Process of friction-stir welding high-strength aluminum alloy and mechanical properties of joint

The process of friction-stir welding 2A12CZ alloy has been studied. And strength and elongation tests have been performed, which demonstrated that the opportunity existed to manipulate friction-stir welding parameters in order to improve a range of material properties. The results showed that the joint strength and elongation arrived at their maximums (331 MPa and 4%) at 37.5 mm/min and 300 rpm. As welding parameters changing, joint tensile strength and elongation had similar development. Hardness measurement indicated that the weld was softened. However, there was considerable difference in softening degree for different joint zone. The weld top had lower hardness and wider softening zone than other zone of the weld. And softening zone at advancing side was wider than that at retreating side.

High-strength aluminum alloys hollow billet prepared by two-phase zone continuous casting

The two-phase zone continuous casting(TZCC)technique was used to continuously cast high-strength aluminum alloy hollow billets,and a verified 3D model of TZCC was used to simulate the flow and temperature fields at casting speeds of 2-6 mm·min^(-1).Hollow billets under the same conditions were prepared,and their macro/microstructures were analyzed by an optical microscope and a scanning electron microscope.During the TZCC process,a circular fluid flow appears in front of the mushy zone,and the induction heated stepped mold and convective heat transfer result in a curved solidification front with depressed region near the inner wall and a vertical temperature gradient.The deflection of the solidification front decreases and the average cooling rate in the mushy zone increases with increasing casting speed.Experimental results for a 2D12 alloy show that hot tearing periodically appears in the hollow billet accompanied by macrosegregation near the inner wall at casting speeds of 2 and 4 mm·min^(-1),while macroscopic defects of hot tearing and macrosegregation weaken and the average size of columnar crystals in the hollow billets decreases with further increasing casting speed.2D12 aluminum alloy hollow billets with no macroscopic defects,the finest columnar crystals,and excellent mechanical properties were prepared by TZCC at a casting speed of 6 mm·min^(-1),which is beneficial for the further plastic forming process.

Recent progress in corrosion protection of friction stir welded high-strength aluminum alloy joints

Friction stir welding （FSW） has been widely used in many industries, with which high-strength aluminum alloys can be well joined. However, the corrosion resistance of FSW high-strength Al alloy joints is relatively poor, which limits their industrial applications. The joints shall be protected against corrosion. In this review, therefore, the current status and development of corrosion protection for FSW high-strength Al alloy joints are presented. Particular emphasis has been given to different protection methods ： lowering heat input, post-weld heat treatment, surface modification and spray coatings. Finally, opportunities are identified for further research and development in corrosion protection of FSW high-strength Al alloy joints.

Microstructure Distribution Characteristics of High-Strength Aluminum Alloy Thin-Walled Tubes during Multi-Passes Hot Power Backward Spinning Process

The microstructure of the thin-walled tubes with high-strength aluminum alloy determines their final forming quality and performance. This type of tube can be manufactured by multi-pass hot power backward spinning process as it can eliminate casting defects, refine microstructure and improve the plasticity of the tube. To analyze the microstructure distribution characteristics of the tube during the spinning process, a 3D coupled thermo-mechanical FE model coupled with the microstructure evolution model of the process was established under the ABAQUS environment. The microstructure evolution characteristics and laws of the tube for the whole spinning process were analyzed. The results show that the dynamic recrystallization is mainly produced in the spinning deformation zone and root area of the tube. In the first pass, the dynamic recrystallization phenomenon is not obvious in the tube. With the pass increasing, the trend of dynamic recrystallization volume percentage gradually increases and extends from the outer surface of the tube to the inner surface. The fine-grained area shows the states of concentration, dispersion, and re-concentration as the pass number increases. .

Influence of pre-stretching on quench sensitive effect of high-strength Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr alloy sheet

The influence of pre-stretching on quench sensitive effect of high strength Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr alloy AA 7085 sheet was investigated by tensile testing at room temperature,transmission electron microscopy(TEM)and differential scanning calorimetry(DSC).The water-cooled and aged alloy exhibits higher strength than the air-cooled and aged alloy;2.5%pre-stretching of tensile deformation exerts little effect on strength of water-cooled and aged alloy but increases that of air-cooled and aged one,and therefore the yield strength reduction rate due to slow quenching decreases from about 3.8%to about 1.0%,reducing quench sensitive effect.For the air-cooled alloy,pre-stretching increases the sizes ofη'strengthening precipitates but also increases their quantity and the ratio of diameter to thickness,resulting in enhanced strengthening and higher strength after aging.The reason has been discussed based on microstructure examination by TEM and DSC.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir welded powder metallurgy AA2024 alloy

