Dissimilar friction stir lap welding of AA 5754-H22/AA 6082-T6 aluminium alloys: Influence of material properties and tool geometry on weld strength

Dissimilar friction stir welding (FSW) of heat (AA 6082-T6) and non-heat (AA 5754-H22) treatable aluminium alloys, in lap joint configuration, was performed in this work. The base material plates were 1 mm thick. Welds were performed combining different plates positioning, relative to the tool shoulder, in order to assess the influence of base materials properties on welds strength. Three different tools were tested, one cylindrical and two conical, with different taper angles. Welds strength was characterized by performing transverse and tensile–shear tests. Strain data acquisition by Digital Image Correlation (DIC) was used to determine local weld properties. The results obtained enabled to conclude that the dissimilar welds strength is strongly dependent on the presence of the well-known hooking defect and that the hooking characteristics are strongly conditioned by base materials properties/positioning. By placing the AA 6082-T6 alloy, as top plate, in contact with the tool shoulder, superior weld properties are achieved independently of the tool geometry. It is also concluded that the use of unthreaded conical pin tools, with a low shoulder/pin diameter relation, is the most suitable solution for the production of welds with similar strengths for advancing and retreating sides.     

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Friction Stir Lap Welded Aluminum Alloy AA2014

Friction stir lap welds were produced in 3 mm thick Alclad sheets of Al alloy 2014-T4 using two different tools (with triangular and threaded taper cylindrical pins). The effects of tool geometry on weld microstructure, lap-shear performance and failure mode were investigated. The pin profile was found to significantly influence the hook geometry, which in turn strongly influenced the joint strength and the failure mode. Welds produced in alloy 2014-T4 Alclad sheets by using triangular and threaded taper cylindrical tools exhibited an average lap-shear failure load of 16.5 and 19.5 kN, respectively, while the average failure load for standard riveted joints was only 3.4 kN. Welds produced in alloy 2014-T6 Alclad sheets and in alloy 2014-T4 bare sheets (i.e., no Alclad) were comparatively evaluated with those produced in alloy 2014-T4 Alclad sheets. While the welds made (with threaded taper cylindrical tool) in T6 and T4 conditions showed very similar lap-shear failure loads, the joint efficiency of the welds made in T6 condition (43%) was considerably lower (because of the higher base material strength) than those made in T4 condition (51%). The Alclad layers were found to present no special problems in friction stir lap welding. Welds made with triangular tool in alloy 2014-T4 Alclad and bare sheets showed very similar lap-shear failure loads. The present work provides some useful insights into the use of friction stir welding for joining Al alloys in lap configuration.     

Process parameters/material location affecting hooking in friction stir lap welding: Dissimilar aluminum alloys

Influence of spindle and weld speeds, metal location, direction of spindle rotation, and tool pin length on hooking in lap FSW of dissimilar aluminum alloys and the effect of hook on tensile and fatigue weld strength was studied. Optical images of the cross-section of the specimen welded at different process parameters were analyzed. The results indicate that increased spindle speed, reduced weld speed, higher tool pin length, clockwise spindle rotation, and locating the stronger material at the bottom of the joint increased the size of the hooking defect. Higher weld speeds and very high spindle speeds resulted in lower hook size on the advancing side (AS) compared to the retreating side (RS) of the joint. Welding with low weld speed would result in higher advancing side hook size compared to the retreating side. Friction stir weld joints fabricated with anti-clockwise spindle rotation has been found to have extremely low hook both on the AS and the RS of the joint. The tensile and fatigue strengths of the weld joints and plates are degraded by the hook. The fatigue strength of welded alloys could be improved by a double pass weld, the second pass welded immediately adjacent to the first pass.     

Influence of tool geometry and process parameters on macrostructure and static strength in friction stir spot welded polyethylene sheets

The effect of important welding parameters and tool properties that are effective on static strength in friction stir spot welds of polyethylene sheets were studied. Six different tool pin profiles (straight cylindrical, tapered cylindrical, threaded cylindrical, triangular, square and hexagonal) with different shoulder geometries, different pin length, pin angle and concavity angle were used to fabricate the joints. The tool rotational speed, tool plunge depth and dwell time were determined welding parameters. All the welding operations were done at the room temperature. Welding force and welding zone material temperature measurements were also done. Lap-shear tests were carried out to find the weld static strength. Weld cross section appearance observations were also done. From the experiments, the effect of pin profile, pin length, pin angle, dwell time and tool rotational speed on friction stir spot welding formation and weld strength was determined.     

