Exploitation Load Impact on Electrochemical Properties of Shipbuilding 7xxx Series Aluminum Alloy Joints Prepared with TIG and FSW Methods

2015 ◽  
Vol 236 ◽  
pp. 53-61
Author(s):  
Wojciech Jurczak

The paper presents the results of investigations on mechanical properties and electrochemical potential distribution within arc welded (TIG) and friction stir welded (FSW) joints subjected to slow strain rate tests. The materials investigated were high-strength 7xxx series (7020 and its modification 7020M) aluminum alloys intended for shipbuilding. The objectives were joint quality assessment and comparison of the advantages of new FSW method with the traditional TIG methods commonly utilized in shipbuilding industry. Joint quality was evaluated based on mechanical investigations, hardness distribution tests and simultaneous electrochemical corrosion potential measurements at various locations within the welded joints.Initiation of corrosion processes on TIG and FSW joints was identified as a radical decrease in corrosion potential related to load followed by oxide layer cracking. Arc welded (TIG) joints of 7xxx series alloys undergo corrosion at lower values of tensile load applied as compared to the FSW joints. Superior mechanical properties and higher corrosion resistance of the FSW joints make this technology well-suited for joining high-strength 7xxx series alloys.

Author(s):  
Ramakrishna Koganti ◽  
Sergio Angotti ◽  
Arnon Wexler ◽  
Donald F. Maatz

There has been a substantial increase in the use of advanced high strength steel in automotive structures in the last few years. The usage of these materials is projected to grow significantly in the next 5–10 years with the introduction of new safety and fuel economy regulations. Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS) are gaining popularity due to their superior mechanical properties and weight advantages, as compared to mild steels. These new materials also pose significant manufacturing challenges, particularly for welding and stamping. Proper understanding of the weldability of these materials is critical for successful application on future vehicle programs. Due to the high strength nature of AHSS materials, higher weld forces and longer weld times are needed to weld AHSS materials. In this paper, weld lobe development for 1.0 mm uncoated boron to 1.0 mm uncoated boron 2T stack-up combination is discussed. Weld lobes were developed with Mid Frequency Direct Current (MFDC) equipment, ISO type B-16 tip, constant weld force of 3.43 kN (770 lbf), hold time of 5 cycles and the weld times were varied 10, 13 and 16 cycles. Based on the tensile, cross-tension and nugget data, there were no correlations were observed between tensile load and button size and also between cross-tension and button size. Microhardness data assessment found heat affected zone (HAZ) at the weld nugget area and similar HAZ was observed for all the welding cycles. The weld lobes, mechanical properties (tensile shear and cross-tension), cross-section examination, and microhardness of 1.0 mm boron to 1.0 mm boron 2T stack-up results are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 5728
Author(s):  
HyeonJeong You ◽  
Minjung Kang ◽  
Sung Yi ◽  
Soongkeun Hyun ◽  
Cheolhee Kim

High-strength steels are being increasingly employed in the automotive industry, requiring efficient welding processes. This study analyzed the materials and mechanical properties of high-strength automotive steels with strengths ranging from 590 MPa to 1500 MPa, subjected to friction stir welding (FSW), which is a solid-phase welding process. The high-strength steels were hardened by a high fraction of martensite, and the welds were composed of a recrystallized zone (RZ), a partially recrystallized zone (PRZ), a tempered zone (TZ), and an unaffected base metal (BM). The RZ exhibited a higher hardness than the BM and was fully martensitic when the BM strength was 980 MPa or higher. When the BM strength was 780 MPa or higher, the PRZ and TZ softened owing to tempered martensitic formation and were the fracture locations in the tensile test, whereas BM fracture occurred in the tensile test of the 590 MPa steel weld. The joint strength, determined by the hardness and width of the softened zone, increased and then saturated with an increase in the BM strength. From the results, we can conclude that the thermal history and size of the PRZ and TZ should be controlled to enhance the joint strength of automotive steels.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (12) ◽  
pp. 126584
Author(s):  
Hongtao Lin ◽  
Haitao Jiang ◽  
Yisong Wang ◽  
Shiwei Tian

2007 ◽  
Vol 344 ◽  
pp. 143-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianluca Buffa ◽  
Livan Fratini ◽  
Marion Merklein ◽  
Detlev Staud

Tight competition characterizing automotive industries in the last decades has determined a strong research effort aimed to improve utilized processes and materials in sheet stamping. As far as the latter are regarded light weight alloys, high strength steels and tailored blanks have been increasingly utilized with the aim to reduce parts weight and fuel consumptions. In the paper the mechanical properties and formability of tailored welded blanks made of a precipitation hardenable aluminum alloy but with different sheet thicknesses, have been investigated: both laser welding and friction stir welding have been developed to obtain the tailored blanks. For both welding operations a wide range of the thickness ratios has been considered. The formability of the obtained blanks has been characterized through tensile tests and cup deep drawing tests, in order to show the formability in dependency of the stress condition; what is more mechanical and metallurgical investigations have been made on the welded joints.


2010 ◽  
Vol 654-656 ◽  
pp. 1428-1431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margarita Vargas ◽  
Sri Lathabai

Friction stir processing (FSP) was performed on AA 7075-T6, a heat treatable high strength Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy. The two main FSP parameters, the tool rotational and travel speed, were varied systematically in order to understand their influence on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the processed zone. At a given rotational speed, increasing the travel speed increased the microhardness of the nugget (stir) zone; for a given travel speed there appeared to be an optimum rotational speed which resulted in the highest microhardness. The range of FSP parameters used did not significantly influence the nugget zone grain size. It is suggested that the observed mechanical properties are a result of the complex interactions between the FSP thermo-mechanical effects and the processes of dissolution, coarsening and re-precipitation of the strengthening precipitates in this alloy.


2018 ◽  
Vol 877 ◽  
pp. 20-25
Author(s):  
P.K. Mandal

The cast Al-Zn-Mg 7000 alloy has become one of the most potential structural materials in many engineering fields such as aircraft body, automotive casting due to their high strength to weight ratio, strong age hardening ability, competitive weight savings, attractive mechanical properties and improvement of thermal properties. The cast aluminium alloy has been modified of surface layer through a solid-state technique is called friction stir process (FSP). But basic principle has been followed by friction stir welding (FSW). This process can be used to locally refine microstructures and eliminate casting defects in selected locations, where mechanical properties improvements can enhance component performance and service life. However, some specified process parameters have adopted during experimental works. Those parameters are tool rotation speed (720 rpm), plate traverse speed (80 mm/min), axial force (15 kN), and tool design (i.e., pin height 3.5 mm and pin diameter 3.0 mm), respectively. The main mechanism behind this process likely to axial force and frictional force acting between the tool shoulder and workpiece results in intense heat generation and plastically soften the process material. The specified ratio of rotational speed (720 rpm) to traverse speed (80 mm/min) is considered 9 as low heat input during FSP and its entails low Zn vaporization problem results as higher fracture toughness of aluminium alloy. It is well known that the stirred zone (SZ) consists of refine equiaxed grains produced due to dynamic recrystallization. FSP has been proven to innovatively enhancing of various properties such as formability, hardness and fracture toughness (32.60 MPa√m). The hardness and fracture toughness of double passes AC+FSP aluminium alloy had been investigated by performing Vicker’s hardness measurement and fracture toughness (KIC)(ASTM E-399 standard) tests. Detailed observations with optical microscopy, Vicker’s hardness measurement, SEM, TEM, and DTA analysis have conducted to analyse microstructure and fracture surfaces of double passes FSP aluminium alloy.


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.


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