The extruded plate of powder metallurgy AA2024 aluminum alloy was successfully solid-state joined by friction stir welding(FSW) to demonstrate potential applications in the aerospace and automotive industries. For determining the optimal processing parameters of FSW, the microstructure, mechanical properties, and fracture behavior of FSW joints were evaluated. When the processing parameters were optimized with 2000 r/min rotation speed and100 mm/min traverse speed, high quality welds were achieved. The ultimate tensile strength yield strength and elongation of the joint can reach 415 MPa(85% of the base metal strength), 282 MPa, and 9.5%, respectively. The hardness of the joint gradually decreased from the alloy matrix to the heat-affected zone. The lowest strength and hardness appeared near the heat-affected zone because of the over-aging caused by heat flow from repeated stirring during FSW. The average grain size of the stir zone(2.15 μm) was smaller than that of the base metal(4.43 μm) and the heat-affected zone(5.03 μm), whose grains had <110> preferred orientation.

Friction stir welding of high-strength aerospace aluminum alloy and application in rocket tank manufacturing

Friction stir welding （FSW） has been widely adopted in aerospace industry for fabricating high-strength aluminum alloy structures, such as large volume fuel tanks, due to its exceptional advantages includ- ing low distortion, less defects and high mechanical properties of the joint. This article systematically reviews the key technical issues in producing large capacity aluminum alloy fuel tanks by using FSW, including tool design. FSW process optimization, nondestructive testing （NDT） techniques and defect repairing techniques, etc. To fulfill the requirements of Chinese aerospace industry, constant-force FSW, retractable tool FSW, lock joint FSW, on-line NDT and solid-state equal-strength FSW techniques, as well as a complete set of aerospace aluminum FSW equipment, have been successfully developed. All these techniques have been engineered and validated in rocket tanks, which enormously improved the fabrication ability of Chinese aerospace industry.

Effect of adhesive on laser-arc hybrid welding of aluminum alloy to high-strength steel joint

Aluminum alloy 6061 and high-strength steel Q460 were joined by laser-arc-adhesive hybrid welding technology successfully.A Cu alloy interlayer was added between Al alloy and high-strength steel.The effect of the adhesive on laser-arc-adhesive hybrid welding of Al alloy to high-strength steel was discussed.The optical microscope,scanning electron microscope and electron probe micro-analysis were applied to observe the microstructural evolution and phase transition at Al-Fe interface of laser-arc-adhesive hybrid welded joints.The results showed the maximum tensile shear strength of the joint without adhesive was 256 MPa.After adding adhesive,the maximum tensile shear strength reached 282 MPa.The combination of the mechanical bonding and the metallurgical effect could improve the mechanical performances.The shape of the joint in Al alloy changed into a canine-like morphology.There was no porosity in welds because the molten pool of Al alloy and the special keyhole phenomenon of laser welding provided a channel for the decomposed gas to escape from fusion zone.

Drawing-upsetting-extrusion-clinching of high-strength steel and aluminum alloy

To realize good point connection between high-strength steel and aluminum alloy,a process of drawing-upsetting-extrusion-clinching was proposed.First,the sheets were drawn;then,the bottom of the protrusion part was extruded,forming the necessary initial interlock;and finally,the protrusion part was reverse press clinched,forming a certain height of the clinched head.Taking DP980 high-strength steel and A15083 aluminum alloy as the connection objects and using the method of numerical simulation combined with experimental test,the mold was made,and the experiment was carried out on the basis of numerical simulation.The experimental results proved the feasibility of the process and the effectiveness of the numerical model.The simulation and experimental results show that the necessary interlock in the drawing-upsetting-extrusion stage is the premise of effective connection.The relative protrusion height should be around 55.6%after reverse-press-clinching.The best comprehensive mechanical properties measured by strength test were shear resistance of 2644 N,fatigue life of 24,535 times and peel resistance of 1522 N.Through failure analysis,the relationship between the interlock Tu and the neck thickness Tn of the joint with the best comprehensive mechanical properties was established as Tu=0.35Tn.The design method of die and process parameters when the sheet thickness changes was researched by numerical simulation.The results show that the clearance between the punch and the die and the bottom thickness are directly proportional to the sheet thickness,and the drawing depth is directly proportional to the punch radius.

Corrosion Evolution of High-Strength Aluminum Alloys in the Simulated Service Environment of Amphibious Aircraft in the Presence of Chloride and Bisulfite

The corrosion evolution of 2024-T351 and 7075-T651 aluminum alloys in the thin electrolyte layer(TEL)and wet-dry alternating cycle(WDAC)environment is studied in this work.The results show that in the TEL environment,the competitive effect between H+that accelerates corrosion reactions and deposition of aluminum sulfate that impedes corrosion attacks exists during the corrosion exposure.The difference is that with increasing HSO_(3)^(-),subsurface intergranular corrosion on 2024-T351 is promoted to form exfoliation corrosion eventually and the degree of exfoliation corrosion begins to decrease because the blocking effect of aluminum sulfate exceeds the expediting effect of H+.For 7075-T651,the corrosion area and the corrosion diameter decrease gradually,which is attributed to the HSO_(3)^(-)-enhanced deposition of corrosion products and their blocking effect.In the WDAC environment,the corrosion processes of 2024-T351 and 7075-T651 are the acidic dissolution of the matrix during the soaking phase.When the HSO_(3)^(-)concentration is high enough(0.1 M),the inhibiting effect of aluminum sulfate becomes the dominant factor.

