May 13 - 16, 2008
Gaylord Palms
Orlando, Florida USA

Extrusion/Die Practical

043 PR 
Friday, May 16 - 9:30am

Seam Welds Quality in AA6060 Alloy

Lorenzo Donati and Luca Tomesani -- University of Bologna, Italy;
Vincenzo Giacomelli and Stefano Andreoli -- Compes SpA., Italy

Seam weld joining and processing conditions’ effects on seam weld quality in AA6060 extrusions are analyzed. An I-shape profile with longitudinal mid-section welds is used to extrude profiles at different preheating temperatures and production rates. FEM simulations are realized via thermo-mechanical Deform 3-D simulations. Local welding parameters are linked to tensile test results. Welding criteria are applied to simulations, predicting seam weld quality.