Modelling studies of sheet metal formability of friction stir processed Mg AZ31B alloy under stretch forming

Magnesium alloys have poor formability at room temperature. The formability can be improved through hot forming at the cost of deterioration in strength and other mechanical properties. Improvements in texture and grain refinement are the alternate ways for formability improvement. The economically viable process for such applications is alloying or grain refinement technologies like equal channel angular pressing (ECAP), friction stir processing (FSP), and accumulative roll bonding (ARB), etc. Friction stir processing is an emerging solid state microstructure modification technique that can produce homogeneous microstructure with fine-grains in a single pass. The desirable characteristics for sheet formability are the maximum limiting dome height under plane and biaxial strain deformation conditions and the major fracture strain limits through forming limit diagrams (FLDs). Equiaxed homogeneous microstructure with fine grains through FSP results in the enhancement of formability of the material. The objective of the present work is to establish the methodology for viable sheet metal forming practices by altering the process conditions. This needs a clear understanding of the friction stir processed Mg alloy under different strain conditions to get optimized process parameters.     

Surface analysis of stationary shoulder friction stir processed AZ31B magnesium alloy

We propose a stationary shoulder friction stir process (SSFSP) to produce a smooth surface finish. The use of a stationary shoulder tool contributes to reducing the heat input during friction stir processing (FSP). Hence, a stationary shoulder tool is advantageous for FSP in heat sensitive alloys like magnesium. The present short communication investigates the surface finish of AZ31B magnesium alloy processed by SSFSP without using additional cooling. Surface analysis of the processed region was carried out by 2D and 3D surface mapping using digital microscopy. The surface mapping indicated that there was very little flash generation on the processed zone, while 3D mapping quantified the surface roughness in the longitudinal as well as transverse directions of the processing zone.     

AZ31 magnesium alloy recycling through friction stir extrusion process

Friction Stir Extrusion is a novel technique for direct recycling of metal scrap. In the process, a dedicated tool produces both the heat and the pressure to compact and extrude the original raw material, i.e., machining chip, as a consolidated component. A proper fixture was used to carry out an experimental campaign on Friction Stir Extrusion of AZ31 magnesium alloy. Variable tool rotation and extrusion ratio were considered. Appearance of defects and fractures was related to either too high or too low power input. The extruded rods were investigated both from the metallurgical and mechanical points of view. Tensile strength up to 80 % of the parent material was found for the best combination of process parameters. A peculiar 3D helical material flow was highlighted through metallurgical observation of the specimens.     

Effect of overlapping ratio on mechanical properties and formability of friction stir processed Mg AZ31B alloy

Friction stir processing (FSP) is one of the important severe plastic deformation techniques developed for enhancing mechanical properties of metal sheets, such as the tensile strength and the elongation. Recently, magnesium alloy AZ31 is widely used in automobile industries due to its light-weight material property. In this investigation, the effect of overlapping ratio (OR) with different shoulder diameters (SDs) on the mechanical properties and formability of the friction stir processed (FSP) Mg AZ31B alloy have been studied. The experiments were carried out with overlapping ratios of 0, 0.5 and 1. The results revealed that the OR with 1 showed better mechanical properties and formability than others. Also the tool with 18 mm shoulder diameter produced superior properties than other shoulders.     

Nano-hydroxyapatite reinforced AZ31 magnesium alloy by friction stir processing: a solid state processing for biodegradable metal matrix composites

Friction stir processing (FSP) was successfully adopted to fabricate nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) reinforced AZ31 magnesium alloy composite as well as to achieve fine grain structure. The combined effect of grain refinement and the presence of embedded nHA particles on enhancing the biomineralization and controlling the degradation of magnesium were studied. Grain refinement from 56 to ~4 and 2 μm was observed at the stir zones of FSP AZ31 and AZ31–nHA composite respectively. The immersion studies in super saturated simulated body fluid (SBF 5×) for 24 h suggest that the increased wettability due to fine grain structure and nHA particles present in the AZ31–nHA composite initiated heterogeneous nucleation which favored the early nucleation and growth of calcium-phosphate mineral phase. The nHA particles as nucleation sites initiated rapid biomineralization in the composite. After 72 h of immersion the degradation due to localized pitting was observed to be reduced by enhanced biomineralization in both the FSPed AZ31 and the composite. Also, best corrosion behavior was observed for the composite before and after immersion test. MTT assay using rat skeletal muscle (L6) cells showed negligible toxicity for all the processed and unprocessed samples. However, cell adhesion was observed to be more on the composite due to the small grain size and incorporated nHA.     

