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Methods for reducing weld porosity in argon-shielded

arc welding of aluminium alloys
a a b b b
M.M. Shtrikman , A.V. Pinskii , A.A. Filatov , V.V. Koshkin , E.A. Mezentseva &
b
N.V. Guk
a
Scientific Research Institute of Aviation Technology , Moscow, Russia
b
Sukhoi Design Bureau , Moscow, Russia
Published online: 04 May 2011.

To cite this article: M.M. Shtrikman , A.V. Pinskii , A.A. Filatov , V.V. Koshkin , E.A. Mezentseva & N.V. Guk (2011) Methods
for reducing weld porosity in argon-shielded arc welding of aluminium alloys, Welding International, 25:06, 457-462, DOI:
10.1080/09507116.2011.554241

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09507116.2011.554241

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 Welding International
Vol. 25, No. 6, June 2011, 457–462
Selected from Svarochnoe Proizvodstvo 2009 62(12) 16 – 22

Methods for reducing weld porosity in argon-shielded arc welding of aluminium alloys
M.M. Shtrikmana, A.V. Pinskiia, A.A. Filatovb, V.V. Koshkinb, E.A. Mezentsevab and N.V. Gukb
a
Scientific Research Institute of Aviation Technology, Moscow, Russia; bSukhoi Design Bureau, Moscow, Russia

Cause analysis of porosity in aluminium argon-arc welded joints is carried out, particularly that of aluminium– lithium alloy
1424. Feasible production methods of reducing the quantity of voids in the joints are considered.
Keywords: aluminium; aluminium –lithium alloys; weld pool; voids; nucleation/initiation; degassing

The aluminium alloys, used widely as the structural alloy in metallurgical production is restricted. In proces-
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material for aircraft, are continuously improved by
increasing their corrosion resistance and specific strength
characteristics. The most important requirement is to
ensure high technological properties, including weldability
of the alloy. One of the special features of aluminium and
its alloys, which greatly complicates welding, is the
formation of a surface oxide film characterized by high gas
adsorption capacity. The moisture adsorbed on the porous
oxide film in the form of aluminium hydroxide with
variable composition (Al2O3·n H2O) and other contami-
nants interacts with the liquid weld pool metal and produces
hydrogen bubbles in the melt1,2.
The surface of aluminium –magnesium alloys with
lithium contains a thicker (up to 0.3 mm) and porous layer
with oxides and the layer absorbs a large amount of
moisture3,4. In metallurgical production of semi-finished
products to be welded, the surface layers of the products
show the formation of chemical compounds of the type of
hydrides and hydrocarbonates which generate hydrogen in
the form of bubbles in the liquid metal of the weld pool and
in the solid – liquid metal of the weld zone. The pore
nuclei2,4,5 form mostly on the refractory oxide inclusions
with low wetting which penetrate into the weld pool from
the boundary oxide layer on the surface of the welded
components and the filler wire.
The formation of pores in the metal of the welded
joint and the weld zone may also be caused by metal-
lurgical hydrogen present in the semi-finished products1.
A significant role in the formation of pores is played1,6 by
the process of diffusion of hydrogen from the parent metal
observed at the hydrogen content in the metal higher than
1.4 cm3/100 g.
One of the reasons for the formation of pores1,6 is the
jump-like change of the solubility of hydrogen with the
variation of the temperature of the weld pool and the weld
zone with the solid –liquid metal (Table 1).
The pore formation process usually takes place in two
stages: nucleation and growth of a pore, floating upwards,
and escape of the pore from the melt.
In the first stage, to reduce the number of nuclei of gas
bubbles, it is necessary, if possible, to block the source that
generates of hydrogen into the weld pool. Therefore, the
amount of impurities in the semi-finished products of the
ISSN 0950-7116 print/ISSN 1754-2138 online
q 2011 Taylor & Francis
DOI: 10.1080/09507116.2011.554241
http://www.informaworld.com
sing components made of aluminium –lithium alloys, a
surface layer with the thickness of up to 0.3 mm is removed
before welding from the welded edges by machining or
chemical treatment. In some cases, it is recommended3 to
carry out thermal vacuum treatment of the welded
elements in order to dissociate hydrides and other unstable
compounds, reduce the lithium content of the surface
layer, and remove the volatile breakdown products.
Furthermore, even if all the requirements imposed by
the currently valid instructions on the preparation of
components for welding and welding materials are
satisfied, in some cases, it is not possible to produce
welded joints without pores. Some of the pores remain
between the crystals during solidification of the weld pool.
The rising and escape of the bubbles in welding of more
complicated (in comparison with butt) types of joint
(T-joints) become far more difficult. Therefore, it is very
important to intensify the second stage of the pore
formation process in welding – rising and escape of the
bubbles from the melt.
Many authors, investigating the kinetics of pore
formation in the welded joints, note that the effect on the
weld pool causing mixing or oscillations of the melt leads
to rising and removal of the gas bubbles from the melt.
This process is intensified by different procedures –
mechanical oscillations of the arc7, intermittent supply of
the filler wire8, superposition of short-term powerful
current pulses on the main welding current9, low-
frequency modulation of rectangular current of different
polarity10, electromagnetic stirring11, etc.
In this work, investigations were carried out on
methods of reducing weld porosity in argon-shielded arc
welding of an alloy of the Al –Mg –Li system, i.e. 1424
alloy, used as the structural materials for aircraft
containers, including fuel tanks. The 1424 aluminium
alloy is recommended12 as the material with high specific
strength (r ¼ 2.54 g/cm3) and high corrosion resistance.
The chemical composition and mechanical properties of
the alloy are presented in Table 2.
The fuel tank is assembled from rigid panels joined
together by automatic argon-shielded arc welding. The
main types of welded joint in the structure of the fuel tank
are simple butt and T-joints. Since the tank is filled with
 458 M.M. Shtrikman et al.

