Microstructure and properties of welds between 5754 Al alloys and AZ31 Mg alloys using a Yb:YAG laser

The authors wish to thank Mr. Henri ANDRZEJEWSKI for his technical assistance in laser experiments. The authors wish to place their sincere thanks to Professor Philippe BOURNOT and Dr. Eric VALERIO for helpful discussions.; International audience; Dissimilar laser beam welding between A5754 Al alloy and AZ31 Mg alloy with the plate thickness of 2 mm was investigated. Complex flow pattern characterized by a large volume of intermetallic compounds Al12Mg17 and Al3Mg2 is formed in the fusion zone. Microhardness measurement of the dissimilar welds presents an uneven distribution due to the complicated microstructure of the weld, and the maximum value of microhardness in the fusion zone is much higher than of the base materials.