Microstructures and ion-irradiation behaviour of friction stir welded 12Cr-ODS steel

12Cr oxide dispersion strengthened steel was successfully joined by friction stir welding (FSW), and the joints were irradiated with 3?MeV Au ions at 500°C. The morphology of grains, dislocations, sizes and distributions of nano-sized oxide particles (NPs) in different zones of the FSW joints were analysed. It was found severe plastic deformation occurred and fine equixed grains were formed in stir zone (SZ). The NPs coarsen obviously in thermal-mechanically affected zone (TMAZ) on advancing side (AS) due to the relative movements of plastic materials with high-velocity gradient. The size distributions of the NPs in base metal (BM), heat affected zone (HAZ) and RS-TMAZ are concentrated in a smaller range than those in SZ and AS-TMAZ. Finer grains and high density of dislocations result in hardness increasing obviously in SZ. Irradiation introduced higher hardening in HAZ because of its less grain boundaries and dislocation density compared with SZ and BM.     

Impact of tool wear on joint strength in friction stir spot welding of DP 980 steel

Abstract

Friction stir spot welding has been shown to be a viable method of joining ultra high strength steel, both in terms of joint strength and process cycle time. However, the cost of tooling must be reasonable in order for this method to be adopted as an industrial process. Recently a new tool alloy has been developed, using a blend of polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) and tungsten rhenium (W–Re) in order to improve the toughness of the tool. Wear testing results are presented for two of these alloys: one with a composition of 60% PCBN and 40% W–Re, and one with 70% PCBN and 30% W–Re. The sheet material used for all wear testing was 1·4 mm DP 980. Lap shear testing was used to show the relationship between tool wear and joint strength. The Q70 tool provided the best combination of wear resistance and joint strength.     

Influence of Zn coating on friction stir spot welded magnesium-aluminium joint

For friction stir spot welded (FSSW) magnesium–aluminium joints, the formation of Mg–Al intermetallics in the hook region and cracking at the interface damaged seriously the strength of Mg–Al joints, resulting in lower joint load of only 0.8?±?0.2?kN. When adding the hot-dipped Zn coating on the Al substrate surface prior to FSSW, a brazed layer, composed of Mg–Zn and Al–Zn diffusion zones at the edge of the shoulder, and a transition layer, composed of MgZn₂, Zn-rich zone and residual Zn in the hook region, were formed in the FSSW Mg–Al joint, eliminating the cracking and Mg–Al intermetallics in the FSSW joint without the Zn coating. The load of the joint with the Zn coating increased to 3.7?±?0.3?kN.     

镁/铝合金回填式搅拌摩擦点焊的组织与性能

选用5083铝合金和AZ31B镁合金为研究对象,研究焊接时间对异种合金回填式搅拌摩擦点焊接头的金属间化合物层和拉剪性能的影响.结果表明,当焊接时间为1 s时,Mg合金的流动性较差,接头中出现明显的孔洞缺陷;随着焊接时间的变长,孔洞缺陷消失.由于铝镁表面的氧化膜在焊接过程中被打碎且焊接温度高于铝镁的共晶温度,接头中心会形成一层液相层,焊后液相层凝固形成金属间化合物.接头的抗拉载荷随着焊接时间的延长先升高后降低,最优载荷在焊接时间为2 s时取得,为3.1 kN.     

铝合金搅拌摩擦点焊接头塑化金属流动形态分析

在搅拌摩擦点焊过程中,塑化金属的流动形态是影响焊点成形及接头力学性能的主要因素。通过采用镶嵌标识材料的方法,研究了搅拌摩擦点焊过程中接头塑化金属的流动形态。结果表明,在焊点横截面上,匙孔两侧塑化金属发生塑性变形的宽度基本相同,从焊点表面到底面,塑性变形区宽度逐渐减小。在焊点的上部,塑化金属主要受轴肩的作用,在轴肩摩擦力和材料之间的剪切力作用下沿搅拌针旋转的方向运动,随着距焊点表面距离的增大,塑化金属沿搅拌针旋转方向的运动趋势逐渐减小。搅拌针周围的塑化金属在搅拌针螺纹向下的压力作用下,以螺旋状向焊点底部运动,运动到焊点底部后受底板的阻碍和未塑化金属的挤压作用从搅拌针四周向焊点上部运动。     

