Friction stir welding of aluminum to copper—An overview

Components made by joining different materials are required in various engineering applications.Fabrication of suchcomponents is a challenging task due to the vast difference in mechanical,thermal and electrical properties of the materials beingused.Friction stir welding(FSW)is capable of joining dissimilar materials such as aluminum(Al)and copper(Cu)and thereforeresearchers have used this novel process for dissimilar joining.Consequently,several works pertaining to dissimilar joining,specifically Al?Cu,are available in the literature but they are scattered in different sources,which makes the task of gatheringinformation about dissimilar FSW of Al?Cu cumbersome.This work has been written with an aim to provide all pertinentinformation related to dissimilar FSW of Al?Cu at one place to ease the problems of researchers.It comprehensively covers andsummarizes the topics such as the effect of tool design and geometry,FSW process parameters,FSW strategies on mechanicalproperties,microstructure and formation of defects during dissimilar FSW of Al?Cu.In addition,it also presents and discussesseveral variants of dissimilar FSW of Al?Cu.Finally,this work not only puts forth major findings of the previous researchers but alsosuggests future recommendations for dissimilar FSW of Al?Cu.

Comparison of 2A12 aluminium alloy joint by ultrasonic assisted friction stir welding and friction stir welding

Ultrasonic assisted friction stir welding （UAFSW） is a recent modification of conventional friction stir welding, which adds ultrasonic energy directly into the friction stir welding area by the pin. In this study, 2A12 aluminum alloy was welded by this process and conventional, respectively. The tensile tests, microstructure and fracture surface of FSW joint and UAFSW joint were analyzed. The research results show that the surface forming texture of ultrasonic assisted friction stir welding joint, compared with conventional, is finer and more uniform, showing metallic matte color. The grains are much finer in weld nugget zone, thermo-mechanically affected zone and heat-affected zone; S-phase particles size is much smaller and distribution is more homogeneous in the matrix. The tensile strength of UAFSW joint is 94. 13% of base metal, and the elongation is 11.77%. The tensile strength of FSW joint is 83.15% of base metal, and the elongation is 8.81%. The tests results reveal that ultrasonic vibration can improve the tensile strength and the elongation of welded joints.

Prediction of HAZ grain size in welding of ultra fine grained steel with different parameters

The temperature field and thermal cycling curve in the heat-affected zone during welding 400 MPa ultra fine grained steel by plasma arc were simulated using finite element method. The principle of grain growth kinetics was used to predict the grain size in the heat-affected zone under different welding parameters. The simulation results show that the growing tendency of HAZ grain could be controlled by adjusting the welding parameters, but the growth of HAZ grain could not be eliminated at all. The HAZ grain size became small with increasing of the cooling rate and added with increasing of welding current, arc voltage and welding speed.

Fatigue crack propagation of 7050 aluminum alloy FSW joints after surface peening

The surface composite modification of the 7050 aluminum alloy friction stir-welded joints was performed by shot peening(SP)/multiple rotation rolling(MRR)and MRR/SP,and the fatigue performance of the nugget zone(NZ)was investigated.The results demonstrated that the fatigue life of SP/MRR samples is longer than that of MRR/SP.On the plane 150μm below the surface.The grains with high angle grain boundary account for 71.5%and 34.3%for MRR/SP and SP/MRR samples,respectively.The crack propagation path of the MRR/SP is transgranular and intergranular,and it is intergranular for the MRR/SP.Multitudinous fatigue striations and some voids appeared at the fracture during the stable crack propagation stage.However,fatigue striations for SP/MRR are with smaller spacing,fewer holes,and smaller size under SP/MRR compared with fatigue fracture of MRR/SP.The differences in fatigue properties and fracture characteristics of the NZ are related to the microstructure after the two combined surface modifications.

