Simulation of Electron Beam Welding of Aluminum Alloy 6061 Thin Plates

Abstract

This article presents a simulation of electron beam welding of thin plates (2 mm to 4 mm) made of aluminum alloy 6061 using the kinetic energy of a high-velocity electron beam, which locally heats the joint area to temperatures significantly exceeding the melting point of the material. Regression models for the geometric characteristics of the molten zone (length of the molten zone, width of the molten zone, cross-sectional area of the molten zone) have been evaluated as functions of the electron beam power, welding velocity, and plate thickness. These models are used for the multi-criteria optimization of the parameters of the electron beam welding process.