铝合金薄板搭接高速 FSW 缺陷及断裂行为

目的 为了拓展搅拌摩擦焊技术应用,对薄板搭接结构高速搅拌摩擦焊工艺优化与工程应用提供 借鉴与指导。方法 采用圆锥无螺纹搅拌针,进行了 6061 铝合金薄板搭接高速搅拌摩擦焊接,对接头界 面缺陷及其断裂模式进行分析,探讨了转速对 6061 铝合金薄板搭接接头成形及性能的影响规律。结果 发现在无螺纹圆锥搅拌针、高转速（6000~9000 r/min）条件下,接头塑性金属在后退侧易形成飞边流出, 导致下板前进侧出现孔洞缺陷,且随转速增大,界面缺陷尺寸逐渐增大,当转速达到 10 000 r/min 时, 孔洞尺寸有所减小,此时接头拉剪强度最高,为 123 MPa。对试样拉剪断裂位置分析发现,高速搭接接 头断裂位置主要有两种,分别断裂在结合界面处或在前进侧下板,且转速在 9000 r/min 以上越趋向于在 结合界面断裂。结论 高转速搭接焊接必须协调轴肩相貌、焊接工装约束等条件,保证接头塑性金属充 分流动而不流失,才能获得成形良好无缺陷的接头。     

Effect of weld orientation on static strength and failure mode of friction stir stitch welds in lap‐shear specimens of aluminium 6022‐T4 sheets

Stitch friction stir spot welding (FSSW) is performed on 6022‐T4 Al alloy using a concave shoulder tool with cylindrical pin. Stitch FSSW is an extension of the conventional spot FSW process where an elongated (oval) spot is produced instead of a circular spot. The main advantage of this process is that it gives appreciably higher strength than conventional spot FSW due to an increase in the joint area. In this research, an experimental and numerical approach is taken to understand the failure mechanism of stitch welds made in lap‐shear configuration. There are four ways (orientations) in which specimens can be welded to produce a lap‐shear specimen – two in transverse direction and two in longitudinal direction. The static strength of welds made with these orientations was found to be different. For stitch welds made in the longitudinal orientation, the failure always occurred near the keyhole at the tool retract position. For welds made in the transverse orientation, failure always occurred in the region of the highest stress. This difference in the weld strength can be attributed to the hook geometry and interface bond strength. The results are explained using a kinked cracked model approach and calculation of stress intensity factor at the hook geometry.     

轴肩下压量对搅拌摩擦焊搭接焊缝界面迁移的影响

采用左螺纹圆柱搅拌针对2mm厚的LF6铝合金板进行搅拌摩擦焊搭接实验,研究了轴肩下压量对搅拌摩擦焊搭接焊缝界面迁移的影响.结果表明:焊缝返回边和前进边的搭接界面均向焊缝上表面迁移,在返回边,界面迁移至焊缝顶部时,水平向焊缝中心迁移,最大可延伸至前进边;而前进边的界面仅分布在前进边侧.返回边的界面迁移高度随轴肩下压量增加...     

Effect of Reverse-threaded Pin on Mechanical Properties of Friction Stir Lap Welded Alclad 2024 Aluminum Alloy

In friction stir welding(FSW), tool geometry plays an important role in joint quality. In order to improve mechanical properties of friction stir lap welding(FSLW) joint, a tool with a reverse-threaded pin was designed in the present study. Using 2024-T4 aluminum alloy as the research object, tools with the fullthreaded pin and reverse-threaded pin were used in FSLW. Results showed that, when using the same parameter combination, FSLW joint using the reverse-threaded pin owned bigger effective sheet thickness(EST), bigger lap width and better lap shear failure strength. Compared with the full-threaded pin,fracture mode of the FSLW joint changed from shear fracture mode to tensile fracture mode when the reverse-threaded pin was used. Fracture morphologies presented ductile fracture.     