Effect of tool pin profile on microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir welded AZ31B magnesium alloy

In this investigation the effect of friction stir welding pin geometry on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AZ31B magnesium alloy joints is studied. The considered pin geometries are simple cylindrical, screw threaded cylindrical and taper. The joints are friction stir welded at different traverse and rotational speeds. Microstructures of the joints are examined using the optical and scanning electron microscopes. Also, the tensile properties and hardness of the joints are measured. The results show that taper and screw threaded cylindrical pins produce defect free joints. In addition, the taper pin results in finest microstructure and highest mechanical properties. Furthermore, it is found that rotational speed has a more significant role on the final microstructure and mechanical properties of the joints, compared to the traverse speed.     

{10-12} twinning induced texture randomisation of friction stir processed AZ31B Mg alloy

Friction stir processing (FSP) with additional liquid nitrogen cooling was conducted on hot-rolled AZ31B Mg alloy. The FSP can simultaneously provide compress deformation perpendicular to the c-axis and tensile deformation parallel to the c-axis of close-packed hexagonal crystal cell. Massive {10-12} twins were activated under the two deformation modes, resulting in significantly reduced basal texture intensity. All six {10-12} twin variants were activated in the stir zone according to the Schmid factor criterion, and they provide a great contribution to basal texture randomisation. This study also provides a simple and effective method to remarkably reduce the basal texture intensity for deformed Mg alloy.     

Fatigue behaviour of cast magnesium alloy AZ91 microstructurally modified by friction stir processing

Friction stir processing (FSP) was applied to cast magnesium alloy AZ91-F to modify the as-cast microstructure, and the effect of FSP on fatigue behaviour was discussed based on microstructural consideration, crack initiation, crack growth behaviour, and fracture surface analysis. Fully reversed axial fatigue tests have been performed using as-cast, T5-aged and their FSPed specimens (as-cast/FSP and T5/FSP). It was found that both FSPed specimens exhibited significantly higher fatigue strength than the as-cast and T5-aged specimens. FSP resulted in the break-up of coarse as-cast microstructure, grain refinement of the matrix, finely dispersed precipitates and increase of hardness, thereby both the crack initiation resistance and the crack growth resistance were considerably enhanced compared with the as-cast and T5-aged specimens, resulting in the improved fatigue strengths of the FSPed specimens.     

Investigation of friction stir processing effect on AA 2014-T6

This study is concerned with the effects of process parameters such as speed, feed, tilt angle, and tool profile on mechanical and microstructural properties of stir processed, solution treated, and artificially aged AA 2014-T6. The process was carried out with an input condition at rotational and traverse feeds of 600–1400 RPM and 30–90 mm/min, respectively. Five distinct shapes of the tool pin such as triangular, hexagonal, threaded, conical, and cylindrical have been selected to carry out the process with varied tilt angle of 1°–3°. In order to exemplify the status of processed materials, optical, scanning electron microscopy and Vickers hardness measurement along with grain analysis were performed on various regions of processed cross sections. According to the results, combination of processing speed and rotational speed affects the microstructure and associated grain size and average hardness of the processed region.     

Polishing-assisted galvanic corrosion in the dissimilar friction stir welded joint of AZ31 magnesium alloy to 2024 aluminum alloy

Galvanic corrosion of a dissimilar friction stir welded 2024-T3 Al/AZ31B-H24 Mg joint prepared using a water-based and a non-water-based polishing solution was characterized. Microstructure and the distribution of chemical elements were analyzed using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The stir zone polished using water-based solution was observed to be much more susceptible to galvanic corrosion attack than that obtained using non-water-based polishing solution. The location of corrosion attack was observed in the narrow regions of AZ31 Mg alloy adjacent to Al2024 regions in the stir zone. The occurrence of galvanic corrosion was due to the formation of Mg/Al galvanic couples with a small ratio of anode-to-cathode surface area. The corrosion product was primarily the porous magnesium hydroxide with characteristic microcracks and exhibited a low microhardness value.     

