Modeling of friction stir welding process for tools design

A three-dimensional friction stir welding (FSW) process model has been developed based on fluid mechanics. The material transport in the welding process has been regarded as a laminar, viscous, and non-Newtonian liquid that flows past a rotating pin. A criterion to divide the weld zone has been given on the basis of cooperation of velocity field and viscosity field. That is, the η₀-easy-flow zone that existed near the tool pin corresponded to the weld nugget zone; the area between the η₀-easy-flow zone and η₁-viscosity band is corresponded to the thermal-mechanical affected zone (TMAZ). The model gives some useful information to improve the understanding of material flow in FSW through the simulation result of velocity distribution. In order to appraise the friction stir pin design, three kinds of pin geometry, one is column pin, the second is taper pin, and the last one is screw threaded taper pin, were used in the model. The pin geometry seriously affected the simulation result of velocity distribution in the η₀-easy-flow zone. The velocity distribution in the η₀-easy-flow zone can be considered as the criterion of optimizing friction stir tool design. This study will benefit to direct the friction stir tool design.     

铝/钢异种材料搅拌摩擦焊研究进展

由于铝、钢的物理化学性质存在巨大差异,铝/钢的连接是焊接领域的难点问题。搅拌摩擦焊是低热输入的固态连接方法,能够有效控制铝/钢金属间化合物的生长,且搅拌针强烈的搅拌作用可增加铝/钢异种材料机械咬合程度,得到高质量的铝/钢焊接接头,铝/钢搅拌摩擦焊已经成为了焊接领域的热点问题。文中综述了铝/钢搅拌摩擦焊国内外研究现状,涉及到接头形式、焊缝成形、焊接工艺和力学性能,着重介绍了铝/钢搅拌摩擦焊接头的连接机制,并围绕铝/钢搅拌摩擦焊存在的两大问题,对铝/钢搅拌摩擦焊新技术进行总结,并进一步提出了铝/钢搅拌摩擦焊的基础研究方向。     

焊接参数对搅拌摩擦焊接质量的影响

采用基于固体力学的有限元方法建立了搅拌摩擦焊接过程的三维数值模型,研究了在焊接参数不同的情况下搅拌摩擦焊接过程中力学特征的变化．数值模拟结果和试验结果都表明,等效塑性应变能近似地反映焊接构件焊缝区域材料显微结构的演化,较高的搅拌头转速和较低的焊速有利于提高焊缝的质量．焊接构件特定的等效塑性应变等值线可以较好的对应不同焊接区域的边界．随着搅拌头转速的提高,等效塑性应变随之增大,但搅拌探针与焊接构件交界面上的接触压力随之减小．等效塑性应变随着搅拌头平移速度的增大而减小．     

Effect of Traverse/Rotational Speed on Material Deformations and Temperature Distributions in Friction Stir Welding

A fully coupled thermo-mechanical model was developed to study the temperature fields and the plastic deformations of alloy AL6061-T6 under different process parameters during the friction stir welding （FSW） process. Three-dimensional results under different process parameters were presented. Results indicate that the maximum temperature is lower than the melting point of the welding material. The higher temperature gradient occurs in the leading side of the workpiece. The calculated temperature field can be fitted well with the one from the experimental test. A lower plastic strain region can be found near the welding tool in the trailing side on the bottom surface, which is formed by the specific material flow patterns in FSW. The maximum temperature can be increased with increasing the welding speed and the angular velocity in the current numerical modelling.     

Material stirring during FSW of Al–Cu: Effect of pin profile

Friction stir welding (FSW) joins the material in solid state, and it gets evolved as a new and effective technique to join dissimilar materials such as aluminum and copper. FSW tool design and configuration critically affect the joint quality. This study has evaluated the effect of different pin profiles used during FSW of AA5754 Al alloy and commercially pure copper in a butt configuration on the microstructure, material movement, and microhardness for the different joints. The joining is performed through the different pin profiles of cylindrical, taper, cylindrical cam, taper cam, and square shape at the rotational and welding speed of 900?rpm and 40?mm/min respectively. Among all joints, the square pin profile provides good joining and microhardness. Square tool pin profile facilitates good amount of mixing at nugget zone, which consequently increases the hardness. The material movement in square tool pin profile joint is also studied on the longitudinal plane to understand the effect of pulsating and stirring action on the material mixing pattern in dissimilar FSW. It is evident that the softer material in the stir zone gets more stirring, and the flow lines are clearly visible for the stirred material.     

