Combined effect of resistance spot welding and precipitation hardening on tensile shear load bearing capacity of A286 superalloy

This work aims to study the combined effect of resistance spot welding (RSW) and precipitation hardening on tensile shear load bearing capacity (TSLBC) of A286 superalloy. The tensile shear test specimens were welded in the solution treated condition, and then subjected to different precipitation hardening treatments. The impoverishment in Ti, due to its segregation towards the interdendritic region (studied by performing SEM/EDX analysis), causes the development of gamma prime depleted zones in the dendrite core of the weld nugget, which is associated with a decrease of the mechanical properties with respect to the base metal. The segregation of Ti towards the interdendritic region of the weld nugget has also influence on the eta phase formation, which appears later (with longer aging times) in the weld nugget than in the base metal. The aging time at which the maximum experimental TSLBC is reached is, for both aging temperatures, 100 h. The experimental TSLBC of the tensile shear test specimens hardened at lower aging temperature is greater (except for the shortest aging time) than that of those hardened at higher aging temperature.