Strengthening strategy for high-performance friction stir lap welded joints based on 5083 Al alloy

During aircraft,ship,and automobile manufacturing,lap structures are frequently produced among Al alloy skins,wall panels,and stiffeners.The occurrence of welding defects severely decreases mechanical properties during friction stir lap welding(FSLW).This study focuses on investigating the effects of rotation rate,multipass welding,and cooling methods on lap defect formation,microstructural evolution,and mechanical properties.Hook defects were eliminated by decreasing welding speed,applying two-pass FLSW with a small welding tool,and introducing additional water cooling,thus leading to a remarkable increase in effective sheet thickness and lap width.This above strategy yielded defect-free joints with an ultrafine-grained microstructure and increased tensile shear force from 298 to 551 N/mm.The fracture behavior of FSLW joints was systematically studied,and a fracture factor of lap joints was proposed to predict their fracture mode.By reducing the rotation rate,using two-pass welding,and employing additional water cooling strategies,an enlarged,strengthened,and defect-free lap zone with refined ultrafine grains was achieved with a quality comparable to that of lap welds based on 7xxx Al alloys.Importantly,this study provides a valuable FSLW method for eliminating hook defects and improving joint performance.

Effect of heat treatment on the microstructure,mechanical properties and fracture behaviors of ultra-high-strength SiC/Al-Zn-Mg-Cu composites

A high-zinc composite,12vol%SiC/Al-13.3 Zn-3.27 Mg-1.07Cu(wt%),with an ultra-high-strength of 781 MPa was success-fully fabricated through a powder metallurgy method,followed by an extrusion process.The effects of solid-solution and aging heat treat-ments on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the composite were extensively investigated.Compared with a single-stage sol-id-solution treatment,a two-stage solid-solution treatment(470℃/1 h+480℃/1 h)exhibited a more effective solid-solution strengthen-ing owing to the higher degree of solid-solution and a more uniform microstructure.According to the aging hardness curves of the com-posite,the optimized aging parameter(100℃/22 h)was determined.Reducing the aging temperature and time resulted in finer and more uniform nanoscale precipitates but only yielded a marginal increase in tensile strength.The fractography analysis revealed that intergranu-lar cracking and interface debonding were the main fracture mechanisms in the ultra-high-strength SiC/Al-Zn-Mg-Cu composites.Weak regions,such as the SiC/Al interface containing numerous compounds and the precipitate-free zones at the high-angle grain boundaries,were identified as significant factors limiting the strength enhancement of the composite.Interfacial compounds,including MgO,MgZn2,and Cu5Zn8,reduced the interfacial bonding strength,leading to interfacial debonding.

Compressive Creep Behavior of TiC/AZ91D Magnesium-matrix Composites with Interpenetrating Networks

The 42.1 vol. pct TiC/AZ91D magnesium-matrix composites with interpenetrating networks were fabricated by in-situ reactive infiltration process. The compressive creep behavior of as-synthesized composites was investigated at temperature ranging from 673 to 723 K under loads of 95-108 MPa. For a comparative purpose,the creep behavior of the monolithic matrix alloy AZ91D was also conducted under loads of 15-55 MPa at 548-598 K. The creep mechanisms were theoretically analyzed based on the power-law relation. The results showed that the creep rates of both TiC/AZ91D composites and AZ91D alloy increase with increasing the temperature and load. The TiC/AZ91D composites possess superior creep resistance as compared with the AZ91D alloy. At deformation temperature below 573 K, the stress exponent n of AZ91D alloy approaches theoretical value of 5, which suggests that the creep process is controlled by dislocation climb. At 598 K, the stress exponentof AZ91D is close to 3, in which viscous non-basal slip deformation plays a key role in the process of creep deformation. However, the case differs from that of AZ91D alloy when the stress exponent n of TiC/AZ91D composites exceeds 9, which shows that there exists threshold stress in the creep process of the composites, similar to other types of composites. The average activation energies for the creep of the AZ91D alloy and TiC/AZ91D composites were calculated to be 144 and 152 k J/mol, respectively. The existence of threshold stress in the creep process of the composites leads to an increase in activation energy for creep.