Tensile behavior of dissimilar friction stir welded joints of aluminium alloys

The heat treatable aluminium alloy AA2024 is used extensively in the aircraft industry because of its high strength to weight ratio and good ductility. The non-heat treatable aluminium alloy AA5083 possesses medium strength and high ductility and used typically in structural applications, marine, and automotive industries. When compared to fusion welding processes, friction stir welding (FSW) process is an emerging solid state joining process which is best suitable for joining these alloys. The friction stir welding parameters such as tool pin profile, tool rotational speed, welding speed, and tool axial force influence the mechanical properties of the FS welded joints significantly. Dissimilar FS welded joints are fabricated using five different tool pin profiles. Central composite design with four parameters, five levels, and 31 runs is used to conduct the experiments and response surface method (RSM) is employed to develop the model. Mathematical regression models are developed to predict the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and tensile elongation (TE) of the dissimilar friction stir welded joints of aluminium alloys 2024-T6 and 5083-H321, and they are validated. The effects of the above process parameters and tool pin profile on tensile strength and tensile elongation of dissimilar friction stir welded joints are analysed in detail. Joints fabricated using Tapered Hexagon tool pin profile have the highest tensile strength and tensile elongation, whereas the Straight Cylinder tool pin profile have the lowest tensile strength and tensile elongation. The results are useful to have a better understanding of the effects of process parameters, to fabricate the joints with desired tensile properties, and to automate the FS welding process.     

A356Al/TiB2颗粒增强铝基复合材料的搅拌摩擦焊

采用纯机械化的固相连接技术--搅拌摩擦焊成功地焊接了应用原位反应合成法制造的铸态A356Al/6.5%TiB2(体积分数)颗粒增强铝基复合材料,与铝合金相比,铝基复合材料搅拌摩擦焊的焊缝质量对焊接参数更为敏感.该连接方法在较低温度下实现铝基复合材料的焊接,避免了基体铝合金与增强相之间的化学反应,同时在搅拌头机械搅拌、挤压和摩擦热的共同作用下,焊缝区基体材料的晶粒和增强相被破碎并形成再结晶晶核,细化了组织结构,增强相分布也更加弥散.焊缝区的硬度值波动范围很小,抗拉强度比母材增加约20%.研究表明,搅拌摩擦焊用于连接颗粒增强铝基复合材料具有明显的优势.     

Friction stir welding of dissimilar aluminum alloys AA2219 to AA5083 – Optimization of process parameters using Taguchi technique

The joining of dissimilar Al–Cu alloy AA2219-T87 and Al–Mg alloy AA5083-H321 plates was carried out using friction stir welding (FSW) technique and the process parameters were optimized using Taguchi L₁₆ orthogonal design of experiments. The rotational speed, transverse speed, tool geometry and ratio between tool shoulder diameter and pin diameter were the parameters taken into consideration. The optimum process parameters were determined with reference to tensile strength of the joint. The predicted optimal value of tensile strength was confirmed by conducting the confirmation run using optimum parameters. This study shows that defect free, high efficiency welded joints can be produced using a wide range of process parameters and recommends parameters for producing best joint tensile properties. Analysis of variance showed that the ratio between tool shoulder diameter and pin diameter is the most dominant factor in deciding the joint soundness while pin geometry and welding speed also played significant roles. Microstructural studies revealed that the material placed on the advancing side dominates the nugget region. Hardness studies revealed that the lowest hardness in the weldment occurred in the heat-affected zone on alloy of 5083 side, where tensile failures were observed to take place.     

