Neutron and synchrotron measurements of residual strain in TIG welded aluminium alloy 2024

Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding is one method of joining aluminium alloys with potential application in the aerospace industry. However, for it to be seriously considered as an alternative to mechanical fasteners the interrelated problems of residual stress and distortion need to be addressed. In this paper neutron, laboratory and synchrotron X-ray diffraction methods are used to provide non-destructive information about the residual stress field in TIG-welded 2024 Al alloy. The results compare well despite the differing penetration and sampling volumes associated with each technique. It is found that the magnitudes of the tensile longitudinal stresses decrease along the plate due to progressive heating up of the plate ahead of the arc during welding, so that steady-state conditions are not achieved. Comparison of the data with a finite element model indicates that softening of the heat-affected region must be included to simulate the resulting stress field. The FE model is found to be in good agreement with the data especially in the vicinity of the weld slope-out.