Abstract:Laser-metal inert-gas (MIG) hybrid welding-brazing was applied to the butt joint of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy and 304 stainless steel. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the joint were studied. An excellent joint-section shape was achieved from good wettability on both sides of the stainless steel. Scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometry indicated an intermetallic compound (IMC) layer at the 6061-T6/304 interface. The IMC thickness was controlled to be ~2 μm, which was attributed to the advantage of the laser-MIG hybrid method. Fe₃Al dominated in the IMC layer at the interface between the stainless steel and the back reinforcement. The IMC layer in the remaining regions consisted mainly of Fe₄Al₁₃. A thinner IMC layer and better wettability on both sides of the stainless steel were obtained, because of the optimized energy distribution from a combination of a laser beam with a MIG arc. The average tensile strength of the joint with reinforcement using laser-MIG hybrid process was improved to be 174 MPa (60% of the 6061-T6 tensile strength), which was significantly higher than that of the joint by traditional MIG process.

Key words: welding-brazing; laser-metal inert-gas hybrid welding; butt joint; microstructure