Comparison of formability of friction stir welded and laser welded dual phase 590 steel sheets

Abstract

The formability of welded dual phase 590 (DP 590) steel sheets was investigated, using both friction stir welding and laser welding. Similar and dissimilar gauge sheets were joined using both processes. The laser welded sheets were produced under process conditions typical of industrial production of tailor welded blanks. The friction stir welded specimens were produced in a lab, where different tool rotational speeds and translation speeds were investigated in order to obtain good weld properties. The formability of the welded sheets was evaluated using a series of mechanical tests, including transverse tension and plane strain formability testing. Friction stir welded specimens performed about the same as laser welded specimens in transverse tension testing; however, hardness profiles showed that the laser welds had greater peak hardness than the friction stir welds. Therefore plane strain formability tests were performed with the welds oriented along the major strain direction. When this type of weld stretching was performed the friction stir welded sheets were shown to be ～20% more formable than the laser welded sheets.     

Microstructure,mechanical properties and failure behaviour of protrusion friction stir spot welded 2024 aluminium alloy sheets

The current study investigates the mechanical and microstructure properties of 2024 aluminium alloy welded by protrusion friction stir spot welding as a novel method to produce keyhole-free welds. Tool rotation speed and anvil protrusion height are used as effective variables of the process to obtain optimum conditions. Results illustrate that the keyhole-free welds with the joint show superior mechanical properties in protrusion friction stir spot welding compared to conventional friction stir spot welding. Failure mode changes from interfacial mode to circumferential mode by increasing the nugget zone depth and joint length, while the effect of nugget zone is considerable. Finally, welding at a rotation speed of 1600?rev?min^?1 and a protrusion height of 0.4?mm presents significant mechanical properties with more joint length.     

异种铝合金回填式搅拌摩擦点焊的组织与性能

选用6061-T6与7075-T6铝合金为研究对象,研究异种合金回填式搅拌摩擦点焊接头的组织和拉剪性能. 将7075铝合金作为上板,主要讨论套筒下扎深度对接头成形和性能的影响. 结果表明,当套筒刚扎透上板时,接头内部无缺陷产生. 随着套筒下扎深度的增大,接头内部会出现孔洞、撕裂和未充分回填等缺陷. 当使用较小的套筒扎入量时,决定接头性能的关键位置,即钩状缺陷处和焊点中心搭接面处的结合情况良好. 接头的断裂载荷随着套筒下扎深度的增大先增大后减小,最大载荷在深度为3.4 mm时达到7 236 N.     

Microstructure and fatigue properties of friction stir welded high-strength steel plates

The weldability of high-strength steels (HSSs) is limited by their loss of strength, toughness and fatigue properties. In demanding applications, the fatigue properties of welds are among the strictest requirements. This paper presents a weldability analysis focusing on the microstructure and fatigue properties of 6?mm thick S690 and S355 HSS plates joined by friction stir welding. Their fatigue properties are compared to design recommendations and to fatigue properties obtained with other welding techniques. Results show that the high-quality friction stir welded steel joints outperform high-quality arc welds and FAT80 design recommendations. The fatigue strength of the friction stir welded joints is increased with material yield strength. The mechanisms governing crack initiation at different maximum stress levels are discussed.     

Effect of tool geometry on microstructure and static strength in friction stir spot welded aluminium alloys

The effect of tool geometry on microstructure and static strength in friction stir spot welds of 6061 aluminium alloy sheets was studied. Tools with three different probe lengths were used to join the aluminium sheet with different tool rotational speeds and tool holding times. The weld microstructures varied significantly depending on probe length, tool rotational speed and tool holding time. Two particular aspects were identified: the thickness of the upper sheet under the shoulder indentation and the nugget size. The former decreased with increasing probe length at the shortest tool holding time and the slowest tool rotational speed, but there were no discernible differences in other welding conditions, while the latter increased with increasing probe length, tool rotational speed and tool holding time. The tensile shear strength increased with increasing probe length, while the cross-tension strength was not affected significantly by probe length. Two fracture modes were observed: shear fracture of the nugget and mixed mode fracture under tensile shear loading, and nugget debonding and pull-out under cross-tension loading. Based on experimental observation of the microstructures, the effect of probe length on static strength and the fracture mechanisms were discussed.     

