Influence of Friction Stir Processed Parameters on Superplasticity of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu Alloy

Friction stir processing (FSP) is a novel technique for refining the microstructure. In this study, the effect of FSP process parameters such as tool rotation, traverse speed and tool tilt on resulting grain size, microstructure and superplastic behavior of high-strength thick Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy is reported. The microstructure examination of the stir zone (SZ) was performed by optical as well as scanning electron microscope. Microstructure variation attributed to different process parameters is reflected in the SZ. It is observed that grain size increases with increasing tool rotation speed, and decreases with increasing traverse speed. However, tool tilt has no significant effect on grain size. Moreover, at higher tool tilt distorted grains were observed in microscopic images. The highest average value of hardness in the SZ is obtained for low heat input value corresponding to higher tool rotation and traverse speed. In this study, hardness has shown no dependency on the grain size of the SZ due to the strengthening of phase particles. Process parameter of 1500 rpm, 31.5 mm/min and 2° tool tilt (low heat input) only exhibited superplastic elongation of 225% at a superplastic condition of 400°C and 3 × 10^?4 s^?1 because of an appropriate material flow without any defect.     

Effects of friction stir welding on microstructure and mechanical properties of extruded secondary aluminum 6061 alloy

Experiments were carried out to determine the effects of friction stir welding on microstructure and properties of recycled Aluminum 6061 alloy, whose alloy content varied from that of primary alloy. The alloy was processed at tool speed and feed ranges of 530 rev/min–1320 rev/min and 40 mm/min–100 mm/min respectively. Microstructure examination; tensile test and Vickers microhardness evaluation were carried out. Microstructure of the alloy was in four zones including: base metal, heat affected zone, thermo-mechanically affected zone and stirred zone. Average grain size of unprocessed material was 93 μm. Processing the alloy at 530 rev/min and 100 mm/min resulted in grains of average size 93 μm, 183 μm and 7 μm; in base metal, heat affected zone and stirred zone respectively. Tensile failure occurred in heat affected zone; that was exposed to high heat. The alloy hardness decreased to a minimum in heat affected zone, followed by a brief rise in thermo-mechanically affected zone, to another maximum in stirred zone. Processed zone hardness was inversely proportional to tool speed and directly proportional to feed rate. Increase in the speed and decrease in feed, increased heat which deteriorated the properties.     

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.     

Microstructure and microhardness of AA1050/TiC surface composite fabricated using friction stir processing

Friction stir processing (FSP) has been developed by several researchers to produce an upper surface modification of metallic materials. The fabrication of TiC particulate (~2? $\upmu $ m) reinforced aluminum matrix composite (AMC) using FSP is studied in this paper. The measured content of TiC powders were compacted into a groove of 0.5?mm × 5.5?mm. A single pass FSP was carried out using a tool rotational speed of 1600?rpm, processing speed of 60?mm/min and axial force of 10?kN. A tool made of HCHCr steel, oil hardened to 62 HRC, having a cylindrical profile was used in this study. The microstructure and microhardness of the fabricated AMC were analysed. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) micrographs revealed a uniform distribution of TiC particles which were well-bonded to the matrix alloy. The hardness of the AMC increased by 45% higher than that of the matrix alloy.     

Effect of Rotation Rate on Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of FSW Mg-Zn-Y-Zr Alloy Joints

Friction stir welding (FSW) of Mg-Zn-Y-Zr plates with 6 mm in thickness was successfully carried out under a wide range of rotation rates of 600-1200 r/min with a constant traverse speed of 100 mm/min. After FSW, the coarse grains in the parent material (PM) were changed into fine equiaxed recrystallized grains at the nugget zone (NZ). Furthermore, the coarse Mg-Zn-Y particles (W-phase) were broken up and dispersed homogenously into the Mg matrix. With increasing rotation rates, the size of the W-phase particles at the NZ significantly decreased, but the recrystallized grain size tended to increase. The hardness values of the NZs for all the FSW joints were higher than those of the PM, and the lowest hardness values were detected in the heat affected zone (HAZ). The fracture occurred in the thermo-mechanical affected zone (TMAZ) on the advancing side for all the FSW joints in the tensile test, due to the incompatibility of the plastic deformation between the NZ and TMAZ caused by remarkably different orientation of grains and W-phase particles. The strength of FSW joint reaches 90% of that of its PM.     

Producing nanostructured super-austenitic steels by friction stir processing

In the present work, friction stir processing (FSP) was used to produce the nanostructured super-austenitic steel. After preheating, the specimens were subjected to FSP using the rotation and traverse speed of 2600 rpm and 30 mm min⁻¹, respectively. The specimen temperature during FSP was about 950 ± 2 °C. The results show that a nanostructured layer of about 91 μm thick was produced on the specimen surface. The formed nanograins ranged from 50 to 90 nm. Besides, the hot severe deformation applied during FSP led to significant fragmentation of the coarse sigma particles to nanosize ones.The produced nanostructured layer was then characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The formed nanostructure led to a twofold increase in the hardness. The formation of nanostructure resulted in an increase in hardness up to 350 Hv, comparing to 185 Hv pertaining to base structure of super austenitic steel.     

