Process model for strength of age hardenable aluminium alloy welds

Abstract

An existing process model for hardness prediction in age hardenable aluminium alloy welds is presented and analysed. One of the key criticisms of this model is that its derivation assumes softening is due to precipitate dissolution alone. The influence of precipitate coarsening has been determined by developing an equivalent model for softening owing to coarsening. It is shown that the experimentally derived master curves that form the basis of the model are capable of representing softening by a mixture of precipitate coarsening and dissolution. Methods to predict post-weld natural aging are discussed, and a new method is presented based on direct prediction of the Guinier–Preston zone fraction. The model has been applied to friction stir welding. Model predictions agree well with measured hardness profiles, and the sensitivity of the predictions to temperature is discussed.     

Corrosion fatigue behaviour of aluminium alloy 6061-T651 welded using fully automatic gas metal arc welding and ER5183 filler alloy

The fatigue life of aluminium 6061-T651 at various applied stress amplitudes in the unwelded and welded condition was found to be significantly reduced on immersion in a 3.5% NaCl simulated sea water solution, compared to that measured in ambient air. The ratio of fatigue life in NaCl test solution to that in air increased as the stress amplitude decreased. The observed reduction in the fatigue life in the NaCl test solution was most likely due to the presence of pits which nucleated on second phase particles or precipitates. Welded joints performed using pulsed gas metal arc welding and ER5183 filler wire failed at the interface between the weld metal and the heat-affected zone as a result of a high pitting rate in this region.     

Predicting tensile strength,hardness and corrosion rate of friction stir welded AA6061-T6 aluminium alloy joints

AA6061-T₆ aluminium alloy (Al–Mg–Si alloy) has gathered wide acceptance in the fabrication of light weight structures requiring high strength-to-weight ratio and good corrosion resistance. The friction stir welding (FSW) process and tool parameters play major role in deciding the joint characteristics. In this research, the tensile strength and hardness along with the corrosion rate of friction-stir-butt welded joints of AA6061-T₆ aluminium alloy were investigated. The relationships between the FSW parameters (rotational speed, welding speed, axial force, shoulder diameter, pin diameter and tool hardness) and the responses (tensile strength, hardness and corrosion rate) were established. The optimal welding conditions to maximize the tensile strength and minimize the corrosion rate were identified and reported here.     

The effect of porosity on the microstructural damping response of 6061 aluminium alloy

The paper reports on the results of a systematic study of the effects of micrometre-sized pores on the damping response of 6061 aluminium alloy. Spray atomization and deposition processing was utilized for the present study as a result of its ability to produce a material with a pre-determined amount of non-interconnected, micrometre-sized pores. The amount and distribution of pores present in the material may be systematically altered through variations in the processing parameters by using this synthesis approach. The damping measurements were conducted on cantilever beam specimens by using free vibration decay and resonant vibration techniques. Experimental results showed that the porosity increased with increasing average pore size; the damping capacity, in terms of logarithmic decrement , of the as-spray-deposited 6061 Al alloy, increased from 1.8 to 2.9% as the amount of porosity increased from 4 to 10%. Comparisons show that the damping capacity of the as-spray-deposited 6061 Al alloy is higher than those reported by other investigators using the same alloy but with different processing techniques. The loading damping mechanisms are discussed in the light of data from the characterization of microstructure and damping capacity.     

The fracture of boron fibre-reinforced 6061 aluminium alloy

The fracture of 6061 aluminium alloy reinforced with unidirectional and cross-plied 0/90°, 0/90/±45° boron fibres has been investigated. The results have been described in terms of a critical stress intensity,K _Q. Critical stress intensity factors were obtained by substituting the failure stress and the initial crack length into the appropriate expression forK _Q. Values were obtained that depended on the dimensions of the specimens. It was therefore concluded that, for the size of specimen tested, the values of the critical stress intensity,K _Q, did not reflect any basic materials property.     

