B ending angles up to 60$^{\circ}$ have been reached. The fatigue strength under reversed bending of the examined magnesium alloys after welding reaches 50% of the strength of the base metal. When the seam reinforcement is ground of the fatigue strength can be raised up to 75% of the base metal.