Effect of aging treatment on mechanical properties and fracture behavior of friction stir processed Mg–Y–Nd alloy

In this study, precipitation behavior of Mg–Y–Nd cast alloy during friction stir processing (FSP), and the effect of subsequent artificial aging on mechanical properties and fracture behavior of the FSP alloy were investigated. It is found that the coarse α-Mg grains and large second phases are greatly refined after FSP. Moreover, due to the heat input during processing and the natural cooling, β′ and β₁ precipitates are also observed in the FSP alloy. The FSP specimens were subjected to subsequent artificial aging treatment, and the peak hardness is obtained at 150 °C for 54 h and 180 °C for 30 h. Strengths of the peak–aged specimens are further increased, which is attributed to the large quantity of β″ and β₁ precipitates, respectively. Meanwhile, elongations of the peak-aged specimens are both decreased. Due to the comprehensive effects of banded structures and fine grains, failure mechanisms of FSP and peak-aged specimens are all mixed ductile–brittle fracture mode. However, compared to the FSP specimens, different fracture paths are exhibited in peak–aged specimens.     

Fabrication and wear characterization of an A413/Ni surface metal matrix composite fabricated via friction stir processing

In the present study, friction stir processing (FSP) was used for the incorporation of Ni particles into the surface of an A413 alloy to fabricate a surface composite. FSP parameters were the rotation speed of 2000 rpm, the traverse speed of 8 mm/min and the tilt angle of 2°. Single pass and three-pass FSP were conducted on the samples. For the evaluation of microstructures, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscope were utilized. Also, for the investigation of intermetallic formation, energy dispersive spectroscopy was used. The wear resistance of different composites was investigated at ambient and elevated temperatures. Microstructural observations revealed that the FSP led to significant breakup of acicular Si particles, elimination of α­Al dendrites and heal the casting porosity. It was found that the hardness and wear behavior of A413 cast alloy were strongly influenced by applying FSP. Also, the in situ formation of Al₃Ni particles during FSP was a critical factor controlling the wear mechanism. Sliding wear tests revealed that the increase in the number of passes created a homogeneous distribution of Al₃Ni intermetallic particles and thereby resulting in a significant improvement in wear resistance at both room and high temperatures.     

Investigating effects of process parameters on microstructural and mechanical properties of Al5052/SiC metal matrix composite fabricated via friction stir processing

Friction stir processing (FSP) is a novel process for refinement of microstructure, improvement of material’s mechanical properties and production of surface layer composites. In this investigation via friction stir processing, metal matrix composite (MMC) was fabricated on surface of 5052 aluminum sheets by means of 5 μm and 50 nm SiC particles. Influence of tool rotational speed, traverse speed, number of FSP passes, shift of rotational direction between passes and particle size was studied on distribution of SiC particles in metal matrix, microstructure, microhardness and wear properties of specimens. Optimum of tool rotational and traverse speed for achieving desired powder dispersion in MMC was found. Results show that change of tool rotational direction between FSP passes, increase in number of passes and decrease of SiC particles size enhance hardness and wear properties.     

Microstructural and mechanical properties of friction stir welded Cu–30Zn brass alloy at various feed speeds: Influence of stir bands

In this study, the effect of various feed speeds on microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir welded Cu–30Zn brass alloy is investigated. Rotation speed was fixed at 950 rpm and feed speed varied in the range of 190–375 mm/min. Examination of the microstructure showed very fine grains with some deformed grains in the stirred zone and some coarser grains in the thermo-mechanically affected zone and base metal. A unique deformation pattern, namely “stir band” in the stirred zone region was identified and its density increased by increase in feed speed. Results showed that the grain size profile was independent of feed speed and the hardness values decreased by increase in feed speed. Increase in feed speed led to a slight improvement of yield strength and ultimate tensile strength, associated to continuous spring-like morphology of stir bands acting as a strengthening structure. However, ductility reduces considerably from 57 to 27%. Moreover, it is observed that during tensile test, fracture cracks originate exactly adjacent to the stir bands.     