Effect of loading rate on absorbed energy and fracture surface deformation in a 6061-T651 aluminum alloy

The absorbed energy, micro- and macrodeformation on fracture surfaces were evaluated at various loading rates for a 6061-T651 aluminum alloy. The variation of absorbed energy with loading rate was compared with the variation of micro- and macrodeformation features in a wide loading rate range. It was found that there are correlations between loading rate dependences of total absorbed energy, whole fracture surface area, shear lip volume and shear lip shape.     

Correlation between ultimate tensile strength and solidification microstructure for the sand cast A357 aluminium alloy

Many studies have demonstrated a relationship between secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS) and the mechanical behaviour of cast aluminium–silicon alloys, both for tensile and fatigue strength. SDAS is related to the solidification time and can be predicted, with a good approximation, by finite-element simulation. However, other microstructural features can affect the tensile behaviour of cast aluminium alloys such as size and morphology of the eutectic Si particles, grain size, composition and morphology of the intermetallic compounds. The present investigation was aimed at finding valuable relationships between ultimate tensile strength and the previously mentioned microstructural parameters for the sand cast A357 aluminium alloy. The microstructural characterization was carried out by optical microscopy and image analysis on more than about 2500 micrographs. Starting from the microstructural parameters and taking into account the material hardness, a relationship able to predict the ultimate tensile strength of the alloy, with an error less than 5%, was found. This relationship can be used to evaluate the local values of the UTS in complex cast components knowing only the hardness and the microstructural parameters, even in positions where the extraction of tensile specimens is not possible.     

Weibull statistical analysis of tensile strength data of short mullite fibre reinforced aluminium alloy composite

Abstract

A statistical evaluation by means of Weibull statistics was carried out on the tensile strength data of a short mullite fibre reinforced aluminium alloy composite, which was prepared by squeeze casting. The results show that the material has a high and reliable tensile strength. The area fractions of the fibres on the cut surface and on the fracture surface of specimens have been statistically analysed. The fibre distribution shows heterogeneity in the microsturcture. On the cut surface the average area fraction of fibres which make large angles with the normal of the cut surface (denoted as A _fl ) is slightly less than that of those fibres which make a small angle with the normal of the cut surface (denoted as A _fs ). However, on the fracture surface of the composite, A _fl is much bigger than A _fs , and the lower the tensile strength of the specimen, the bigger is A _fl on the fracture surface. Debonding of the interface between the large angle fibres and the matrix is an important cause of failure of the composite, and the non-uniform distribution of the large angle fibres is one of the main causes of the large scatter in the data.     

Tensile properties of thermally exposed aluminium borate whisker reinforced 6061 aluminium alloy composite

Abstract

The effect of thermal exposure on the tensile properties of aluminium borate whisker reinforced 6061 aluminium alloy composite was studied. The interfacial reaction was investigated by TEM and the mechanical properties were studied using tensile tests. The results indicated that the interfacial reaction had an influence on the mechanical properties of the composite, so that the maxima of Young’s modulus and ultimate tensile strength of the composite after exposure at 500°C for 10 h were obtained for the optimum degree of interfacial reaction. The yield strength, however, was not only affected by the interfacial state but also by many other factors.     

Extrusion modelling of 6061 aluminium alloy and particle reinforced MMCs

Abstract

Extrusion modelling was performed for 6061 aluminium alloy and three particle reinforced MMCs (10%Al₂O₃/6061, 15%SiC/6061, 20%Al₂O₃/6061) using constitutive equations previously obtained from torsion test data. In applying the finite element software DEFORM, suitable heat transfer, friction, and velocity boundary conditions were chosen based on a direct extrusion press. Simulations were run for various extrusion conditions and the outputs for the four materials were compared. The simulation results were validated by comparison with real life extrusions and modelling of other researchers. The results showed that an increase in billet temperature, a reduction in ram speed, or a reduction in extrusion ratio had the effect of reducing the ram load. In consequence, extrusion conditions could be selected so that extrusion of the composite was carried out with the same peak ram load as the alloy.     