Achieving a high-strength dissimilar joint of T91 heat-resistant steel to 316L stainless steel via friction stir welding

The reliable welding of T91 heat-resistant steel to 316L stainless steel is a considerable issue for ensuring the safety in service of ultrasupercritical power generation unit and nuclear fusion reactor,but the high-quality dissimilar joint of these two steels was difficult to be obtained by traditional fusion welding methods.Here we improved the structure-property synergy in a dissimilar joint of T91 steel to 316L steel via friction stir welding.A defect-free joint with a large bonding interface was produced using a small-sized tool under a relatively high welding speed.The bonding interface was involved in a mixing zone with both mechanical mixing and metallurgical bonding.No obvious material softening was detected in the joint except a negligible hardness decline of only HV~10 in the heat-affected zone of the T91 steel side due to the formation of ferrite phase.The welded joint exhibited an excellent ultimate tensile strength as high as that of the 316L parent metal and a greatly enhanced yield strength on account of the dependable bonding and material renovation in the weld zone.This work recommends a promising technique for producing high-strength weldments of dissimilar nuclear steels.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of 600 MPa grade ultra-high strength aluminum alloy fabricated by wire-arc additive manufacturing

The utilization of wire-arc additive manufacturing(WAAM)technology for the preparation of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu aluminum alloy has made some progress in recent years.However,the challenge still remains to achieve ultra-high strength(600 MPa)in WAAM.In this study,the crack-free Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Sc thin-wall component with ultra-high strength was successfully fabricated by the cold metal transfer(CMT)pro-cess using a self-prepared 7B55-Sc filler wire.The microstructures of both as-deposited and T6 heat-treated samples were all composed of fine equiaxed grains with an average size of about 6.0μm.The primary Al_(3)(Sc,Zr)particles acted as heterogeneous nuclei to promote the formation of equiaxed grains and refine the microstructures during the solidification process.A large amount of continuous eutectic structures rich in Al,Zn,Mg,and Cu elements formed along the grain boundaries under the as-deposited condition,and the precipitated second phases within the grains mainly included the equilibriumηphase,metastableηphase and large-sized T phase.After T6 heat treatment,the majority of the second phases originally distributed within grains and along grain boundaries were dissolved into the Al matrix,and a large amount of fine GP zones,ηphase and secondary Al_(3)(Sc,Zr)particles were precipitated within the grains during the aging process.The tensile strength reached a recorded level of 618 MPa in the hori-zontal direction after T6 heat treatment,which was considered a breakthrough for the manufacturing of 600 MPa grade aluminum alloy by WAAM.

3D printing of fine-grained aluminum alloys through extrusion-based additive manufacturing:Microstructure and property characterization

Additive manufacturing(AM)has the potential to transform manufacturing by enabling previously un-thinkable products,digital inventory and delivery,and distributed manufacturing.Here we presented an extrusion-based metal AM method(refer to“SoftTouch”depositionin thefiledpatent)thatis suitablefor making the metal feedstock flowable prior to the deposition through dynamic recrystallization induced grain refinement at elevated temperatures.The flowable metal was extruded out of the printer head like a paste for building dense metal parts with fine equiaxed grains and wrought mechanical properties.Off-the-shelf metal rods were used as feedstock and the printing process was completed in an open-air environment,avoiding pricy powders and costly inert or vacuum conditions.The resulting multi-layer de-posited 6061 aluminum alloys yield strength and ductility comparable to wrought 6061 aluminum alloys after the same T6 heat treatment.The extrusion-based metal AM method can also be advanced as green manufacturing technologies for fabricating novel alloys and composites,adding novel features to existing parts,repairing damaged metal parts,and welding advanced metals for supporting sustainable manufac-turing,in addition to being developed into a cost-effective manufacturing process for the fabrication of dense metal of complex structural forms.

In Situ Al_2O_3-TiB_2/Al-Cu Composite Fabricated by Reaction Pressing of TiO_2-Al-B-CuO System

The in situ formed Al2O3 and TiB2 particulates reinforced Al-3.3 wt pct Cu alloy composite hasbeen successfully fabricated by reaction pressing of TiO2, Al, B and CuO powders. The in situformed Al2O3 and TiB2 particulates with a size from 10 nm to 2 μm are unifOrmly distributedin the matrix. The composite has a tensiIe Strength of 482 MPa and an elastic modulus of103.3 GPa.

