Influence of Cu-Interlayer Thickness on Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of MIG-Welded Mg-Steel Joints

The joining of AZ31B Mg alloy to Q235 steel was realized by metal inert-gas arc welding using Cu-interlayer. Microstructure characteristics and mechanical properties of Mg-steel joints with Cu-interlayer of different thicknesses were investigated. The results indicated that acceptable joints with sound appearance could be obtained by adjusting the thickness to the range of 0.1-0.2 mm. In particular, at the thickness of 0.15 mm, the average tensile strength reached a maximum of 190 MPa, representing a 79% joint efficiency relative to the Mg base metal. Further increasing the thickness would cause more formation of coarse and thick Mg-Cu eutectic structure and Mg-Al-Cu ternary phase, which resulted in the decrease of joint strength. Therefore, the best thickness of Cu-interlayer to obtain high strength of Mg-steel MIG-welded joint was in the range of 0.1-0.15 mm. The average microhardness reached the maximum value in the reaction layer because of the presence of FeAl intermetallic compounds.