Table 1.

TU 1-804-397-
Solubility of hydrogen

Source

2002
3
cm /100 g Mass Volume
T (oC) of metal fraction (%) fraction (%)
300 0.01 9.44 £ 1028 0.0024
660 (solid) 0.0036 3.4 £ 1026 0.0862

Kamensk-Uralsky Metallurgical Plant (KUMP)

6.52 £ 1025

Zn
660 (liquid) 0.69 1.65

–
700 0.92 8.7 £ 1025 2.2

, 0.0015
800 1.67 4.0

Na
Impurities (%)
fuel, the welded joints are subject to stringent leak

,0.08
tightness requirements and, consequently, more stringent

Si
standards of acceptable porosity.
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The specimens of 1424 alloy with a thickness of

, 0.1
Fe
2.5 mm and the dimensions for welding butt joint of
300 £ 90 mm and T-joints 250 £ 90 mm (the flange of the
T-joints), and 250 £ 35 mm (the web of the T-joints) were

0.07– 0.1

Supplier
Zr
prepared for welding in accordance with the currently
valid instructions. The surface layer was removed by
mechanical or chemical milling and scraping (immedi-

d (%)
Co
ately prior to welding) to a depth of 0.25 mm from both

10
–

–
sides of each butt-welded edge at a distance of 15 mm from
the end of the edges, and also from the surface of the

Transverse
elements joined by T-joints (Figure 1(c)). The specimens

s0.2

290
(MPa)
V
–

–
were assembled and secured for welding in a special

Mechanical properties, minimum

experimental stand: for butt welding on a replaceable
backing plate without any holes and with small holes

430
(MPa)
with a diameter 1.5 mm, the distance between the holes

sB
Ti
–

–
was 15 –20 mm for supplying argon to the surface of the
melt of the welded joint during welding.
The sheet components for welding T-joints were d (%)
Cu
–

8
assembled by placing the web between two angular
Composition (%)

backing plates (Figure 1(b)), preventing movement of the

0.1– 0.25

Longitudinal

web so that the end of the edge of the flange was situated
s0.2

290

380
Mn

(MPa)

approximately on the level of the upper surface of the

backing plate (not lower). Subsequently, the flange of the
T-joints was placed on the end of the edge of the web and
0.02 –0.2

the surface of the backing plate and pressed to them.

