Effect of forced cooling on weld appearance and microhardness of electron beam welded QCr0.8 alloy

Electron beam welding of QCrO.8 chromium bronze was investigated to improve weld appearance and reduce the size of softened zone of the joints.Effect of forced cooling on weld appearance and microhardness of the joints was studied by both experiment and numerical simulation.Both welding with and without forced cooling were conducted and analyzed comparatively.The results showed that a quasi steady state temperature field and a large temperature gradient perpendicular to welding direction could achieved by forced cooling.A consistent weld width throughout the entire weld and smooth surface for both the top and bottom was achieved by forced cooling process.The width of softened zone,of the joint was reduced from 1.6mm to 1 mm by forced cooling.