Corrosion behavior of friction stir welded AZ31B magnesium alloy with plasma electrolytic oxidation coating formed in silicate electrolyte

A protective ceramic coating of about 50 μm thick on a friction stir welded (FSW) joint of AZ31B magnesium alloy was prepared by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) in silicate electrolyte. Electrochemical corrosion behavior of uncoated and coated FSW joints was evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The equivalent circuits of EIS plots for uncoated and coated FSW magnesium alloy were suggested. The corrosion resistance of FSW magnesium alloy depended on microstructure of the FSW joint. The heat-affected zone with severe grain growth was more susceptible to corrosion than the stir zone and base metal. The PEO coating consisted of a porous outer layer and a dense inner layer. The inner layer of PEO coating played a key role on corrosion protection of the FSW joint of magnesium alloy. Meanwhile, corrosion potential, corrosion current density and impedance at different zones of coated FSW joint were almost the same. The PEO surface treatment significantly improved the corrosion resistance of FSW joints of AZ31B magnesium alloy.     

Metallurgical characterization of pulsed current gas tungsten arc,friction stir and laser beam welded AZ31B magnesium alloy joints

This paper reports the influences of welding processes such as friction stir welding (FSW), laser beam welding (LBW) and pulsed current gas tungsten arc welding (PCGTAW) on mechanical and metallurgical properties of AZ31B magnesium alloy. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-Ray diffraction technique were used to evaluate the metallurgical characteristics of welded joints. LBW joints exhibited superior tensile properties compared to FSW and PCGTAW joints due to the formation of finer grains in weld region, higher fusion zone hardness, the absence of heat affected zone, presence of uniformly distributed finer precipitates in weld region.     

Fatigue performance of pulsed current gas tungsten arc,friction stir and laser beam welded AZ31B magnesium alloy joints

This paper reports the influence of welding processes such as friction stir welding (FSW), laser beam welding (LBW) and pulsed current gas tungsten arc welding (PCGTAW) on fatigue properties of AZ31B magnesium alloy. Fatigue experiment was conducted using servo hydraulic controlled fatigue testing machine. Fatigue strength, fatigue notch factor and notch sensitivity factor were evaluated. The LBW joints showed higher fatigue strength compared to FSW and PCGTAW joints. The formation of very fine grains in weld region, higher fusion zone hardness, uniformly distributed finer precipitates are the main reasons for superior fatigue performance of LBW joints compared to PCGTAW and FSW joints.     

镁合金搅拌摩擦焊接工艺参数优化

为了优化镁合金搅拌摩擦焊接工艺参数,对5 mm厚镁合金AZ31B板材的搅拌摩擦焊接技术进行了试验研究,利用SN比实验设计,对镁合金AZ31B搅拌摩擦焊接工艺参数进行了方差分析,优化了搅拌头的材料、结构,最终确定搅拌头的材料为W6Mo5Cr4V2,结构为凹面圆台形.轴肩尺寸为12 mm.探针的根部直径为5.5 mm,端部直径为2.5 mm,长度为4.7 mm.获得镁合金AZ31B搅拌摩擦焊的工艺参数显著性顺序为旋转速度、横向速度和压力;确定了镁合金AZ31B搅拌摩擦焊的最优工艺参数为1500 r/min、47.5 mm/min、3kN.     

Effects of heating process on the microstructures and tensile properties of friction stir spot welded AZ31 magnesium alloy plates

In this paper, the effects of heating process on the microstructures and tensile properties of a friction stir spot welding (FSSW) welded AZ31 magnesium alloy were investigated by microstructural observations and tensile tests. The results shown that compared with the FSSW welded joint, the width of the bonded zone of the heating FSSW welded AZ31 magnesium alloy joint increased remarkably, while the width of the partial metallurgical zone and the number of the voids formed in it reduced. The tensile test results indicated that the increase of the heating temperature improved the tensile shear load (TSL) of the heating FSSW welded joint greatly when the heating temperature was lower than 573 K. However, the TSL of the heating FSSW welded joint decreased when the heating temperature was more than 573 K due to the coarsening of the grains.     

