Effect of combinative addition of Ti and Sr on modification of AA4043 welding wire and mechanical properties of AA6082 welded by TIG welding

To improve the mechanical properties of AA6082 weld welded by tungsten inert gas welding using AA4043 welding wire, the effect of addition of Ti and/or Sr on continuous cast and rolled AA4043 welding wire was investigated. Experimental results indicated that Ti and Sr are excellent modifiers, which improve the microstructure of the AA4043 welding wire and enhance the mechanical properties of the AA6082 weld. It was found that the combinative addition of Ti and Sr can effectively modify both the alpha(Al) dendrites and eutectic Si phases compared with individual addition of Ti or Sr. In addition, Ti and/or Sr also changed the microstructure of the AA6082 weld. The tensile strength of the AA6082 weld reached the maximum value when 0.08% Ti and 0.025% Sr were added simultaneously. These results indicate that the combinative addition of Ti and Sr can be an effective composite modifier.