Influence of heat treatment of laser-welded joints of aluminum-lithium alloys on the instability of plastic flow

This paper presents an analysis of the experimentally observed evolution of the unstable plastic flow obtained by laser welding of samples of aluminum-lithium alloys of the Al–6Mg–2Li, Al–1,6Cu–1,1Mg–1,8Li, Al–3,4Cu–0,66Mg–1,5Li systems, under various heat treatment conditions after welding. Comparison of the discontinuous yield of alloys with different concentrations of magnesium, copper, and lithium was performed. The effect of copper on the spatial consistency of the localized shear bands formed in aluminum-lithium alloys under unstable plastic flow.