Effect of scandium additions on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Zn-Mg alloy welds

The microstructure and mechanical properties of fusion zones of medium strength Al-Zn-Mg alloy (RDE-40) welds obtained by using different fillers containing various amount of scandium was investigated. It was observed that addition of scandium led to very significant grain refinement in the fusion zone especially for scandium levels greater than the eutectic composition (0.55 wt%). The grain refinement led to the reduction in solidification cracking and improved the tensile properties of fusion zone compared to the ones obtained by the commercial AA5556 filler.