The effect of weld parameters on friction stir welding of brass plates

More successful results have been obtained in butt‐ and overlap‐joining of Al‐alloy plates by a recently developed solid state joining technique, namely friction stir welding (FSW), than in more conventional fusion welding processes. In this joining technique, no fusion takes place in the joint area of the plates welded. This novel joining method also offers the potential to weld some other materials rather than Al‐alloys, such as Mg‐alloys, brasses and low strength steels. In this study, the applicability of friction stir welding to brasses, namely 90 %Cu‐10 %Zn and 70 %Cu‐30 %Zn alloys, has been investigated. The joint performance was determined by conducting optical microscopy, microhardness mesurements and mechanical testing (e.g. tensile and bend tests). The effect of welding speed on the joint quality at a given rotational speed of the stirring pin (i.e. 1600 rpm) was also determined for both alloys. The highest joint performances were obtained at a welding speed of 210 mm/min for both alloys.     

Friction Stir Welding of Al Alloy Thin Plate by Rotational Tool without Pin

For friction stir welding (FSW), a new idea is put forward in this paper to weld the thin plate of Al alloy by using the rotational tool without pin. The experiments of FSW are carried out by using the tools with inner-concave-flute shoulder, concentric-circles-flute shoulder and three-spiral-flute shoulder, respectively. The experimental results show that the grain size in weld nugget zone attained by the tool with three-spiral-flute shoulder is nearly the same while the grain sizes decrease with the decrease of welding velocity. The displacement of material flow in the heat-mechanical affected zone by the tool with three-spiral-flute shoulder is much larger than that by the tool with inner-concave-flute shoulder or concentric-circles-flute shoulder. The above-mentioned results are verified by numerical simulation. For the tool with three-spiral-flute shoulder, the tensile strength of FSW joint increases with the decrease of welding velocity while the value of tensile strength attained by the welding velocity of 20 mm/min and the rotation speed of 1800 r/min is about 398 MPa, which is 80% more than that of parent mental tensile strength. Those verify that the tool with three-spiral-flute shoulder can be used to join the thin plate of Al alloy.     

Improving friction stir weldability of Al/Mg alloys via ultrasonically diminishing pin adhesion

Formation of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) during friction stir welding (FSW) of aluminum/magnesium (Al/Mg) alloys easily results in the pin adhesion and then deteriorates joint formation. The severe pin adhesion transformed the tapered-and-screwed pin into a tapered pin at a low welding speed of 30 mm/min. The pin adhesion problem was solved with the help of ultrasonic. The weldability of Al/Mg alloys was significantly improved due to the good material flow induced by mechanical vibration and the fragments of the IMCs on the surface of a rotating pin caused by acoustic streaming, respectively. A sound joint with ultrasonic contained long Al/Mg interface joining length and complex mixture of Al/Mg alloys in the stir zone, thereby achieving perfect metallurgical bonding and mechanical interlocking. The ultrasonic could broaden process window and then improve tensile properties. The tensile strength of the Al/Mg joint with ultrasonic reached 115 MPa.     

Effects of ultrasonic assisted friction stir welding on flow behavior,microstructure and mechanical properties of 7N01-T4 aluminum alloy joints

Conventional friction stir welding(FSW) and ultrasonic assisted friction stir welding(UAFSW) were employed to weld 6-mm thick 7 N01-T4 aluminum alloy plates. Weld forming characteristics and material flow behavior in these two different welding processes were studied and compared. Ultrasonic vibration was applied directly on the weld in axial direction through the welding tool. Metal flow behavior,microstructure characteristics in the nugget zone(NZ) and evolution of the mechanical properties of naturally aged joints were studied. Results show that the ultrasonic vibration can significantly increase the welding speed of defect-free welded joint. At the rotation speed of 1200 rpm, the UAFSW can produce defect-free welded joints at a welding speed that is 50% higher than that of the conventional FSW.Ultrasonic vibrations can also improve surface quality of the joints and reduce axial force by 9%. Moreover, ultrasonic vibrations significantly increase the volume of the pin-driven zone(PDZ) and decrease the thickness of the transition zone(TZ). The number of subgrains and deformed grains resulting from the UAFSW is higher than that from the FSW. By increase the strain level and strain gradient in the NZ,the ultrasonic vibrations can refine the grains. Ultrasonic energy is the most at the top of the NZ, and gradually reduces along the thickness of the plate. The difference in strengths between the FSW and the UAFSW joints after post-weld natural aging(PWNA) is small. However, the elongation of the UAFSW is8.8% higher than that of the FSW(PWNA for 4320 h). Fracture surface observation demonstrates that all the specimens fail by ductile fracture, and the fracture position of the UAFSW joint changes from HAZ(PWNA for 120 h) to NZ(PWNA for 720 and 4320 h).     