Microstructure and defect of titanium alloy electron beam deep penetration welded joint

The microstructure, phase composition and cold shut defect of thick titanium alloy electron beam welded joint were studied. The results showed that the microstructure of weld zone was composed of α′ phase; the heat affected zone was divided into fine-grained zone and coarse-grained zone, the microstructure of fine-grained zone was primary α phase ＋ β phase ＋ equiaxed α phase, and the microstructure of coarse-grained zone was primary α phase ＋ acicular α′ phase; the microstructure of base metal zone basically consisted of primary α phase, and a small amount of residual β phase sprinkled. The forming. reason of cold shut was analyzed, and the precaution of cold shut was proposed.

Comparative analysis by simulating and testing pole impact for hot stamping front crossbeam of automobile

Hot stamping 22MnB5 steel plate with ultra-high strength has been widely used for body structural members in consideration of automobile safety and lightweight.This paper presents a verification program of simulating and testing pole impact in order to verify if the front crossbeam reinforcement assembly can meet the design requirements,reduce the overall vehicle simulation and test cost and shorten the operation period.In the same condition,the simulation proved conforming to the design requirements;however,the bumper cracked at the impacting point in the course of pole impact test.The analysis of the crack by optical microscope,Vickers and scanning electron microscope indicates that mixture of ferrite,bainite and martensite was produced in the weld heat-affected zone of the 340/590DP tow hook holder and the 22MnB5 front crossbeam;therefore,their hardness and mechanical property were reduced obviously,so that they fractured when impacted.No welding process with continuous weld but spot welding or other bonding method may be employed for the reason that the capacity of the 22MnB5 steel plate in the weld heat-affected zone was reduced obviously.

A COMPARISON OF PUBLISHED HAZ THERMAL SIMULATION METHODS USED TO DERIVEE WELD HAZ THERMAL CYCLES

Accurate thermal simulation is the key in the simulation approach to defining the unique microstructure and properties of the HAZ regions. Simulation enables an expansion of the volume of material char- acteristic of each H4Z region to a sufficient size for property determination.The combined influence of heat input,preheat temperature, plate thickness, and widing process on HAZ microstructure and properties relics on the accurate simulation of thermal cycles corresponding to different peak temperatures using an HAZ simulator like the Gleeble.Several computer programs have been developed to predict thermal excursions in various HAZ regions during welding. Some were developed based simply on the thermal propertics of a material;whereas, others were generated on the basis of actual experimental data.A suitable HAZ thermal simulation program must be ons that can authntically duplicate an ac- tual thermal cycle experienced during welding within reasonable limies. Therefore, the similarities and differences among the HAZ thermal cycles predicted by various methodologies should be fully under- stood. A total of sts thermal cycle prediction methodologies were compared in this evaluation. It was de- termined that some HAZ simulation programs have sever limitations due to the idealized assumptions considered in their development.According to the experieare at The University of Tennessee and the comparison results in this study, the HAZ thermal simulation programs; ' HAZ Calculator' and F(s, d); are recommended for accurate HAZ thermal cycle duplication.

Correlation Between Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of 2219-T8 Aluminum Alloy Joints by VPTIG Welding

In this study, 2219-T87 aluminum alloys were butt welded by the double-pass tungsten inert gas arc welding process. And the softening behavior of fusion zone（FZ） and heat-affected zone（HAZ） was evaluated with the analysis of welding temperature field, grain size, alloying element distribution and precipitates evolution. Results show that the two FZs are almost the weakest regions in the joint, where the microhardness value is 76 and 78 HV, respectively. Microhardness of the HAZ generally grows along with increasing distance from fusion line except a valley value at the distance of about 4.5 mm. The mean grain size of two FZs is about 74.4 and 79.2 lm, whereas 41.5, 44.9 and 43.4 lm for the two measured HAZs and base metal（BM）, respectively. There is about 60.4% and 54.2% Cu consumed in the coarse whitish particles of FZs that have little strengthening effect, while the percentage is about 24.6% of BM that is almost the same as HAZ. A large number of strengthening phases h0 distribute dispersively in BM, whereas hardly any precipitates exist in FZ and HAZ adjacent to FZ. So the coarsening of grain size, reduction and segregation of alloying element content, and the precipitate evolution are regarded as the main causes of softening in FZ, while the precipitate evolution is the main factor of softening in HAZ.

