Processing of multi-sheet structures of an aluminum alloy by laser welding/superplastic forming

Multi-sheet structures of an aluminum alloy were fabricated through laser welding combined with superplastic forming technique in this paper. The novel welding design and bonding have been developed to improve the formation quality of the structure for the aluminum alloy. The laser welding microstructure of the fine-grained 5083 Al alloy was studied. The fine equiaxed grains with 1.5 μm in center zone of weld were observed by transmission electron microscope. Tensile tests show that ultimate tensile strength of the welded specimen is about 91% that of the base metal at 500 °C. The distribution in thickness within the formed structure was investigated. It reveals homogeneous deformation and well-bonding property of the structure. The present study verifies the feasibility of the processing procedures for the multi-sheet structures of an aluminum alloy.