A low cycle fatigue model of a short-fibre reinforced 6061 aluminium alloy metal matrix composite

A low cycle fatigue model has been developed to predict the fatigue life of both the unreinforced aluminium alloy and the short-fibre reinforced aluminium alloy metal-matrix composites based solely on crack propagation from microstructural features. In this approach a crack is assumed to initiate and grow from a microstructural feature on the first cycle. The model assumes that there is a fatigue-damaged zone ahead of the crack tip within which the actual degradation of the material takes place. The low-cycle fatigue crack growth and the condition for failure are controlled by the amount of cyclic plasticity generated within the fatigue-damaged zone ahead of the crack tip and by the ability of the short fibres to constrain this cyclic plasticity. The fatigue crack growth rate is directly correlated to the range of crack-tip opening displacement. The empirical Coffin–Manson and Basquin laws have been derived theoretically and applied to compare with total-strain controlled low-cycle fatigue life data obtained on the unreinforced 6061 aluminium alloy at 25 °C and on the aluminium alloy AA6061 matrix reinforced with Al₂O₃ Saffil short-fibres of a volume fraction of 20 vol.% and test temperatures from −100 to 150 °C. The proposed model can give predicted fatigue lives in good agreement with the experimental total-strain controlled fatigue data at both high strain low-cycle fatigue and low strain high-cycle fatigue regime. It is remarkable that the addition of high-strength Al₂O₃ fibres in the 6061 aluminium alloy matrix will not only strengthen the microstructure of the 6061 aluminium alloy, but also channel deformation at the tip of a crack into the matrix regions between the fibres and therefore constrain the plastic deformation in the matrix. The overall expected effect is therefore the reduction of the fatigue ductility.     

Kinetics of precipitation hardening in SiC whisker-reinforced 6061 aluminium alloy

Ageing behaviour at 180 °C of 6061 aluminium alloy-SiC_w composites, drawn from bars obtained in various extruded ratios, and 6061 aluminium alloy used as matrix, have been compared. These materials were dissolved in a salt bath at 529 and 557 °C for 2 h, quenched in ice-water, and aged at 180 °C in an oil bath for increasing periods. Ageing kinetics were studied with Brinell hardness measurements and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Various samples of the composite, deriving from bars with Φ20, Φ35 and Φ50 mm in diameter, and 6061 aluminium alloy, show the same ageing mechanism; however, the ageing rates results increased for composites. While 6061 aluminium alloy shows its maximum hardness value after about 4–5 h at 180 °C, the 6061-SiC_w composites reach theirs in 2–3 h. Moreover, for composites hardness abruptly decreases after 3 h, while aluminium alloy keeps its maximum value for an ageing time as long as 6 h. Thermal analysis allows us to put together a definite DSC trace for every microstructural state. The highest hardness values are obtained as a result of the formation of a Guinier Preston (GP) needle-shaped zones, which progressively become more thermally stable with protracted isothermal treatment at 180 °C. The different ageing process rates observed for composites and for the 6061 alloy are correlated with the sizes of the reinforcements. Dimensional analysis of whiskers has been performed by light scattering and scanning electron microscopy. Ordinarily the longer the average length of the whiskers in the samples, the faster the ageing process. Higher temperatures are required for composite solutions than for 6061 alloy. On the other hand, 6061-SiC_w samples solutionized at higher temperature and then quenched sometimes show microcrack formation in the materials.     

Recovery for SiCw/6061 aluminium alloy composite chips by hot compression

Abstract

The recovery process of 20 vol.-%SiC_w/6061 aluminium alloy composite chips has been investigated. The results have shown that, by selecting the proper hot compression parameters, the tensile strengths of recovered composites can reach 85% of the original composite strength. The elastic modulus remained very close to that of the original composite and the binding among the chips was good. Therefore, the recovered composite had a good re-utilisation value.     