Dual-phase synergistic deformation characteristics and strengthening mechanism of AlCoCrFeNi_(2.1) eutectic high entropy alloy fabricated by laser powder bed fusion

Eutectic high entropy alloy(EHEA)possesses promising prospects for industrial application due to its controllable and near-equilibrium dual-phase structure.Due to the advantages of high material utiliza-tion,efficient production,and design freedom,the laser powder bed fusion(LPBF)technique provides a new path to prepare EHEA components with complex structure and excellent performance.In this study,near fully dense AlCoCrFeNi_(2.1) samples were obtained by adjusting the process parameters of LPBF.Con-sidering the balling phenomenon and powder splashing during the LPBF process,laser remelting was selected as an optimized scanning strategy to further improve the forming quality of AlCoCrFeNi21.The microstructure of remelted AlCoCrFeNi_(2.1) sample exhibited regular eutectic lamellae consisting of nano-scale face-centered-cubic(FCC)and B2 phases,in which the FCC phase accounted for a higher proportion.By investigating the tensile behavior and deformation mechanism,it was revealed that the ultrafine eu-tectic lamellae could induce a strong dual-phase synergistic strengthening,thereby significantly improv-ing the strength of the sample.Compared with the vacuum induction melted(VIM)sample,the remelted sample showed a 54%increase in ultimate tensile strength(UTS-1518 MPa)and a 130%increase in yield strength(YS-1235 MPa)with reasonable plasticity.This study indicates that by combining the design and manufacturing freedom of LPBF with the EHEA,it is expected to fabricate high-property 3D EHEA parts,expanding the application field of EHEA.

Thermally stable microstructures and mechanical properties of B4C-Al composite with in-situ formed Mg（Al）B2

B4C particulate-reinforced 6061A1 composite was fabricated by powder metallurgy method. The as-rolled composite possesses high tensile strength which is comparable to that of the peak-aged 6061A1 alloy. More importantly, the microstructures and mechanical properties are thermally stable during long-term holding at elevated temperature (400℃). The microstructual contributions to the strength of the composite were discussed. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis indicates that the in-situ formed reinforcement Mg(Al)B2, as products of the interfacial reactions between B4C and the aluminum matrix, show not only good resistance to thermal coarsening but also strong pinning effect to the grain boundaries in the alloy matrix.

High-performance and broadband photodetection of bicrystalline(GaN)_(1-x)(ZnO)_(x)solid solution nanowires via crystal defect engineering

Crystal defect engineering is widely used as an effective approach to regulate the optical and optoelectronic properties of semiconductor nanostructures.However,photogenerated electron-hole pair recombination centers caused by structural defects usually lead to the reduction of optoelectronic performance.In this work,a high-performance photodetector based on(GaN)_(1-x)(ZnO)_(x)solid solution nanowire with bicrystal structure is fabricated and it shows excellent photoresponse to ultraviolet and visible light.The highest responsivity of the photodetector is as high as 60,86 and 43 A/W under the irradiation of365 nm,532 nm and 650 nm,respectively.The corresponding response time is as fast as 170,320 and 160 ms.Such wide spectral responses can be attributed to various intermediate energy levels induced by the introduction of various structural defects and dopants in the solid solution nanowire.Moreover,the peculiar bicrystal boundary along the axial direction of the nanowire provides two parallel and fast transmission channels for photo-generated carriers,reducing the recombination of photo-generated carriers.Our findings provide a valued example using crystal defect engineering to broaden the photoresponse range and improve the photodetector performance and thus can be extended to other material systems for various optoelectronic applications.

