Double sided arc welding of AA5182 aluminium alloy sheet

The feasibility and merits of using the double sided arc welding (DSAW) process for making square welds in 1.2 mm thick AA5182-O aluminium sheets in the butt-joint configuration for applications such as tailor welded blanks (TWB) has been studied. Full penetration, conduction mode DSAW welds were made using a balanced square wave AC, constant current power supply at welding speeds of 30 to 40 mm s(-1) when using 2.1 kW welding power and between 40 and 60 mm s(-1) when using 3.4 kW welding power. There was good cathodic cleaning of the oxide on both sides of the sheet and the weld bead quality and properties were excellent. All welds exhibited a columnar to equiaxed grain transition with up to 40% equiaxed grain area. The DSAW process was found to be capable of producing welds of equal or better quality and at comparable welding speeds to those produced using more traditional welding processes for TWB applications.