Fabrication and Characterization of Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposites Into 2024-T3 Al Substrates Via Friction Stir Welding Process

Author(s):  
H. E. Misak ◽  
C. A. Widener ◽  
D. A. Burford ◽  
R. Asmatulu

Carbon nanotube (CNT)-aluminum (Al) nanocomposites were prepared using friction stir welding (FSW) processing, and then the mechanical properties of these nanostructured materials were determined using the universal MTS machine. The fabrication of the CNT-metal composite consisted of the following steps: (a) homogenizing the CNTs and Al powder at three different ratios: 0/100, 25/75, and 50/50, (b) compacting the mixtures into grooves that were initially machined into the substrate (2024-T3) for the three cases, (c) incorporating CNTs in a substrate by the FSW process, and (d) validating the dispersion of the CNTs into the Al substrates after the characterization steps. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis and other physical characterization tests (e.g., mechanical, metallography, and fracture surfaces) were conducted on the prepared substrates. Test results showed that CNTs were dispersed and aligned uniquely in the different locations of the metal structures depending on the FSW zones: advancing, retreating, transverse, and stir zone regions. The mechanical properties of each zone were also compared to the distribution of CNTs. The advancing side had the highest amount of CNTs mixed into the aluminum substrate while retaining the yield strength (YS); however, the elongation was reduced. The retreating side had little to no CNTs distributed into the substrate and the mechanical properties were not significantly affected. The stir zone YS had little influence of the CNTs at the lower CNT/Al powder ratio (25/50), but a significant effect was noticed at the higher ratio of 50/50. The elongation to failure was significantly affected for both cases. The transverse zone YS and elongation to failure was significantly reduced by the powder mixtures. These results may open up new possibilities in the aircraft and other manufacturing industries for future development in the field.

Metals ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sajad Fouladi ◽  
Amir Ghasemi ◽  
Mahmoud Abbasi ◽  
Morteza Abedini ◽  
Amir Khorasani ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (9) ◽  
pp. 2743-2754
Author(s):  
Ashish Jacob ◽  
Sachin Maheshwari ◽  
Arshad Noor Siddiquee ◽  
Abdulrahman Al-Ahmari ◽  
Mustufa Haider Abidi ◽  
...  

Certain age hardenable alloys such as AA7475 cannot be joined with perfection using fusion welding techniques. This requires non-conventional welding technique such as friction stir welding process to join these ‘difficult to weld’ alloys. In this study, three different cooling conditions i.e. cryogenic, sub-zero, and zero-degree Celsius temperature conditions have been analyzed to understand its impact on the welding process. In-process cooling was found to behave effectively and also enhanced the mechanical properties of the welded joints. A stable microstructure was clearly seen in the images observed under the metallurgical microscope. The weld efficiencies were found to be good in each of the samples which are indicative of a strong metallic joint. The effective cooling conditions employed had an overall positive impact on the joint.


2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 140-154
Author(s):  
Tatiana Kalashnikova ◽  
◽  
Vladimir Beloborodov ◽  
Kseniya Osipovich ◽  
Andrey Vorontsov ◽  
...  

Introduction. Friction stir welding and processing are almost identical processes of severe plastic deformation at elevated temperatures. These technologies differ mainly in the purpose of its use: the formation of a hardened surface layer or producing a welded joint. However, it is known that both during welding and during processing of heavy gauge workpieces temperature gradients occur. As a result, the conditions of adhesive interaction, material plastic flow, and the formation of the stir zone change as compared to thin-sheet workpieces with fundamentally different heat dissipation rates. In this connection, the purpose of the work is to determine the regularities of the structure formation and stability of the mechanical properties in different directions in the material of 35-mm-thick aluminum-magnesium alloy samples produced by friction stir welding/processing. Research Methodology. The technique and modes of friction stir welding and processing of AA5056 alloy workpieces with a thickness of 35 mm are described. Data on the equipment used for mechanical tests and structural research are given. Results and discussion. The data obtained show the excess mechanical properties of the processing zone material over the base metal ones in all studied directions. Material structure heterogeneities after friction stir welding/processing of heavy gauge workpieces have no determining effect on the stir zone properties. At the same time, there is no clear correlation between the tensile strength values and the load application direction, nor is there any significant difference in mechanical properties depending on the location of the samples inside the stir zone. The average ultimate tensile strength values in the vertical, transverse, and longitudinal directions are 302, 295 and 303 MPa, respectively, with the yield strength values of 155, 153 and 152 MPa, and the relative elongation of 27.2, 27.5, 28.7 %.