Inhomogeneous microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir processed NiAl bronze

As-cast Cu–9Al–4.5Ni–4Fe NiAl bronze (NAB) alloy was subjected to friction stir processing (FSP) in a wide range of tool rotation rates of 800–2000 rpm and traverse speeds of 50–200 mm/min. After FSP, the initial coarse microstructure of the as-cast NAB was transformed to fine structure, and the porosity defects were eliminated. However, the stir zones were characterized by inhomogeneous structure and could be divided into four regions: fine Widmanstätten primary α phase in the surface layer, banded primary α and β′ phases in the subsurface layer, equiaxed α and β′ phases in the center, and streamlike α and β′ phases at the bottom. The heterogeneous microstructure could be alleviated by adjusting the FSP parameters, but could not be completely eliminated under investigated FSP parameters. The FSP NAB exhibited significantly improved hardness, tensile strength, and ductility compared to the base metal. When the NAB was subjected to two pass FSP, its microstructure was further homogenized, resulting in apparently increased ductility with similar hardness and tensile strength.     

Microstructural evolution and superplastic behavior in friction stir processed Mg–Li–Al–Zn alloy

A Mg–Li–Al–Zn alloy was friction stir processed (FSP) under water, and the microstructures and superplastic behavior in the FSP alloy were investigated. The FSP Mg–Li–Al–Zn alloy consisted of a mixed microstructure with fine, equiaxed, and recrystallized α (hcp) and β (bcc) grains surrounded by high-angle grain boundaries, and the average grain size of the α and β grains was ~1.6 and ~6.8 μm, respectively. The fine α grains played a critical role in providing thermal stability for the β grains. The FSP Mg–Li–Al–Zn alloy exhibited low-temperature superplasticity with a ductility of 330 % at 100 °C and high strain rate superplasticity with ductility of ≥400 % at 225–300 °C. Microstructural examination and superplastic data analysis revealed that the dominant deformation mechanism for the FSPed Mg–Li–Al–Zn alloy is grain boundary sliding, which is controlled by the grain boundary diffusion in the β phase.     

On effect of FSP on microstructural and mechanical characteristics of A390 hypereutectic Al–Si alloy

Abstract

In the present article, the effect of friction stir processing (FSP) on the microstructural and mechanical characteristics of A390 hypereutectic Al–Si alloy was studied. The effect of tool rotational speed ω, traverse speed υ and the number of passes on such characteristics was investigated. The results showed that FSP significantly improved the microstructural characteristics of A390 Al alloy by reducing the structural defects found in the as cast alloy such as porosity and the size of α-Al primary grains as well as the size of the primary Si particles. The size of Si particulates was found to be reduced by reducing the tool rotational speed, increasing tool traverse speed and increasing the number of FSP passes.     

Solid state crack repair by friction stir processing in 304L stainless steel

Friction stir processing (FSP) was investigated as a method of repairing cracks in 12 mm thick 304L stainless steel plate. Healing feasibility was demonstrated by processing a tapered crack using a PCBN/W-Re tool with a 25 mm diameter shoulder and a pin length of 6.4 mm. The experiment showed that it was possible to heal a crack that begins narrow and then progressively grows up to a width of 2 mm. Bead on plate experiments were used to find the best parameters for creating a consolidated stir zone with the least amount of hardness difference compared to the base metal. Grain refinement in some specimens resulted in much higher stir zone hardness, compared to base metal. A plot of grain size versus microhardness showed a very strong inverse correlation between grain size and hardness, as expected from the Hall-Petch relationship. Corrosion testing was carried out in order to evaluate the effect of FSP on potential sensitization of the stir zone. After 1000 h of intermittent immersion in 3.5% saline solution at room temperature it was found that no corrosion products formed on the base material controls or on any of the friction stir processed specimens.     

Investigation on the effect of friction stir processing on the superplastic forming of AZ31B alloy

Superplastic forming has now become conventional for forming complex parts from sheet metals. In many superplastically formed aerospace components, only a selective region undergoes superplastic forming. In those cases, instead of selecting a material exhibiting superplastic properties, a light weight and low cost material can be chosen and its microstructure can be modified locally by the Friction Stir Processing (FSP) technique. In this work, AZ31B magnesium alloy is chosen, and friction stir processing is performed by varying the process parameters, such as tool axial force, tool traversing speed and tool rotational speed. The process parameter that produced equiaxed grains in the stirred zone with a grain size less than 10 μm is selected. With this parameter, single pass FSP, multiple pass FSP without overlapping and multiple pass FSP with overlapping are performed on the AZ31B magnesium alloy sheets and their superplastic behaviour was examined. Also the theoretical modelling was carried out to determine the strain rate sensitivity for the friction stir processed AZ31B magnesium alloy and for the nonprocessed AZ31B magnesium alloy. It is found that the strain rate sensitivity for the friction stir processed component has increased, when compared to the base metal.     

