Mechanical properties and joining mechanisms of magnetic pulse welding joints of additively manufactured 316L and conventional AA5052 aluminum alloy

Magnetic Pulse Welding (MPW) is a new solid-phase welding (no heat input and no auxiliaries) technique. This results in joints with almost no brittle intermetallic compounds (IMC) and hence provides excellent joint quality. In this study, 316L fabricated by additively manufactured (AMed 316L) and conventional rolled AA5052 aluminum alloy were welded by MPW. Moreover, it was compared with conventional rolled 316L (C316L). Shear tests were used to characterize the mechanical properties of the joints. Laser confocal microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) were used to characterize the microstructure and elemental diffusion of the joints. It was found that the strength of both joints was higher than that of the base material. In addition, sufficient elemental diffusion was achieved at the weld interface. No significant weld defects and IMC generation were observed at the interface of the AA5052-AMed 316L joint. Finally, Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamic (SPH) was used to analyze the formation mechanism of the transition zone morphology. This study demonstrates for the feasibility of MPW technology for welding additive manufacturing materials.