Hook formation and mechanical properties in AZ31 friction stir spot welds

Hook formation and the failure load properties of AZ31 friction stir spot welds are investigated in friction stir spot welds made between wrought and heat-treated AZ31 sheets having widely different average grain sizes.     

Microstructures and microhardness for sheets and TIG welded joints of TA15 alloy using friction stir spot processing

Effects of friction stir spot processing (FSSP) on the microstructures and microhardness of tungsten inert gas (TIG) welded TA15 titanium alloy joints were investigated. The macro/micro structural observation and microhardness evaluation of the TA15 alloy sheets and TA15 TIG welded joints were carried out using optical microscope and microhardness tests. The results show that FSSP effectively improves the microstructure and increases the microhardness of the TA15 sheets. As for the TIG welded joints, FSSP also effectively improves the microstructure of joints. And the average microhardness value in weld nugget zone is improved significantly, while a small increase of this value in heat affected zone is observed. The hardness in stirring zone is significantly higher than that in the base metal. Two peak values of hardness appear along the width direction in stirring zone. After FSSP, the average hardness of the weld zone of TA15 TIG welded joint is significantly higher than that before FSSP. Under the present process parameters, both the surface oxidation in TA15 sheets and in TIG welded joints after FSSP are not evident, while the surface forms the bright white layer, which is composed of a great multitude of fine grains.     

Comparative study of fatigue behaviour in dissimilar Al alloy/steel and Mg alloy/steel friction stir spot welds fabricated by scroll grooved tool without probe

Abstract

Aluminium alloy A6061-T6 or magnesium alloy AZ31 sheet was welded to steel sheet by a friction stir spot welding technique using a scroll grooved tool without a probe. The material flow in the nugget of the Mg/steel weld was less than that in the Al/steel one. The Al/steel weld exhibited higher static tensile–shear strength than the Al/Al weld, while the strengths of Mg/steel and Mg/Mg welds were comparable. Tensile–shear fatigue tests were performed using lap shear specimens of both dissimilar and similar welds. The dissimilar welds exhibited nearly the same fatigue strengths as the similar ones. The effective nugget size in the dissimilar welds was defined as the area where Al or Mg alloy remained on the steel side after static fracture. When the fatigue strengths of dissimilar welds were evaluated based on the effective nugget size, the normalised fatigue strengths of Al/steel and Mg/steel welds were comparable.     

异种铝合金回填式搅拌摩擦点焊缺陷及力学性能

采用回填式搅拌摩擦点焊技术对2 mm厚5052-H112与2024-T4铝合金进行了成功的连接.试验结果表明,当焊接工艺参数选择恰当时,可得到无缺陷接头;然而,焊接工艺窗口较窄,在高热输入条件下易产生多种缺陷,如粘连韧带、孔洞、裂纹、弱连接等,且这些缺陷主要分布在两板的结合面及焊具退出工件的退出线上;力学性能测试结果表明在低热输入条件下,接头的力学性能（一字拉伸与十字拉伸）最高,这与焊点在低热输入情况下组织缺陷较少有关;在一字和十字拉伸载荷作用下,接头的失效位置位于两板结合面及退出线上,在结合面处形成了有效的冶金连接.     

Microstructures and mechanical properties of friction spot welded Alclad 7B04-T74 aluminium alloy

Two millimetre thick Alclad 7B04-T74 aluminium alloy was friction spot welded at different tool rotation speeds. The weld formation, Alclad redistribution, microstructures and mechanical properties of the joints were investigated. The results indicate that inappropriate tool rotation speeds can give rise to weld defects, such as annular groove, void and surface concavity. After welding, the original surface Alclad is redistributed as a U shaped Alclad layer in the weld. When the tool rotation speed is relatively high, eutectic films can be observed in the stir zone, and the Alclad layer in the weld is a preferred crack propagation path during tensile shear testing. The optimised joint with a tensile shear failure load of 11?921 N can be obtained at a tool rotation speed of 1500 rev min^?1.     