Evolution of Quasicrystals and Long-Period Stacking Ordered Structures During Severe Plastic Deformation and Mixing of Dissimilar Mg Alloys Upon Friction Stir Welding

Microstructural evolution during severe plastic deformation and mixing of Mg95.8Zn3.6Gd0.6 and Mg97Cu1Y2(at%)alloys upon friction stir welding was studied.A laminated onion-ring structure composed of alternative distribution of layers with signifi cantly refi ned microstructures from diff erent alloys was formed in the stirred zone.Coarse quasicrystals were broken up and dispersed with most of them being transformed into cubic W-phase particles,and thick 18R long-period stacking ordered plates were fractured and transformed into fi ne 14H-LPSO lamellae in the stirred zone(SZ)experiencing complex material flow under high strain rate.Fine W-phase particles and 14H-LPSO lamellae formed during dissimilar friction stir welding(FSW)usually have no specifi c orientation relationship with surrounding Mg matrix.Chemical measurements demonstrated occurrence of interdiff usion between dissimilar layers in the SZ.Phase transformation was observed for some particles of quasicrystals and long-period stacking ordered(LPSO)in regions slightly outside the SZ.An ultimate tensile strength of~415 MPa and an elongation to failure of~27.8%,both exceeding those of base materials,were obtained in the SZ,due to microstructural refi nement and formation of a laminated structure.

Enhanced Fatigue Properties of 2219 Al Alloy Joints via Bobbin Tool Friction Stir Welding

In the present study,2219-T87 Al alloy plates,4 mm in thickness,were subjected to bobbin tool friction stir welding(BTFSW)under relatively high welding speeds of 200 and 400 mm/min,with the aim to analyze the effect of welding speeds on fatigue properties of the joints.The results showed that the tension–tension high-cycle fatigue performance of the BT-FSW joints at room temperature was significantly enhanced compared to that of other joints of 2xxx series Al alloys counterparts.Particularly at a high welding speed of 400 mm/min,the fatigue strength of the joint reached 78%of the base material together with a high tensile strength of 311 MPa.It was found that the joint line remnants had no effects on the fatigue properties of the BT-FSW joints due to the elimination of root flaws under the action of the lower shoulder.Most of the samples with the welding speed of 200 mm/min failed at the thermo-mechanical zone(TMAZ)during fatigue tests,attributable to the coarsened grains and precipitates,but all of the samples with high welding speed of 400 mm/min randomly failed at the nugget zone due to the improved hardness value in the TMAZ.

Effect of Particle Size on Mechanical Properties and Fracture Behaviors of Age-Hardening SiC/Al–Zn–Mg–Cu Composites

15 vol.% SiC/Al-6.5Zn-2.8 Mg-1.7 Cu(wt%) composites with varying particle sizes(3.5, 7.0, 14 and 20 μm), i.e., C-3.5, C-7.0, C-14, and C-20, respectively, were fabricated by powder metallurgy(PM) method and subjected to microstructural examination. The effect of particle size on mechanical properties and fracture behaviors of the T6-treated composites was revealed and analyzed in detail. Element distribution and precipitates variations in the composites with varying particle sizes were emphatically considered. Results indicated that both tensile strength and plasticity of the T6-treated composites increased first and then decreased with particle size decreasing. The C-7.0 composite simultaneously exhibited the highest ultimate tensile strength(UTS) of 686 MPa and best elongation(El.) of 3.1%. The smaller-sized SiC particle would introduce more oxide impurities, which would react with the alloying element in the matrix to cause Mg segregation and depletion. According to strengthening mechanism analysis, the weakening of precipitation strengthening in the T6-treated C-3.5 composite was the main cause of the lower tensile strength. Additionally, the larger SiC particle, the more likely to fracture, especially in the composites with high yield strength. For the T6-treated C-20 composites, more than 75% SiC particles were broken up, resulting in the lowest plasticity. As decreasing particle size, the fracture behaviors of the T6-treated composites would change from particle fracture to matrix alloy fracture gradually.

Highly efficient visible-light photocatalytic degradation and antibacterial activity by GaN:ZnO solid solution nanoparticles

The development of high-efficiency photocatalysts is the primary goal in the field of photocatalytic antibacterial research.In this work,the Ga N:Zn O solid solution nanoparticles(NPs)photocatalyst with strong visible absorption and large specific surface area was synthesized via the sol-gel and nitridation reaction process.Also,we systematically investigated the removal efficiency of the organic pollutant and antibacterial activity on E.coli and S.aureus.Notably,methylene blue solution could be completely degraded after 100 min of visible light illumination using 2 mg/m L Ga N:Zn O catalyst.Moreover,~94%of the E.coli were inactivated within 120 min,whereas 100%antibacterial activity against S.aureus was achieved after 90 min of visible light illumination mediated by Ga N:Zn O NPs.We further explore the potential mechanism of visible light photocatalytic antibacterial activity enhanced by Ga N:Zn O NPs photocatalyst.The current work not only provides a new and efficient photocatalytic antibacterial nanomaterial but also demonstrates its promising applications in environmental and biological fields.

