Heat treat Al 6082-T6 post EB weld

[20vt]

Hi,

I am fabricating a large thin walled item from Al 6082 T6.

Due to the likelihood of distortion during welding, I have opted for EB welding to keep the HAZ as small as possible.

My question is do I need to stress relieve post welding? Obviously, the weld won't be in the T6. I don't want to solution treat as I have a machined surface.

Cheers

 

[bklauba]

If the chief aim of the SR is dimensional stability, you might think about vibratory stress relief. You say "large, thin-walled" fab. Can you be specific? Overall size, weight, etc.

BK

 

[20vt]

Sorry for the tardy reply and thanks for your help

The wall thickness is 4mm and the diameter is 400mm.

I ended up getting some representative test pieces made up and measuring the hardness using micro indentor. The results indictated the condition of the weld bead/HAZ had dropped to T4/T5.

I subsequently heat treated at 150°C for 3 hours, which recovered the strength to near T6. I was keen to stay below 200°C to avoid any recrystalisation deformations.