Microstructure Characterization of the Fusion Zone of an Alloy 600-82 Weld Joint

Characterization of the microstructure of the fusion zone of an Alloy 600-82 weld joint was conducted, with focus on the weld residual strain distribution and the comparison of the microstructure of heat affected zone （HAZ） with that of cold worked alloy. Peak of the residual strain was observed to approach to the fusion boundary in HAZ while the strain increased from the top of the weld to the root. Strain distribution in the HAZ was found to be concentrated adjacent to grain boundaries （GBs）, with a peak of approximately three times of that in grain. Further, triple junctions of the GB appear to cause a higher strain concentration than single GBs. The microstructure of HAZ consists of partially tangled dislocations, which is different from slip bands of high density dislocations in cold worked alloy. This may cause a relatively higher intergranular cracking resistance of HAZ due to the difficulty in transferring tangled dislocations to GB in HAZ under deformation.

Tensile Properties and Fusion Zone Hardening for GMAW and MIEA Welds of a 7075-T651 Aluminum Alloy

Tensile and hardness values for 7075-T651 aluminum alloy in the as welded and post weld heat treated conditions（solubilization and artificial aging-T6）,obtained using GMAW and modified indirect electric arc（MIEA）welding processes are presented.Results showed that the base material along rolling direction exhibited a tensile strength of around 600 MPa and elongation of 11%.For the as welded condition,tensile strength was 260 MPa and elongation percent of 3%.This behavior was attributed to brittleness induced by the microstructural characteristics of the welded alloys,as well as high porosity.Hardness profiles along the welds were obtained and different welded zones were identified.A soft zone（＊100 HV0.1） in the heat affected zone for GMAW and MIEA was observed,the minimum hardness corresponding to weld metal（＊85 and ＊96 HV0.1for GMAW and MIEA,respectively）.The high dilution between filler and base metal during welding in MIEA allows to the Zn and Cu to flow from the base metal into the weld metal,inducing hardening by solution and subsequent artificial aging.In this regard,the hardness of the weld metal for MIEA increases by 56%,while the tensile strength reaches a value close to 400 MPa.For GMAW,non-favorable hardening effect was observed for the weld metal after solution and artificial aging.

Mechanical and Metallurgical Characterization of HSLA X70Welded Pipeline Steel Subjected to Successive Repairs

The aim of this work is to study the influence of successive weld repairs on the microstructure and the mechanical behavior of the heat-affected zone（HAZ） of an HSLA X70 steel. Detailed microstructural examination combined to grain size measurement showed that beyond the second weld repair, the microstructure of the HAZ undergoes significant change in the grain morphology and grain growth. The results of the X-ray diffraction analyzed using MAUD software indicated an increase in the crystallite size and a decrease in the dislocation density according to the number of weld repair operations. Consequently, a loss of mechanical properties, namely the yield strength and the toughness with the number of weld repairs, was recorded. Beyond the second weld repair operation, the properties of the welded joint do not fulfill the standards applied in piping industry.

Numerical Studies of Estimation of Fracture Parameters for Mismatched Welded Joints with HAZ Cracks

An idealized tri-material assumption is established to describe the constitutive relationship of mismatched welded joints by considering the influence of heat affected zone（HAZ）.The fracture parameters Jand C＊are estimated for mismatched welded joints with HAZ cracks by finite element analysis with ABAQUS.A middle crack tension（M（T））specimen is utilized in the analysis for different material properties and geometries of the weldment.The influence of mechanical property and geometry on the fracture parameters Jand C＊of the specimen is discussed for the welded joints with HAZ crack.The results suggest that the HAZ property is a significant factor in the estimation of Jand C＊for the mismatched welded joint with HAZ crack.