工具形状及工艺过程对搅拌摩擦增材成形及缺陷的影响

采用2mm厚的2195-T8铝锂合金作为增材板条,利用5种不同形状的搅拌工具进行搅拌摩擦增材工艺实验。利用金相观察和硬度测试的分析方法,重点探讨搅拌工具形状与工艺过程对增材成形、界面缺陷及硬度分布的影响。结果表明:圆柱状和三角平面圆台状搅拌针下增材界面上下材料无明显混合,偏心圆柱状和三凹圆弧槽状搅拌针有利于增材界面上下材料混合及减小界面钩状缺陷;增材前进侧界面形成致密无缺陷冶金连接,而后退侧界面材料混合不充分,钩状缺陷易伸入焊核区,且弱连接缺陷起源于此。四层增材中,相邻两层焊接方向相反的增材工艺使除顶层增材外其他增材两侧钩状缺陷向焊核区外侧弯曲,弱连接缺陷得到改善;顶层增材后退侧钩状缺陷伸入焊核区。增材焊核区有明显软化现象,但不同增材工艺下焊核区硬度分布均匀,表明搅拌摩擦增材制造可获得性能均匀的增材;相比于单道焊接工艺,来回双道焊接工艺使单层增材焊核区进一步软化;四层增材中,越靠近顶部的增材,其焊核区平均硬度越大。     

Experimental and numerical investigations of bonding interface behavior in stationary shoulder friction stir lap welding

Stationary shoulder friction stir lap welding (SSFSLW) was employed to weld 2024 aluminum alloy. A coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian (CEL) model was developed to investigate the lap interface behavior during SSFSLW. Numerical results of material movement and equivalent plastic strain were in good agreement with the experimental work. With increasing welding speed, the distances from the hook tip to the top surface of the upper workpiece on the retreating side (RS) and the advancing side (AS) increase, while the distance between two wave-shaped alclads decreases. A symmetric interface bending is observed on the AS and the RS during plunging, while the interface bending on the AS is bigger than that on the RS during welding. The peak temperature of the interface on the AS is higher than that on the RS. The equivalent plastic strain gradually increases as the distance to the weld center decreases, and its peak value is obtained near the bottom of the weld.     

Dissimilar lap joining of 304 stainless steel to CP-Ti employing friction stir welding

A 304 stainless steel plate was lap joined to a CP-Ti one by friction stir welding technique. Stainless steel was selected as the top member. Sound dissimilar joints were achieved using an advancing speed of 50 mm/min and rotation speeds in the range of 700–1100 rpm. A region of vortices of bimetallic weld of 304 stainless steel and CP-Ti was formed in the lap joint fabricated using the highest applied tool rotation speed; this was associated with plasticizing of both members with the aid of a double-shoulder tool. In addition, due to complex material flow, mechanical interlock features were shaped that consists of extruded stainless steel into the plasticized titanium region. A maximum shear strength value of ∼119 MPa was achieved; this was found to be close to that of CP-Ti. The lap joint was strengthened by the formation of vortices of bimetallic weld of 304 stainless steel and CP-Ti and mechanical interlock features at joint interface due to complex materials flow.     

Tool geometry,rotation and travel speeds effects on the properties of dissimilar magnesium/aluminum friction stir welded lap joints

Lap joint friction stir welding (FSW) between dissimilar AZ31B and Al 6061 alloys sheets was conducted using various welding parameters including tool geometry, rotation and travel speeds. Tapered threaded pin and tapered pin tools were applied to fabricate FSW joints, using different rotation and travel speeds. Metallurgical investigations including X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD), optical microscopy images (OM), scanning electron microscopy equipped with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDS) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) were used to characterize joints microstructures made with different welding parameters. Intermetallic phases were detected in the weld zone (WZ). Various microstructures were observed in the stir zone which can be attributed to using different travel and rotation speeds. Mechanical evaluation including lap shear fracture load test and microhardness measurements indicated that by simultaneously increasing the tool rotation and travel speeds, the joint tensile strength and ductility reached a maximum value. Microhardness studies and extracted results from stress–strain curves indicated that mechanical properties were affected by FSW process. Furthermore, phase analyses by XRD indicated the presence of intermetallic compounds in the weld zone. Finally, in the Al/Mg dissimilar weld, fractography studies showed that intermetallic compounds formation in the weld zone had an influence on the failure mode.     