Experimental investigation on formability and microstructure of AZ31B alloy in electropulse-assisted incremental forming

Based on a CNC machine tool and a high-energy electropulse generator, a self-built experiment platform was employed to conduct electropulse-assisted incremental forming (EAIF) of AZ31B alloy. The experimental results show that the electroplastic effect increases with the increase of the root mean square (RMS) current density of electropulse, and the forming limit angle in EAIF have been up to 72° from the previous 39.6° without electropulse. The tests prove that the peak current density plays a leading role in determining the materials formability when the RMS current density remains to be approximate. In addition, the microstructure transformations of the formed specimens were studied by means of optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. It is found that the electropulse can reduce the AZ31B dynamic recrystallization (DRX) temperature and accelerate the DRX progress, and it can also restrain the crack growth of the tested materials which in turn improves its formability.     

Rotation friction pressing riveting of AZ31 magnesium alloy sheet

A kind of joining method for magnesium alloys, rotation friction pressing riveting (RFPR), is proposed in this paper. In RFPR operation, a rivet with a plug rotating at high speed is brought to contact with the riveted sheets, generating frictional heat between the rivet and riveted sheets, which softens the sheet materials and enables the rivet to be drilled into the sheets under reduced force. When fully inserted, the rivet is stopped rotating, and the plug is immediately pressed into the shank of the rivet by a punch. The expansive deformation of the rivet shank occurs under the action of the plug, thereby forming a mechanical interlock between the rivet and the sheets to fasten the sheets together. The studies show that RFPR of AZ31 magnesium alloy sheet can be carried out at ambient temperature, and provides the joints with superior shear strength and fatigue property when compared with self-piercing riveting (SPR). The effects of the operating parameters of RFPR process on the quality of the joints were investigated in the study. The results shows that while the rivet rotation speed little affects the shear strength of RFPR joints, the punch pressure has a significant influence on the mechanical properties of the RFPR joints. A numerical analysis was also performed to understand the effect of the punch pressure on the interlock between the rivet and the sheets, and the stress and strain distribution inside the sheet materials around the rivet. The results show that the interlock increased with the punch pressure and there is residual compressive stress inside the sheet materials, which seems to explain the good fatigue property of RFPR joints observed.     

Effect of friction stir processing on mechanical and microstructural properties of AM60B Magnesium alloy

Some AM60B magnesium alloys sheets produced by High Pressure die Casting were Friction Stir Processed and the mechanical and microstructural features are presented in the present study. The mechanical properties of the FSP material were analyzed in longitudinal direction respect to the processing one and compared with those of the base material. Tensile tests were performed at room and high temperature and different strain rates in the nugget zone, in order to analyse the superplastic properties of the recrystallized material and to observe the differences respect to the base material after the strong grain refinement effect due to the Friction Stir Process. The high temperature behaviour of the material was studied, in longitudinal direction, by means of tensile tests in the temperature and strain rate ranges of 175–250°C and 10⁻²–10⁻⁴ s⁻¹ respectively.     

AZ31镁合金温变形对其性能影响的研究

为了研究温变形对铸态AZ31镁合金力学性能的影响,在210～300℃温度范围内对均匀化后的合金进行了不同程度的平面应变压缩,并根据微观组织的演变对其进行了分析.结果表明:随变形温度的升高,在相同的变形程度下晶粒有长大的趋势,其抗拉强度增量下降;在同一温度下变形,强度增量随着变形程度的增加而增大,变形到一定程度时,呈现减小的趋势.在210℃下变形,当ε达到2.07时,其抗拉强度最大可达305MPa,较铸态提高近50%.表明AZ31合金温变形时,通过形变强化与细晶强化的合理组合,可获得细小均匀的等轴组织,大幅度提高镁合金的强度.