UAM transition for fusion welding of dissimilar metal parts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10870166-B2
Application number	US-201815885895-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2018
Priority date	Feb 1, 2018
Publication date	Dec 22, 2020
Grant date	Dec 22, 2020

Abstract

Welded assemblies and related methods of making the welded assemblies include a first component of a first metal material, a second component of a second metal material that is different from the first metal material, and a transition material including one or more of a high entropy alloy, a pure element, and an alloy that is not a high entropy alloy, and that is arranged between and contacting the first component and the second component. An ultrasonic weld joins the transition material to the first component, and a fusion weld joins the first component to the second component. The fusion weld contact the first component, the second component, and the transition material. The amount or level of one or more of galvanic corrosion, intermetallic compounds, and solidification cracking in the fusion weld is less than if the first component was fusion welded directly to the second component.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A welded assembly comprising:
a first component including a first metal material,
a second component including a second metal material having a different composition than the first metal material,
a transition material arranged between and contacting the first component and the second component, the transition material comprising one or more of a high entropy alloy, a pure element, and an alloy that is not a high entropy alloy,
an ultrasonic weld joining the transition material to the first component, and
a fusion weld extending through the ultrasonic weld and the transition material, and joining the first component to the second component;
wherein the fusion weld contacts the first component, the second component, and the transition material;
wherein the ultrasonic weld, the fusion weld, and the transition material are different portions of the welded assembly.

2. The welded assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the fusion weld contacts the first component and the second component.

3. The welded assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the fusion weld includes the first metal material, the second metal material, and the transition material.

4. The welded assembly according to claim 1 , wherein:
the transition material is a multi-layer structure including at least a first layer and a second layer;
the first layer is arranged closest to the first component;
the second layer is arranged closest to the second component; and
the fusion weld contains less of one or more of galvanic corrosion, intermetallic compounds, and solidification cracking than if the second layer was arranged closest to the first component and the first layer was arranged closest to the second component.

5. The welded assembly according to claim 4 , wherein at least one layer of the multi-layer structure includes vanadium or niobium.

6. The welded assembly according to claim 4 , wherein layers of the multi-layer structure, including the first layer and the second layer, are themselves welded together at their interfaces other than by the fusion weld.

7. The welded assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the fusion weld is a resistance spot weld.

8. The welded assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first metal material comprises aluminum, and the second metal material comprises steel.

9. The welded assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first component does not contact the second component.

10. The welded assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the transition material is joined to the second component only by the fusion weld.

11. A method of making a welded assembly, comprising:
providing a transition material ultrasonically welded to a first component,
arranging the transition material between the first component and a second component such that the transition material contacts the second component, and
joining the first component to the second component by forming a fusion weld between the first component and the second component;
wherein the first component comprises a first metal material, the second component comprises a second metal material having a different composition than the first metal material, and the transition material comprises one or more of a high entropy alloy, a pure element, and an alloy that is not a high entropy alloy,
wherein the fusion weld contacts the first component, the second component, and the transition material.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the fusion weld passes through the transition material to contact the first component and the second component.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the fusion weld includes the first metal material, the second metal material, and the transition material.

14. The method according to claim 11 , wherein:
the transition material comprises a multi-layer structure including at least a first layer and a second layer;
the first layer is arranged closest to the first component;
the second layer is arranged closest to the second component; and
the fusion weld contains less of one or more of galvanic corrosion, intermetallic compounds, and solidification cracking than if the second layer was arranged closest to the first component and the first layer was arranged closest to the second component.

15. The method according to claim 14 , further comprising, before ultrasonic welding the transition material to the first component, welding layers of the multi-layer structure, including the first layer and the second layer, together at their interfaces.

16. The method according to claim 11 , wherein providing includes ultrasonic welding the transition material to the first component.

17. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the fusion weld is a resistance spot weld.

18. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the first metal material comprises aluminum, and the second metal material comprises steel.

19. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the first component does not contact the second component.

20. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the transition material is joined to the second component only through the fusion weld.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hahnlen Ryan M

Classifications

• B23K20/10 Primary

  making use of vibrations, e.g. ultrasonic welding · CPC title

• B23K26/60

  Preliminary treatment · CPC title

• B32B15/012

  one layer being formed of an iron alloy or steel, another layer being formed of aluminium or an aluminium alloy · CPC title

• B32B15/18

  comprising iron or steel {(B32B15/011, B32B15/012 and B32B15/013 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B32B15/20

  comprising aluminium or copper {(B32B15/016 and B32B15/017 take precedence)} · CPC title