Al-Mg合金填充式搅拌摩擦点焊性能

为了确定Al-Mg铝合金填充式搅拌摩擦点焊性能,以Al-Mg铝合金中2 mm的5A06为研究对象,对填充式搅拌摩擦点焊接头进行了剪切拉伸、十字形拉伸、显微组织和疲劳性能等测试,并建立了焊点组织区模型.结果表明,接头显微组织可以分为焊核区、热影响区、热力影响区和母材区部分;旋转频率为2000 r/min时,剪切载荷均值7865 MPa,十字形拉伸载荷均值3480 N;通过SEM和OM分析,点焊接头疲劳裂纹均起始于上下板结合面的焊点边缘,该区域的环沟槽、孔洞及包铝层等缺陷和应力集中是造成疲劳破坏的主要原因.     

Static shear strength and fatigue life of refill friction stir spot welded AA 6061-T6 sheets

This study was aimed at evaluating the static shear strength and fatigue properties of the newly developed refilled friction stir spot welded AA 6061-T6 joints. The keyhole, the process disadvantage of conventional friction stir spot welding, was refilled successfully, using an additional filler plate, with specially designed tools. Two different tool profiles, namely, convex and concave, were used for the refilling process. Sound and defect free joints were obtained by the refilling process. Joints refilled with convex tools showed better static shear strength than those with the concave ones. The variation of microhardness in different regions of the weld was analysed. Fatigue tests were conducted on the lap shear specimens at a stress ratio of R?=?0·1. The optical micrographs of the welds after fatigue failure in both the conventional and refilled processes were examined to study the fatigue crack propagation and failure modes.     

Microstructure and mechanical behaviour of pinless friction stir spot welded AA2198 joints

In this study, pinless friction stir spot welding of 1.8 mm thick 2198-T8 aluminium–lithium alloy plates was carried out. The change of the angle between the nugget edge and the surface, and the relationship between this angle and joint mechanical property were analysed. The results show that the angle increases rapidly initially and then approaches 45°, which is due to the extrusion of nugget material and its flow along the surrounding ‘cold’ metal during welding. The tensile strength is determined by the nugget edge angle and hook defect. Tensile loads reach a higher value when the nugget edge angle approaches 45° but have a slight decrease with the hook angle changing from obtuse to acute. The maximum tensile/shear strength could be 8.57 kN at the rotation speed of 1500 rev min^??1 and the dwell time of 12 s.     

Influences of welding parameters on mechanical properties of AZ31 friction stir spot welds

Abstract

In this study, the influence of welding parameters, including tool rotational speed, plunge rate and dwell time, on the overlap tensile shear properties of AZ31 friction stir spot welds was investigated. The microstructures in stir zones and fracture surfaces were observed using optical microscope and scanning electron microscope respectively. The bonded width and h value (the distance from the tip of the partially bonded region to the top of the weld surface) were measured. The results indicated that larger bonded width and higher h value of the AZ31 weld result in better mechanical property. It is proposed that high tensile shear loads are produced when the tool rotational speed range of 1500–2250 rev min^?1 and 1 s dwell time are applied during the friction stir spot welding of AZ31. The plunge rate range from 2·5 to 10 mm s^?1 has insignificant influence on the tensile shear load of AZ31 joints under the present conditions. The failure mode changes from interfacial to pullout when the tool rotational speed is >2250 rev min^?1. The fracture feature of AZ31 welds is brittle fracture.     

Two experimental set-ups designed for investigation of friction stir spot welding process

Abstract

The effects of positioning and clamping conditions of a specimen of friction stir spot welding are investigated in this paper in terms of axial force and torque generated during the process. For this purpose, two special designs of experimental set-ups embedding different positioning and clamping conditions are presented. A four-component mechanical sensor is used for the measurements. First, the effects of the rotational speed of the spindle and the plunge depth of the tool on the axial force and torque are studied. Second, the effects of positioning and clamping conditions are investigated through both set-ups designed, varying the spindle rotation speed. It is shown that the axial force and torque exhibit an important dependence with respect to the rotation speed of the tool and that their maxima depend on positioning and clamping conditions of the specimen.