On the role of pin geometry in microstructure and mechanical properties of AA7075/SiC nano-composite fabricated by friction stir welding technique

The main purpose of this research is to investigate the influence of pin geometry on the macrostructure, microstructure and mechanical properties of the friction stir welds, reinforced with SiC nano-particles. Toward this end, friction stir welding (FSW) conducted using five geometrically different pin tools. Other welding parameters were remained unchanged. Microstructural evaluation using optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a banded structure consisting of particle-rich and particle-free regions in stir zone (SZ). The most uniform particle distribution was found in the case of using threaded tapered pin tool. On the other hand, it was discovered that the reinforcements had severely accumulated in the SZ of specimen friction stir welded (FSWed) with four-flute cylindrical pin tool. Moreover, threaded tapered and four-flute cylindrical specimens showed the highest and the lowest microhardness, respectively. In spite of four-flute cylindrical specimen, other specimens failed in base metal during tensile testing. Besides, the highest ultimate tensile strength (UTS) was recorded for the specimen FSWed with triangular pin tool. Fracture surface of tensile specimens were also studied employing SEM technique.     

Evaluation of microstructures and mechanical properties of friction stir welded lap joints of Inconel 600/SS 400

The microstructures and mechanical properties of friction stir welded Inconel 600 and SS 400 lap joints were evaluated in this study. Friction stir welding was carried out at a tool rotation speed of 200 rpm and a welding speed of 100 mm/min. Application of friction stir welding was notably effective in reducing the grain size of the stir zone, as a result, the average grain size of Inconel 600 was reduced from 20 μm in the base material to 8.5 μm in the stir zone. The joint interface between Inconel 600 and SS 400 was soundly welded without voids and cracks, and MC carbides with a size of 50 nm were partially formed in the region of the lap joint interface in Inconel 600. In addition, a hook from SS 400 was formed on the advancing side of the Inconel 600 alloy, which directly affected an increase in the peel strength of the weld. In this study, we systematically discussed the effect of friction stir welding on the evolution of the microstructures and mechanical properties of friction stir lap jointed Inconel 600 and SS 400.     

Modeling and prediction of weld shear strength in friction stir spot welding using design of experiments and neural network

Friction Stir Spot Welding (FSSW) is a kind of the friction stir welding (FSW) process, creates a spot, lap‐weld without bulk melting work materials. The tensile shear strength of the FSSW welded joints mainly depends on the pin height, tool rotation and welding time. In the present study, two of the techniques, namely factorial design and neural network (NN) were used for modeling and predicting the tensile shear strength of EN AW 5005 aluminum alloy. Tensile shear strength was taken as a response variable measured after welding pin height, tool rotation and welding speed were taken as input parameters. Relationships between tensile shear strength and welding parameters have been investigated. The level of importance of the FSSW parameters on the tensile shear strength was determined by using the analysis of variance method (ANOVA). The mathematical relation between the tensile shear strength and FSSW welding parameters were established by regression analysis method. This mathematical model may be used in estimating the tensile shear strength of FSSW joints without performing any experiments. Finally, predicted values of tensile shear strength by techniques, NN and regression analysis, were compared with the experimental results and their nearness with the experimental values assessed. Results show that, NN is a good alternative to empirical modeling based on full factorial design.     

搅拌摩擦焊焊缝横截面塑性材料迁移行为分析

在搅拌摩擦焊过程中,焊缝塑性材料的迁移是保证焊缝的冶金完整性的重要因素.本研究通过采用镶嵌标示材料的方法,焊后观察焊缝横截面上塑性材料的迁移行为.研究结果表明:在焊缝横截面上,探针附近的塑性材料沿带左旋螺纹的探针表面从焊缝上表面螺旋迁移至焊缝底部,从四周向焊缝表面迁移,在厚度方向上形成一个连续迁移的循环路径.塑性变形的区域关于焊缝中心不对称,塑性材料在焊缝中心形成类似于倾斜"花瓶"状的形貌.从焊缝表面至底面,塑性变形区宽度逐渐减小,前进边塑性材料向焊缝表面迁移的距离小于返回边,前进边塑性变形区小于返回边.     