430

460
(MPa)
Be

sB

Welding was carried out using ADSV 6 automatic

welding equipment with AMg63 filler wire with an arc
Type of semi-finished products according to

Sheet, d ¼ 1.5 – 6.0 mm, TU 1-804-397-

power source – Magic Wave 2600 CrL inverter welding

0.05 – 0.08

equipment, manufactured by Fronius (Austria). The

Sc

conditions for automatic argon-shielded arc welding of

Pressed profile, TU 1-804-395-2002

the specimens are presented in Table 3.

X-ray examination of the welded joints showed small
0.4 – 0.7
Zn

pores mainly in the zones with accelerated cooling and

TU

solidification of the weld metal – at the interface and in the

root of the welded joint (Figure 2(a)). Larger pores were
1.5– 1.8

found in the central and upper part of the welded joints

Li

(Figure 2(b)). Evidently, these pores did not manage to

move to the surface of the weld pool during solidification.
4.7– 5.2

In the welded T-joints, the oxide inclusions and pores of

Mg

2002

different sizes were concentrated mostly in the root of the

welded joint (Figure 2(c)). This may be due to the fact that
1424TG1

the surface of the edges in the T-joints is placed in a less

Table 2.

Alloy

favourable position in comparison with the butt-welded

1424

joint for treatment with the arc discharge and also for
 Welding International
(a)
≥ 30
Treatment zones
≥ 15
Figure 1. Preparation of the surface of the edges (a) and assembling diagram (b) for welding T-joints: (1) the flange, (2) the clamping
inserts (two), (3) angular backing sheet and (4) the web.
rising and the removal of the defects from the root of the
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welded joint.
The defect characteristics of the welded joints in the
aluminium alloys – the small pores and oxide inclusions –
could not be always detected by X-ray and ultrasonic
examination, especially in the T-joints. These defects were
detected in fractographic examination of the fracture
surface of the full-size welded specimens with a working
cross section of 50 £ 2.5 mm (flange) and 20 £ 2.5 mm
(web), tested in low-cycle fatigue (LCF) by tensile loading
along the joint. The typical defects (Figure 3) acted as
areas of failure of the specimens in the test. Table 4 shows
welding defects detected on the fracture surface of the
fatigue specimens tested by pulsed tensile loading of the
T-joints in the welded specimens of the sheets of 1424
alloy (flange thickness 2 mm, web thickness 2.5 mm),
produced by automatic argon-shielded arc welding with
AMg63 filler.
Analysis of the fracture zones in an electron scanning
microscope shows the following.
. The LCF testing of the welded specimens with
pulsed tensile loading results in multiple area
fatigue fracture.
. The fine pores and oxide inclusions open up in the
path of propagation of the fatigue crack and change
the direction of crack propagation, accelerating
crack propagation and reducing the endurance of the
welded joint. Therefore, care must be taken when
considering recommendations made by certain
authors who propose different methods of complete
fracture of the oxide film and assume that this could
result in changes in the requirements in production
on the removal of the oxide film from the surface of
the edges. However, the particles of the fracture
film, penetrating into the weld pool, may act as the
Table 3.
Welding wire diameter Welding current
Joint (mm) (mA)
Butt 1.6 120
T 2.0 200– 220
Note: Automatic argon-shielded arc welding, thickness of specimens 2.5 mm, alloy 1424.
459
(b)
P P
1
2
8
R
4 S 3
centres of initiation of gas bubbles and become
zones of fracture.
The removal of the oxide figure from the surface of the
welded edges and the welding wire results in a large
reduction in the number of pores of the welded joint, but
this is not the only condition for producing the welded
joints without pores. The hydrogen, forming the pores,
may penetrate into the weld pool from other sources –
from the welded and welding materials, especially from
the shielding gas.
It is well known that even high-quality argon contains
small amounts of impurities – oxygen, hydrogen, and
nitrogen. In most cases, the metal is protected against the
effect of air in the welding zone on the front side by
blowing in argon, and on the weld root side it is shielded
using a backing strip. In the production, the melt is
protected against air using a temporary backing sheet with
an internal channel with small holes (diameter approxi-
mately 1 mm) spaced at a small distance (15 – 25 mm)
along the entire channel. Argon is supplied through the
channel and the holes on the surface of the melt heated
during welding to a high temperature. Argon has the
positive thermodynamic potential DGT0 , so that according
to the DGT0 – T equilibrium diagram and the equilibrium
constant ln KP –T, the surface of the melt is oxidized with
the formation of Al2O313. A spot with different degrees of
oxidation (depending on the temperature of the metal and
the rate of discharge of the argon jets) remains opposite
every hole of the backing strip on the surface of the melt.
As the consumption of argon increases, the diameter of
the hole in the backing sheet becomes smaller, the rate
of discharge of the argon jet and the amount of discharge
of argon increase, and, consequently, the impurities in
argon manage to interact with the hot metal in the high-
temperature stage of the weld cycle. Thus, suitable
Welding speed Wire feed rate Argon flow rate
(m/h) (m/h) (l/min)
16 – 18 60 – 70 10
12 – 14 60 – 80 12
 460 M.M. Shtrikman et al.