Si-Assisted Solidification Path and Microstructure Control of 7075 Aluminum Alloy with Improved Mechanical Properties by Selective Laser Melting

The construction and application of traditional high-strength 7075 aluminum alloy(Al7075) through selective laser melting(SLM) are currently restricted by the serious hot cracking phenomenon. To address this critical issue, in this study, Si is employed to assist the SLM printing of high-strength Al7075. The laser energy density during SLM is optimized, and the eff ects of Si element on solidification path, relative density, microstructure and mechanical properties of Al7075 alloy are studied systematically. With the modified solidification path, laser energy density, and the dense microstructure with refined grain size and semi-continuous precipitates network at grain boundaries, which consists of fine Si, β-MgSi, Q-phase and θ-AlCu, the hot cracking phenomenon and mechanical properties are eff ectively improved. As a result, the tensile strength of the SLM-processed Si-modified Al7075 can reach 486 ± 3 MPa, with a high relative density of ~ 99.4%, a yield strength of 291 ± 8 MPa, fracture elongation of(6.4 ± 0.4)% and hardness of 162 ± 2(HV) at the laser energy density of 112.5 J/mm~3. The main strengthening mechanism with Si modification is demonstrated to be the synergetic enhancement of grain refinement, solution strengthening, load transfer, and dislocation strengthening. This work will inspire more new design of high-strength alloys through SLM.

Enhanced strength and ductility in Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys fabricated by laser powder bed fusion using a synergistic grain-refining strategy

Grain refinement is critical to surpassing the bottlenecks of inherent hot tearing of high-strength aluminum alloys fabricated by additive manufacturing(AM).In this study,a synergistic grain-refining strategy including heterogeneous nucleation,solute-driven growth restriction and nanoparticle-induced growth restriction was introduced to control the microstructure of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys during the laser powder bed fusion(LPBF)process.Crack-free Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys with significantly refined grains were safely fabricated via LPBF by coincorporation of Ti C and TiHparticles.In-situ L1-AlTi particles were produced to promote the heterogeneous nucleation.The grain growth was restricted by adding Ti solute,while introduced TiC nanoparticles(NPs)improved the density of heterogeneous nucleation sites and blocked grain growth physically.The resultant elimination of columnar grains and hot cracks in the(1 wt.%)TiC-and(0.8 wt.%)TiH-modified Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy resulted in excellent ultimate tensile strength(UTS)of 593±24 MPa,yield strength(YS)of 485±41 MPa and elongation(EL)of 10.0%±2.5%under the T6 condition.This study provides new insights into improving the grain microstructure and mechanical properties of high-strength aluminum alloys during LPBF.

Effects of Multiple Plastic Deformations on Microstruc-ture and Mechanical Properties of 7A04-T6

The influences of multiple plastic deformations on microstructure and mechanical properties of 7A04-T6 alloy by isothermal compression experiments in different passes deformation on the 6300 kN extrusion press. The experimental results showed that the strength and elongation of 7A04-T6 alloy were increased firstly and then decreased as the deformation pass increases at above 400 ℃. The grains of 7A04-T6 alloy was refined firstly and then grow, the grain was become refinement after four deformations under this experimental conditions. The second phase η (MgZn2) in the matrix would precipitate after solution, precipitation strengthening taking place. It is obvious that the number of second phase which dissolve into the matrix will increase as the deformation pass increasing. So the tensile strength reached the highest after four deformations, is 590.9 MPa, yield strength is 532.5 MPa, and elongation is 12.4%. After four deformations of 7A04-T6 alloy, tensile fracture surface of samples was composed of the deep and uniform dimples, belonging to ductile fracture. Therefore, 7A04-T6 alloy has better comprehensive mechanical properties after four deformations.

Residual stress characteristics of butt-welded flange by finite element analysis

Finite element simulation is utilized in an aluminum alloy 2014 butt-welded flange under AC Tungsten Inert Gas （AC-TIG） welding condition. The simulated results are in good agreement with the residual stress for the plate test using the actual welding parameters. Furthermore, characteristics of residual stress could be investigated in detail in several aspects, such as the welding structures, the welding sequences, the time intervals, preheating, and repair weld. The intermittent welding may be more convenient and advantageous for the practical applications to reduce the stress, and the local repair welding may cause more stress within the repairing region obviously.