Glass transition improvement in epoxy/graphene composites

Graphene oxide nanoplatelets (GO) were prepared from expanded graphite (EG) and functionalized with triethylenetetramine (GO-TETA). The GO-TETA consisted of a few layers of graphene (~4–6 layers), as determined by atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the TETA was covalently linked to the GO in the GO-TETA sample. Epoxy composites based on the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A with TETA as a hardener and with 0.5–3.0 wt% additions of EG and GO-TETA were investigated. The results showed that the addition of the nanofillers led to an increase of ~20 °C in the glass transition temperature. A slight increase in the ratio of the elastic modulus/hardness of the nanocomposites was observed by nanoindentation tests carried out at a depth range of 300 nm–1.3 μm; these tests indicated a tendency of increased fracture toughness. Microindentation had an enhancement of 40 % in hardness for the 1 wt% composite with GO-TETA relative to the corresponding value for the neat epoxy.     

Experimental Study on the Surface Densification of Fe-2Cu-0.6C Powder Metallurgy Material

The present work investigated the effects of rolling force (longitudinal feed) and spindle speed on surface performance of Fe-2Cu-0.6C powder metallurgy material. A newly self-designed rolling tool was used to densify the material's surface, and then the surface properties were measured. Results indicated that rolling force was the main effective parameter, and spindle speed was the secondary one. A densified depth and a surface hardness of 335 µm and 320 HV_0.1 were obtained by using a rolling force of 2800 N and a spindle speed of 360 r/min. The tensile strength was improved by 75%. The tensile fracture had mixed-rupture characteristics of dimples and tear ridge. In the surface layer, the ferrite was stretched and refined. The pearlite was deformed and oriented along the rolling direction. The lamellar spacing close to the surface was reduced. It played a significant role in enhancing the strength of material.     

Low temperature enhanced ductility of friction stir processed 5083 aluminum alloy

Commercial 5083 Al rolled plates were subjected to friction stir processing (FSP) with two different processing parameters, having 430 and 850 rpm tool rotational speed with a single traverse feed rate of 90 mm/min. These FSP conditions resulted in two fine grained microstructures of 0·95 μm (430 rpm) and 2·6 μm (850 rpm). Tensile elongations were measured at a relatively low temperature of 250°C at three strain rates, and demonstrated that a decrease in grain size resulted in significantly enhanced ductility and lower forming loads. The occurrence of a relatively high value of strain rate sensitivity, m of 0·45 for a grain size of 0·95 μm, suggests the operation of superplastic deformation under these present experimental conditions.     

Influence of friction stir processing parameters on surface modified 90Cu-10Ni composites

Friction Stir Processing (FSP) has emerged as a distinctive and pioneering solid state technique to produce surface composites. The objective of the present research is to produce reinforced 90/10 Copper–Nickel surface composites with different carbide-based ceramic particles through FSP and study the relationship of its dynamic parameters including tool rotational speed, tool traverse speed, and width of the groove over the surface behavior. Responses such as sliding wear, microhardness, and surface modified area in the friction stir processed region are modeled using polynomial, nonlinear, multiple regression based on the central composite design of experiment. Analysis of the developed models showed that the FSP parameters; traverse speed, rotational speed, and groove width have significant influence on both the sliding wear and microhardness of developed surface composite. And furthermore, tool rotational speed and tool traverse speed, simultaneously control dispersion of reinforcement in the surface. To validate the abovementioned noteworthy results and to study the microstructural aspects, selected specimens were carried over metallurgical analysis and the obtained results were put forward in detail in this paper.     

Optimization of cold-sprayed AA2024/Al2O3 metal matrix composites via friction stir processing: Effect of rotation speeds

In this study, friction stir processing (FSP) was employed to modify cold-sprayed (CSed) AA2024/Al₂O₃ metal matrix composites (MMCs). Three different rotation speeds with a constant traverse speed were used for FSP. Microstructural analysis of the FSPed specimens reveals significant Al₂O₃ particle refinement and improved particle distribution over the as-sprayed deposits. After FSP, a microstructural and mechanical gradient MMC through the thickness direction was obtained. Therefore, a hybrid technique combining these two solid-state processes, i.e. CS and FSP, was proposed to produce functionally gradient deposits. The Guinier-Preston-Bagaryatskii zone was dissolved during FSP, while the amounts at different rotation speeds were approximately the same, which is possibly due to the excellent thermal conductivity of the used Cu substrate. Mechanical property tests confirm that FSP can effectively improve the tensile performance and Vickers hardness of CSed AA2024/Al₂O₃ MMCs. The properties can be further enhanced with a larger rotation speed with a maximum increase of 25.9% in ultimate tensile strength and 27.4% in elongation at 1500 rpm. Friction tests show that FSP decreases the wear resistance of CSed MMCs deposits due to the breakup of Al₂O₃ particles. The average values and fluctuations of friction coefficients at different rotation speeds vary significantly.