Figure 2. (a) Pores and oxide inclusions in a butt-welded joint at the weld boundary (b) and the upper part of the welded joint (c) and
also in the root of the T-welded joint.
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Figure 3. Areas of fracture of the welded specimens in testing to determine sB and LCF: (a) a chain of pores, excess metal on the web,
and the flange of the T-joints, coarse traces of dressing the welded joint; (b) oxidized pores and cracks on the surface of the fillet and
(c) internal pores.

thermodynamic conditions are created for the reaction of
the gas impurities present in argon with the metal of the
melt and for the formation of the oxide skin on the melt14.
The experimental results show that the degree of
oxidation of the melt in the area of discharge of the jet
from the hole and the number of pores in the welded joint
decrease (Table 5) with the decrease of the consumption of
argon in blowing into the backing sheet from 5 to
0.3 l/min. This is explained by the reduction of the rate of
discharge of argon from the holes and of the amount of gas
impurities in the composition of argon at the hot surface of
the melt.
It was also established that the effective shielding of
the melt in welding can be achieved by using a temporary
backing sheet tightly pressed to the welded edges and to
the penetration area without additional blowing of argon
(Table 5, II-3). If there is no tight contact between the
welded edges and the penetration area with the backing
sheet, the backing sheet should be purged with argon at a
rate of 4– 5 l/min prior to welding. The argon flow rate

Table 4.

Number of cycles to fracturea at smax (MPa)

Fractographic features of zones with fatigue
Loading direction sB (MPa) 160 250 fracture areas

Along the joint 550– 580 14; 150 2 177; 849 15; 520 2 22; 970 Chains of pores carried
100; 780 21; 598 on and below the surface of
the fillet; oxide films on the
surface of the fillet and below
the surface
Across the joint 415– 425 110; 740 2 261; 550 1290 2 25; 000 Pores and geometrical stress concentrators on
160; 155 17; 324 the fillet in the form of
excess metal on the web and
flange of the specimen
a
v ¼ 5 Hz. The lowest, highest, and mean values of endurance determined on the basis of the results of tests on five specimens are presented.
 Welding International 461

Table 5.

Number of pores
Experiment Variant in 100 mm of
no. The varied technologicalparameter no. Variants of the technologicalparameter welded joint
I Heat removal into the equipment 1 A backing sheet and support played 22 – 25
through the backing below the clamping keys – copper
sheet and clamping keys
2 The same, steel 10 – 12
II Blowing argon through the 1 With blowing argon 22 – 25
holes in the copper backing sheet fluoride 4 – 5 l/min
3 Without blowing (no holes) 8 – 10
4 Blowing into the backing sheet 3–5
prior to welding, 4 – 5 l/min
Blowing in welding, 0.3 – 0.5 l/min
III Stirring of the weld pool 1 Without rotation of the arc 22 – 25
5 With rotation of the arc and axial 6–8
feed of welding wire
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6 The same, with the welding wire 1–3

preheated during welding
IV Heat and mass transfer of the 1 The axes of the electrode and of 22 – 25
metal to the interface in the the nozzle of the welding torch
tail part of the weld pool were perpendicular to the weld axis
7 The same, with tilting by 20 – 258from 10 – 13
the vertical in the welding direction