Rate of workhardening influencing subzero temperature tensile strength properties of heat treated aluminium alloy 7010 plates

Abstract

The tensile properties of aluminium alloy 7010 plates, heat treated to varying aging conditions, i.e. naturally aged, underaged, peak aged and overaged, were examined at ambient and subzero (?50°C) temperatures. It is shown that the maximum increase in strength properties (both 0·2% proof stress and ultimate tensile strength) upon changing the test temperature from ambient to subzero (i.e. ?50°C) is obtained in the case of the naturally aged samples, while there is a minimal increase in the strength properties of the underaged samples when tested at ?50°C. These results are discussed in light of changes in the workhardening behaviour of the materials with aging.     

Fracture mechanisms of aluminium alloy AA7075-T651 under various loading conditions

The fracture behaviour of the aluminium alloy AA7075-T651 is investigated for quasi-static and dynamic loading conditions and different stress states. The fracture surfaces obtained in tensile tests on smooth and notched axisymmetric specimens and compression tests on cylindrical specimens are compared to the fracture surfaces that occur when a projectile, having either a blunt or an ogival nose shape, strikes a 20 mm thick plate of the aluminium alloy. The stress state in the impact tests is much more complex and the strain rate significantly higher than in the tensile and compression tests. Optical and scanning electron microscopes are used in the investigation. The fracture surface obtained in tests with smooth axisymmetric specimens indicates that the crack growth is partly intergranular along the grain boundaries or precipitation free zones and partly transgranular by void formation around fine and coarse intermetallic particles. When the stress triaxiality is increased through the introduction of a notch in the tensile specimen, delamination along the grain boundaries in the rolling plane is observed perpendicular to the primary crack. In through-thickness compression tests, the crack propagates within an intense shear band that has orientation about 45° with respect to the load axis. The primary failure modes of the target plate during impact were adiabatic shear banding when struck by a blunt projectile and ductile hole-enlargement when struck by an ogival projectile. Delamination and fragmentation of the plates occurred for both loading cases, but was stronger for the ogival projectile. The delamination in the rolling plane was attributed to intergranular fracture caused by tensile stresses occurring during the penetration event.     

Grain refinement and superplastic behaviour of a modified 6061 aluminium alloy

Abstract

The superplastic properties and microstructure evolution of a 0.15%Zr and 0.7%Cu modified 6061 aluminium alloy were examined in tension at temperatures ranging from 475 to 600°C and strain rates ranging from 7 × 10^-6 to 2.8 × 10^-2 s^-1. The refined microstructure with an average grain size of about 11 μm was produced in thin sheets by a commercially viable thermomechanical process. It was shown that the modified 6061 alloy exhibits a moderate superplastic elongation of 580% in the entirely solid state at 570°C and ? = 2.8 × 10^-4 s^-1. Superior superplastic properties (elongation to failure of 1300% with a corresponding strain rate sensitivity coefficient m of about 0.65) were found at the same strain rate and a temperature of 590°C, which is higher than the incipient melting point of the 6061 alloy (~575°C). The microstructural evolution during superplastic deformation of the 6061 alloy has been studied quantitatively. The presence of a slight amount of liquid phase greatly promotes the superplastic properties of the 6061 alloy, reducing the cavitation level.     

Fatigue behaviour of a Saffil-reinforced aluminium alloy (AA6061)

Fatigue crack growth properties of squeeze-cast AA6061 alloy reinforced with 20 volume% of Saffil fibres, the squeeze-cast matrix and the matrix alloy in the form of cold-rolled sheet were studied. Both ΔK_th,nom and ΔK_th,eff are significantly higher in the composite than in the matrix alloys. Conversely, fibre reinforcement impairs the resistance to fatigue crack growth at higher ΔK where the matrix alloys are superior to the composite. The highest crack closure level was found in the composite. Quantitative fractography showed that the fibres and not the grain size control the crack path in the composite. It is shown, partly quantitatively, that crack deflection and crack branching reduce the local stress intensity factor at the crack tip, an effect that is most pronounced in the composite and in the squeeze-cast matrix. Increased stiffness and cyclic hardening of the composite over the matrix alloys further improve its resistance to near-threshold fatigue crack growth.