AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF VARIATIONS IN GTAW WELDING CURRENT ON THE BENDING LOAD OF THIN-WALLED ALUMINIUM HOLLOW SECTIONS IN STRUCTURAL APPLICATIONS

Abstrak

AA6061 aluminium is widely used as a structural material due to its relatively low
density, corrosion resistance and good strength-to-weight ratio. In its structural
applications, the material’s ability to withstand bending loads is one of the key
aspects that must be considered. However, the GTAW welding process can affect the
material’s mechanical properties as a result of the thermal cycles that occur during
welding. This study aims to analyse the effect of variations in welding current on the
bending capacity of thin-walled hollow AA6061 aluminium. The material used was 1.4
mm thick AA6061 hollow aluminium, welded using the GTAW process with AC
polarity and ER5356 filler metal. The welding currents used were 40 A and 60 A.
Testing was carried out using the three-point bending method to determine the
maximum bending load that the specimens could withstand. The results of the study
showed that the specimen welded at 40 A produced a maximum bending load of
3,384.45 N, whilst the specimen welded at 60 A produced a maximum bending load
of 2,943 N. These results indicate that an increase in welding current from 40 A to 60
A results in a decrease in the maximum bending load. Consequently, variations in
welding current affect the ability of AA6061 hollow aluminium to withstand bending
loads.