Metals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Kosturek ◽  
Lucjan Śnieżek ◽  
Janusz Torzewski ◽  
Marcin Wachowski

The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of friction stir welding (FSW) parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties of Sc-modified AA2519 extrusion joints. The workpiece was welded by FSW in non-heat-treated condition with seven different sets of welding parameters. For each obtained joint macrostructure and microstructure observations were performed. Mechanical properties of joints were investigated using tensile test together with localization of fracture location. Joint efficiencies were established by comparing measured joints tensile strength to the value for base material. The obtained results show that investigated FSW joints of Sc-modified AA2519 in the non-heat-treated condition have joint efficiency within the range 87–95%. In the joints obtained with the lowest ratio of the tool rotation speed to the tool traverse speed, the occurrence of imperfections (voids) localized in the stir zone was reported. Three selected samples were subjected to further investigations consisting microhardness distribution and scanning electron microscopy fractography analysis. As the result of dynamic recrystallization, the microhardness of the base material value of 86 HV0.1 increased to about 110–125 HV0.1 in the stir zone depending on the used welding parameters. Due to lack of the strengthening phase and low strain hardening of used alloy the lack of a significantly softened zone was reported by both microhardness analysis and investigation of the fractured samples.


2016 ◽  
Vol 857 ◽  
pp. 228-231
Author(s):  
Ho Sung Lee ◽  
Ye Rim Lee ◽  
Kyung Ju Min

Aluminum-Lithium alloys have been found to exhibit superior mechanical properties as compared to the conventional aerospace aluminum alloys in terms of high strength, high modulus, low density, good corrosion resistance and fracture toughness at cryogenic temperatures. Even though they do not form low-melting eutectics during fusion welding, there are still problems like porosity, solidification cracking, and loss of lithium. This is why solid state friction stir welding is important in this alloy. It is known that using Al-Cu-Li alloy and friction stir welding to super lightweight external tank for space shuttle, significant weight reduction has been achieved. The objective of this paper is to investigate the effect of friction stir tool rotation speed on mechanical and microstructural properties of Al-Cu-Li alloy. The plates were joined with friction stir welding process using different tool rotation speeds (300-800 rpm) and welding speeds (120-420 mm/min), which are the two prime welding parameters in this process.


Author(s):  
R Palanivel ◽  
RF Laubscher ◽  
S Vigneshwaran ◽  
I Dinaharan

Friction stir welding is a solid-state welding technique for joining metals such as aluminum alloys quickly and reliably. This article presents a design of experiments approach (central composite face–centered factorial design) for predicting and optimizing the process parameters of dissimilar friction stir welded AA6351–AA5083. Three weld parameters that influence weld quality were considered, namely, tool shoulder profile (flat grooved, partial impeller and full impeller), rotational speed and welding speed. Experimental results detailing the variation of the ultimate tensile strength as a function of the friction stir welding process parameters are presented and analyzed. An empirical model that relates the friction stir welding process parameters and the ultimate tensile strength was obtained by utilizing a design of experiments technique. The models developed were validated by an analysis of variance. In general, the full impeller shoulder profile displayed the best mechanical properties when compared to the other profiles. Electron backscatter diffraction maps were used to correlate the metallurgical properties of the dissimilar joints with the joint mechanical properties as obtained experimentally and subsequently modeled. The optimal friction stir welding process parameters, to maximize ultimate tensile strength, are identified and reported.


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