Notes: (1) Automatic argon-shielded arc welding, AMg63 filler wire, alloy 1423, d ¼ 2.5 mm, the type of joint - butt. (2) The central part of the welded joint 250 mm long into
specimens for each variant was examined. (3) The results of approximate calculations of the number of pores (the projection of the pores on radiographs and within the limits of
the resolution power of the method) reflect the tendency for the reduction of porosity using the proposed method.

should then be gradually reduced to 0.2– 0.3 l/min and the pores decreases by a factor of 1.5– 2. Additional gas jet
welding should be carried out at this flow rate (Table 5, flows can also be used for this purpose15.
II-4). At the same time, the flow of new volumes of argon As mentioned previously, stirring of the weld pool
to the heated metal is reduced, and, consequently, the supports degassing of the pool. An efficient method of
amount of the impurities in argon is lower. intensifying degassing of the pool is welding with a
The time during which the weld pool is molten and, rotating electrode with vertical feed of the filler wire
consequently, the rising time of the gas bubbles is through an insulating channel in the axial part of the
increased are by reducing the intensity of heat removal welding head16. As shown in Figure 4, continuous
from the welding zone into the clamping device. preheating of the filler wire1 increases the heat content
Two groups of specimens were welded (three speci- of the weld pool and also the duration of the existence of
mens in each group). The specimens were assembled for the weld pool which together with the stirring of the pool
welding on a copper plate with an insert made of a copper with the forces of rotation of the rotating arc has a
sheet between the welded edges and the clamping keys of
welding equipment (the first group, Table 5, I-1) and on
the backing sheet of 1Cr18Ni9Ti steel with an insert below
the clamping keys also made of stainless steel (second
group, Table 5, I-2). According to radiographs, the number
of the pores in the welded joints of the specimens of the
second group is 2 – 3 times smaller than in the welded joint
of the specimens of the first group (Table 5). 1
The solidification rate of the metal which delays I0
the exit of the pores from the weld pool is linked with the
temperature gradient at the interface in the tail part of
Iw
the weld pool. Investigations were carried out into the 2
possibilities of increasing the heat content of the zone and Ar Ia
the degassing time of the weld pool metal by the transfer of
mass of hot metal from the central part of the pool into the
tail part and, consequently, displacing the solidification
front. This was carried out by affecting the liquid metal of
the weld pool by the pressure of the arc and the argon jet
which displaces the liquid metal into the tail part of the Figure 4. Diagram of argon-shielded arc welding with a
pool when the torch tilted (the axis of the electrode and the rotating electrode and vertical feed of preheated filler wire: (1)
gas jet) by 20– 308by the ‘angle forward’. The number of filler wire and (2) tungsten electrode.
 462 M.M. Shtrikman et al.
beneficial effect on the degassing conditions of the weld
pool (Table 5, III-5, III-6).
Advantages of the process of welding with a rotating
arc with vertical feed include the increase of cleaning of
the surface of cathodic of the welded edges to remove the
oxide film and also the protection of the surface of the
heating section of the filler wire against oxidation and
contamination by passing the filler wire through an
insulating pipe just prior to introduction into the weld
pool.
Conclusions
In argon-shielded arc welding of aluminium alloys, it is
necessary to use various methods to reduce the number of
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pores in the weld metal in the first and second stages of the
pore formation process.
In the first stage, the number of gas formation sources
falling into the weld pool can be reduced (in addition to
fulfilling the requirements of the currently available
instructions on the preparation of the surface of the edges
of components for welding) using a backing plate for
protection against air, with the plate tightly pressed to the
edges and the penetration area, without additional blowing
of argon during welding through holes in the backing plate
or with blowing argon prior to welding and with blowing
during welding with the low consumption of argon (0.2 –
0.3 l/min).
In the second stage of degassing, it is essential to
take technological measures directed at increasing the
duration of existence of the weld pool, reducing the
temperature gradient at the interface of the tail part of
the pool, and ensuring highly efficient stirring of the
weld pool.
These conditions are guaranteed during welding with a
rotating tungsten electrode with the axial feed of preheated
filler wire.
Note
1. Author’s certificate 1166942 (USSR).
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