Microstructure formation in partially melted zone during gas tungsten arc welding of AZ91 Mg cast alloy

During gas tungsten arc (GTA) welding of AZ91 Mg cast alloy, constitutional liquid forms locally in the original interdendritic regions in the partially melted zone (PMZ). The PMZ re-solidification behaviour has not been well understood. In this study, the gradual change of the re-solidification microstructure within PMZ from base metal side to weld metal side was characterised. High cooling rate experiments using Gleeble thermal simulator were also conducted to understand the morphological change of the α-Mg/β-Mg17Al12 phase interface formed during re-solidification after partial melting. It was found that the original partially divorced eutectic structure has become a more regular eutectic phase in most of the PMZ, although close to the fusion boundary the re-solidified eutectic is again a divorced one. Proceeding the eutectic re-solidification, if the degree of partial melting is sufficiently high, α-Mg re-solidified with a cellular growth, resulting in a serrated interface between α-Mg and α-Mg/β-Mg17Al12 in the weld sample and between α-Mg and β-Mg17Al12 (fully divorced eutectic) in Gleeble samples. The morphological changes affected by the peak temperature and cooling rate are also explained.