Friction stir welding of carbon nanotubes reinforced Al-Cu-Mg alloy composite plates

Carbon nanotubes(CNTs) reinforced Al-Cu-Mg composite plates of 2.2 mm in thickness after extrusion and T4 treatment were joined by friction stir welding(FSW) and the joint efficiency reaches 87%. There was no precipitate in both heat-affected zone(HAZ) and nugget zone(NZ) as a medium rotation rate of 800 rpm and a relative high travel speed of 100 mm min-1were used. In the NZ, FSW disarranged the alignment of CNTs to random orientation and dispersed CNT uniformly. The orientation of CNTs perpendicular to the tensile direction and the possible dissolution of solute clusters made the HAZ become the weakest zone in the joint leading to the failure in the HAZ.

Wear Behavior of the Uniformly Dispersed Carbon Nanotube Reinforced 6061Al Composite Fabricated by Milling Combined with Powder Metallurgy

The uniformly dispersed carbon nanotubes(CNTs) reinforced 6061Al composites(CNT/6061Al) with diff erent CNT concentrations were fabricated by powder metallurgy technology. It was found that the friction coe ffi cient as well as wear rate decreased fi rst and then increased as the CNT concentration increasing under 15 N as well as 30 N, and the minimum wear rate was achieved at the CNT concentration of 2 wt%. Adhesive wear and abrasive wear were the dominated wear mechanisms for the 1–2 wt% CNT/6061Al composites under 15 N and 30 N, while the delamination occurred on the wear surface at 3wt% CNT. As the applied load increased to 60 N, the wear rate of composites increased dramatically. The wear mechanism transformed from abrasive wear to severe delamination wear, accompanied by the generation of wear debris with sharp edge due to the weaker anti-shearing strain capacity of CNT/6061Al composites.

Corrosion fatigue behavior of friction stir processed interstitial free steel

In this study, interstitial free （IF） steel plates were subjected to double-sided friction stir processing （FSP）. The fine-grained structure with an average grain size of about 12 μm was obtained in tbe processed zone （PZ）with a thickness of about 2.5mm. The yield strength （325 MPa） and ultimate tensile strength （451 MPa） of FSP IF steel were significantly higher than those of base material （BM） （192 and 314 MPa）, while the elongation （67.5%） almost remained unchanged compared with the BM （66.2%）. The average microhardness value of the PZ was about 130 HV, 1.3 times bigher than that of the BM. In addition, the FSP IF steel showed a more positive corrosion potential and lower corrosion current density than the BM, exhibiting lower corrosion tendency and corrosion rates in a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. Furtbernlore, FSP IF steel exhibited higher fatigue life than the BM both in air and NaCl solution. Corrosion fatigue fracture surfaces of FSP IF steel mainly exhihited a typical transgranular fracture with fatigue striations, while the BM predominantly presented an intergranular fracture. Enhanced corrosion fatigue performance was mainly attributed to the increased resistance of nucleation and growth of fatigue cracks. The corrosion fatigue mechanism was primarily controlled by anodic dissolution under the combined effect of cyclic stress and corrosive solution.

Preface to the special issue： Friction stir welding and processing

Friction stir welding （FSW）, invented at The Welding Institute, UK, in 1991, is a highly efficient solid-state joining technique, involving frictional and adiabatic heating, plastic deformation and solid-state diffusion. It has been widely accepted as a ＂green＂ technology due to its energy efficiency and environment friendliness, and is considered the most significant development in the field of material joining over the past two decades. Friction stir processing （FSP） was later developed based on the basic principles of FSW. FSP has proven to be an effective and versatile metalworking technique for modifying and fabricating metallic materials.