In this present work, solidification cracking behaviour of 2195 Al-Cu-Li was investigated, and the susceptibility was compared with conventional alloys viz., 2219 and 2014. Varestraint test, Gleeble® hot ductility test and Thermo-Calc® simulation was conducted to rank these alloys based on crack susceptibility. High throughput experiments were performed on 2195 alloy, to study the effect on solidification parameters on cracking. A parametric map of cooling rate and temperature gradient representing the spiral path was simulated and correlated with the experiments. The parametric map was linked with the physical location cracks to identify the critical processing window for solidification cracking.
Friction stir welding (FSW) was performed on 2195 alloy, and optimum processing window was generated to achieve defect-free welds. Mechanical properties of FSW welds at room temperature and operating temperatures (77K and 20K) was evaluated and compared with gas tungsten arc (GTA) welds. Mechanical properties and microstructure evolution in various zones of FSW welds were investigated. Studies on FSW of dissimilar aluminium alloy (2195-2219) were performed and the welds were characterized.