Relationship between base metal properties and friction stir welding process parameters

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid state welding process for joining aluminum alloys and has been employed in aerospace, rail, automotive and marine industries for joining aluminium, magnesium, zinc and copper alloys. In FSW, the base metal properties such as yield strength, ductility and hardness control the plastic flow of the material under the action of rotating non-consumable tool. The FSW process parameters such as tool rotational speed, welding speed, axial force, etc. play a major role in deciding the weld quality. In this investigation, an attempt has been made to establish relationship between the base material properties and FSW process parameters. FSW joints have been made using five different grades of aluminium alloys (AA1050, AA6061, AA2024, AA7039 and AA7075) using different combinations of process parameters. Macrostructural analysis has been done to check the weld quality (defective or defect free). Empirical relationships have been established between base metal properties and tool rotational speed and welding speed, respectively. The developed empirical relationships can be effectively used to predict the FSW process parameters to fabricate defect free welds.     

5083铝合金搅拌摩擦焊接头的显微组织与力学性能

对8 mm厚5083-H321铝合金板进行了搅拌摩擦焊接试验,研究了焊接工艺参数对搅拌摩擦焊接头显微组织和力学性能的影响。结果表明:该搅拌摩擦焊接头焊核区显微组织为细小的等轴晶组织,热机影响区为拉伸弯曲变形组织,热影响区非常窄,其晶粒尺寸与母材相当;综合接头表面形貌和拉伸性能得到较佳的搅拌摩擦焊接工艺参数为使用搅拌针为三棱形带螺纹、轴肩为内扣型的搅拌头,主轴转速为300 r·min^-1,焊接速率为120 mm·min^-1;在该工艺条件下接头表面成形良好,抗拉强度可达到母材的94.5%。     

Friction stir welding of al 6061‐T6 thick plates: Part I ‐ experimental analyses of thermal and mechanical phenomena

Abstract

In friction stir welding (FSW), heat is generated by two mechanisms: (1) the friction between the rotating tool and the workpiece at the interface, and (2) the plastic shear deformation of the material in the vicinity of the pin tool. The amount of heat generated is crucial to the quality of the weld. In addition, the mechanical force and torque developed in the process dictates the life of the tool as well as the design of the fixture. In this paper, a butt joint was made by FSW on two thick plates (thickness = 37.6 mm) of aluminum alloy 6061‐T6. The joining was conducted by load control mode (applying a controlled vertical plunging force). Two different tests were performed, one using a long probe pin (24.3 mm in length) and the other using a very short pin (3.5 mm in length). The objectives of the research were to study the heat generation process from the shoulder, the pin, and the mechanical process parameters.

In this Part I, we report on the welding process parameters, i.e. tool RPM, welding speed, tool plunge‐in depth, force, torque, and power history, and the transient temperature history measured from thermocouples. It was found that (a) a quasi‐steady state existed after the tool moved about 82.2 mm from the starting point, during which the tool forces, torque and generated heat reached an equilibrium state in the neighborhood of the tool, (b) the highest temperature measured in the weld seam was less than the melting temperature of the workpiece material, (c) the tool pin plays an important role in the heat input to the process, and (d) the heat generated from the pin strongly depends on its length. The comprehensive test data could be used by researchers interested in numerical modeling of the FSW process without duplicating the complicated tests.     