Optimizing process parameters for joint strength efficiency improvement in friction stir welding of polycarbonate sheets

The present work addresses optimization of these friction stir welding process variables to maximize joint strength efficiency of welded polycarbonate sheets by using particle swarm optimization algorithm over response surface method based regression model. Initially, parametric influence on weld quality characteristics namely weld bead profile, bead geometry with associated microstructure along with micro-hardness deviation through the weld centerline and stress-strain behavior of the weld have been studied in detail as per full factorial design of experiments by using three different tool pin profiles such as cylindrical, square and triangular. The center point experiment i. e. tool rotational speed of 1800 min⁻¹ and welding speed of 20 mm/min, and square tool pin profile were found to be the optimum combination with a maximum joint strength efficiency of 60.06 %. The regression model of weld ultimate tensile strength was developed by using response surface methodology which was found to be significant. Therefore, this model was further used for parametric optimization by using both response surface methodology and intelligent particle swarm optimization approaches. A slight improvement in joint strength efficiency with better optimization capability was found by using particle swarm optimization technique as compared to response surface methodology.     

铝/钢搅拌摩擦焊对接焊缝组织及机理研究

为了提高Q235钢板和6082-T6铝合金对接的连接强度,采用搅拌摩擦焊进行对接焊接.研究了不同尺寸和形状的搅拌头、转速、焊接速度和偏移量等对铝钢对接焊缝组织的影响,进而优化了搅拌摩擦焊工艺.实验结果表明:不同形状的搅拌头影响接头"钉子"形状,接头的不同位置处由于受到不同热循环和搅拌导致晶粒尺寸不同,从而影响接头的力学性能.当搅拌针旋转速度260 r/min,焊接速度16 mm/min,针头偏向铝侧0.2 mm时,所得焊缝的拉伸强度为141.204 MPa,为最佳工艺参数.在此最优参数下获得过渡层的厚度约为8μm,界面的主要成分是Fe Al3.     

Microstructures and mechanical properties of magnesium alloy and stainless steel weld-joint made by friction stir lap welding

Friction stir lap welding was conducted on soft/hard metals. A welding tool was designed with a cutting pin of rotary burr made of tungsten carbide, which makes the stirring pin possible to penetrate and cut the surface layer of the hard metal. Magnesium alloy AZ31 and stainless steel SUS302 were chosen as soft/hard base metals. The structures of the joining interface were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The joining strength was evaluated by tensile shear test. The results showed that flower-like interfacial morphologies were presented with steel flashes and scraps, which formed bonding mechanisms of nail effect by long steel flashes, zipper effect by saw-tooth structure and metallurgical bonding. The shear strength of the lap joint falls around the shear strength of butt joint of friction stir welded magnesium alloy.     

Defect features and mechanical properties of friction stir lap welded dissimilar AA2024–AA7075 aluminum alloy sheets

5 mm-Thick dissimilar AA2024-T3 and AA7075-T6 aluminum alloy sheets were friction stir lap welded in two joint combinations, i.e., (top) 2024/7075 (bottom) and 7075/2024. The influences of process conditions (welding speed and joint combination) on defects (hook and voids) features and mechanical properties of joints were investigated in detail. It was found that the hook deflects largely upwards into the stir zone (SZ) at lower welding speeds (50, 150 mm/min) in both combinations. The process conditions significantly affect the hook geometry which in return affects the lap shear strength. In all 2024/7075 joints, voids appear and the joints fracture from the tip of hook on AS along the SZ/TMAZ (thermomechanically affected zone) interface in lap shear test (tensile fracture mode). In 7075/2024 joints, the hook on RS horizontally extends a large distance into the bottom stir zone at higher welding speeds (225, 300 mm/min). The joints fracture in three modes: shear fracture along the lap interfaces, tensile fracture and the mix fracture of both. In both joint combinations, the lap shear strength generally increases with the increase of welding speed. 7075/2024 Joints show higher failure load than 2024/7075 joints at lower welding speeds while the opposite result appears at higher welding speeds.