Effect of the Ni plating on Al–Cu dissimilar metal laser welded joint
Open accessAbstract
In this study, the joint strength and interfacial microstructure of Al–Cu laser welded joints are investigated to understand the effect of Ni plating. Cu without plating and Cu plated with 1 μm and 4 μm of Ni were laser welded with Al, respectively, and their differences in joint strength and microstructure were comparatively analyzed. Macrostructure observations showed that the plating had no effect on the change of weld pool shape. Lap shear tests revealed that there was a distinctive improvement in joint strength with the Ni plating. Under a 1.4 kW laser power condition, it was noted that the sample with 4 μm Ni plating showed a 49% increase in load and a 100% increase in elongation compared to the sample without plating. Fracture surface observations revealed that Ni addition has changed the crack propagation path resulting in the increased joint strength. Microstructural analysis showed that the Ni is occupied in intermetallic compounds (IMCs) such as Al3Cu2, AlCu, and Al2Cu3 developed at the interface between Cu and Al2Cu which were known as the primary crack propagation phase in Al–Cu laser welded joint. Additionally, increases in their thickness and changes in their shapes to irregular wavy forms were observed, potentially reducing load concentration and increasing joint surface area, facilitating stable joint formation. Density functional theory calculations showed that the IMCs with Ni undergo contraction in the cell volume suggesting solid solution strengthening of…
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Sung et al.'s findings showed that adding Ni improved the Al-Cu IMCs' solid solution strength, thereby enhancing the joints' ability to withstand shear loads and simultaneously improving their electrical conductivity by reducing resistive interfacial phases.
“Their findings showed that adding Ni improved the Al-Cu IMCs' solid solution strength, thereby enhancing the joints' ability to withstand shear loads and simultaneously improving their electrical conductivity by reducing resistive interfacial phases.”
From Effect of nickel interlayer thickness on intermetallic compound formation and interfacial integrity in pulsed laser welding of aluminum and copper (2026) · cites this paper as [30]
Continuous laser welding results in a thick (more than the critical IMC thickness), continuous IMC layer at the interface, driven by prolonged thermal exposure.
“Schematics in Fig. 15(a), show that continuous laser welding results in a thick (more than the critical IMC thickness), continuous IMC layer at the interface, driven by prolonged thermal exposure [30] [42].”
From Effect of nickel interlayer thickness on intermetallic compound formation and interfacial integrity in pulsed laser welding of aluminum and copper (2026) · cites this paper as [30]
EDS results show Ni levels well below the threshold for forming binary IMCs like AlNi or Al3Ni (>20 at% Ni) or the ternary Al7Cu4Ni (8.3 at% Ni).
“EDS results show Ni levels well below the threshold for forming binary IMCs like AlNi or Al₃Ni (>20 at% Ni) [30] or the ternary Al₇Cu₄Ni (8.3 at% Ni).”
From Effect of nickel interlayer thickness on intermetallic compound formation and interfacial integrity in pulsed laser welding of aluminum and copper (2026) · cites this paper as [30]
Ni contracts the lattice within Al-Cu IMCs, providing precipitation hardening, solid solution strengthening, and improved joint stability.
“Additionally, Ni contracts the lattice within Al-Cu IMCs, providing precipitation hardening, solid solution strengthening, and improved joint stability [30].”
From Effect of nickel interlayer thickness on intermetallic compound formation and interfacial integrity in pulsed laser welding of aluminum and copper (2026) · cites this paper as [30]
Cites
Dimatteo, V., Ascari, A., & Fortunato, A. (2019) · Journal of Manufacturing Processes · doi:10.1016/j.jmapro.2019.06.002 · Cited by 149 · see citing works
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Singh, R., Arora, N., & Choudhary, A. (2026) · Welding in the World · doi:10.1007/s40194-026-02375-5 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
“Additionally, Ni contracts the lattice within Al-Cu IMCs, providing precipitation hardening, solid solution strengthening, and improved joint stability [30].”
Influential
- Authors
- Sung, H.-M., Lee, S., Lee, D., Kim, H., Kang, S.-G., Lee, G.-D., Jeong, K., & Han, H. N.
- Affiliations
- Seoul National University (KR)
- Gyeongsang National University (KR)
- Corresponding author
- Jeong, Kyeongjae
- Han, Heung Nam
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of Materials Research and Technology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2024-07
- Volume
- 31
- Pages
- 2473-2483
- ISSN
- 2214-0697 (ISSN-L)
- 2238-7854
- OpenAlex
- W4400251075
- Cited by
- 28
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 3
- FWCI
- 3.73
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Materials Research and Technology (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Research Foundation of Korea
- Seoul National University
- Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (2021R1A2C3005096, RS-2023-00261543)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanical Engineering › Advanced Welding Techniques Analysis
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanical Engineering › Welding Techniques and Residual Stresses
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Electrical and Electronic Engineering › Electronic Packaging and Soldering Technologies
- Keywords
- laser welding, nickel plating, intermetallic compounds, Al2Cu, AlCu, joint strength, lap shear strength, fracture morphology, crack propagation, interfacial microstructure, solid solution strengthening, density functional theory
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