Establishing relationships between mechanical properties of aluminium alloys and optimised friction stir welding process parameters

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid state welding process for joining aluminium alloys and is employed in aerospace, rail, automotive and marine industries. In FSW, the base metal properties such as yield strength, hardness and ductility control the plastic flow of the material under the action of a rotating non-consumable tool. The FSW process parameters such as, the tool rotational speed, the welding speed and the axial force play a major role in deciding the weld quality. In this investigation, FSW joints were made using six different grades of aluminium alloys (AA1100, AA2219, AA2024, AA6061, AA7039, and AA7075) using different levels of process parameters. Macrostructural analysis was carried out to identify the feasible working range of process parameters. The optimal welding conditions to attain maximum strength for each alloy were identified using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Empirical relationships were established between the base metal mechanical properties of aluminium alloys and optimised FSW process parameters. These relationships can be effectively used to predict the optimised FSW process parameters from the known base metal properties (yield strength, elongation and hardness).     

Numerical Modeling of Friction Stir Welding Process by Using Rate-dependent Constitutive Model

Rate-dependent constitutive model was used to simulate the friction stir welding process. The effect of the viscosity coefficient and the process parameters on the material behaviors and the stress distributions around the pin were studied. Results indicate that the stress in front of the pin is larger than that behind the pin. The difference between the radial/circumferential stress in front of the pin and that behind it becomes smaller when the material gets closer to the top surface. This difference increases with increasing the viscosity coefficient and becomes smaller when the welding speed decreases. The variation of the angular velocity does not significantly affect the difference.     

Comparison of two contact models in the simulation of friction stir welding process

Two contact models are used to simulate the thermo-mechanical interaction process in friction stir welding. Comparison shows that the classical Coulomb friction model can be accurate enough for the simulation of friction stir welding in lower angular velocity. But in higher angular velocity, the classical Coulomb friction model fails to work due to the increase of the dynamic effect of the welding tool. Because the shear failure of material is considered in modified Coulomb friction model, the increase of the frictional stress on the tool–plate interface is limited by the shear failure. So, this model can keep valid even when the angular velocity of the welding tool is increased to a high level.     

Superplastic Forming of Friction Stir Welded AA6061-T6 Alloy Sheet with Various Tool Rotation Speed

This study attempts to investigate the superplastic forming (SPF) of friction stir welded (FSW) AA6061-T6 alloy sheet at various tool rotation speeds in the range of 500 to 2000 rpm. The effect of FSW on SPF free blow forming of AA6061-T6, pole height, pole thickness, equivalent strain rate, and equivalent flow stress were investigated at constant pressure and constant temperature. Using the Cheng model the pole thickness, the equivalent strain rate, and equivalent flow stress were determined from superplastic free blow forming experiment. The finite element modeling and simulation is performed over the SPF of FSW specimens using selective superplasticity method. Experimental results indicate that tool rotation speed is the critical parameter during friction stir welding that has a greater influence on SPF. The theoretical modeling results exhibit that the SPF of friction stir welding can be practically applied to determine pole thickness, strain rate, flow stress, and strain rate sensitivity index. The finite element modeling results were found to be fairly agreeing with the experimental results. Hence, superplasticity can be significantly enhanced by friction stir welding by varying the FSW tool rotation speed.     

率相关材料在搅拌摩擦焊接过程中的行为分析

为研究金属粘性效应时的搅拌摩擦焊接材料流动行为,采用率相关本构描述搅拌摩擦焊接过程中的材料行为,并与非率相关材料模型的计算结果进行了对比.结果显示,由于考虑了金属的粘性效应.用率相关材料模型模拟搅拌摩擦焊接过程能更好地反映材料流动行为的本质.在搅拌摩擦焊接中,材料沿搅拌头切向方向的运动构成了搅拌摩擦焊接构件材料流动的主要形式.焊接构件-搅拌头接触面上的接触压力在搅拌头前方较大,在搅拌头后方较小,这一规律在率相关模型中更为明显.搅拌头前方材料在搅拌头的挤压之下向远离搅拌头的方向运动,而搅拌头后方的材料要填充由于搅拌头的移动而留下的空间,这一过程是保证搅拌摩擦焊接顺利完成的一个主要因素.因此,用率相关模型模拟搅拌摩擦焊接过程中的材料力学行为更为接近真实情况.