Friction Stir Spot Welding of AA6082-T6: influence of the most relevant process parameters and comparison with classic mechanical fastening techniques

The results of an experimental study on friction stir spot welding (FSSW) of AA6082-T6 are reported. In particular, process mechanics is highlighted and joint strength is considered in relation to varying the most relevant process parameters. Furthermore, the results obtained are compared with those derived from the application of traditional mechanical fastening techniques such as clinching and riveting. In this way the effectiveness of FSSW is highlighted.

Wavelets Image Analysis for Friction Stir Processed TiNi Functional Behavior Characterization

Abstract A key topic regarding Ti Ni Shape Memory materials concerns the possibility to attain welded junctions that preserves the shape memory properties of material. Other research topic for SMAs regards the retention of the shape memory effect cyclic stability; in fact, good shape memory properties frequently decrease during SME cycling of material. A method able to improve the cyclic stability of TiNi shape memory effect is the grain refinement. Considering these above mentioned research topics, a solid state welding process, as the Friction Stir Welding, is thus attractive for SMA joining and it exhibits potentials for achieving welded joints affected by microstructural changes that pr…

Neural Network Techniques for Metal Forming Design

Neural networks are computing structures able to predict the behaviour of a system on the basis of the knowledge of facts; main characteristic of a network is the capability to find a rule in a very complex environment. In the paper a neural network, based on the results of FEM simulations, is utilized to predict the occurrence of defects in a forward extrusion metal forming process. In particular a three layers neural network, relating the operative parameters with the failure or the success of the working process, has been used and the back-propagation algorithm has been employed to train the network. Few experimental data were enough to train the neural network allowing to achieve better…

Design Of Experiments for the optimization the process parameters of thixotropic aluminum alloy

The success of the thixoforming process depends on the possibility to confer to material, when it is found in the semisolid state, a microstructure characterized by globular particles of solid phase surrounded by a continuous film of liquid phase; such microstructure is obtainable through particular thermo-mechanical treatments. In the present research, in order to optimize the influence of process parameters in the step in which the thixotropic properties are conferred to the AA7075 aluminum alloy, the statistic technique of the Design Of Experiments (DOE) has been used. The advantages in the application of such technique are expressible in terms of reduction the times of development of pr…

Material flow analysis in dissimilar friction stir welding of AA2024 and Ti6Al4V butt joints

The complex material flow occurring during the weld of dissimilar AA2024 to Ti6Al4V butt and lap joints was highlighted through a dedicated numerical model able to take into account the effects of the different materials as well as the phase transformation of the used titanium alloy.

Microstructural Changes Determining Joint Strength in Friction Stir Welding of Aluminium Alloys

In the paper the results of a wide experimental activity on friction stir welding (FSW) of aluminum alloys are reported. In particular the butt joints of two different materials, namely AA1050-O and AA6082-T6 were considered. Grains dimensions and precipitates density were investigated both in the parent materials and after the welding processes. Furthermore post-welding heat treatments effects on the joint strength were studied.

Constant Heat Input Friction Stir Welding of Variable Thickness AZ31 Sheets Through In-Process Tool Rotation Control

Tailored blanks characterized by variable thickness were friction stir welded (FSWed) with the aim to obtain constant joint properties along the weld seam, regardless of the thickness change. To pursue this goal, the heat input was kept constant by in-process control of tool rotation. A dedicated numerical model of the process was used to determine the tool rotation values as a function of the sheet thickness. The mechanical properties and the microstructure of the FSWed joints, produced with varying process parameters, were studied. It was found that the proposed approach can produce joints with uniform properties along the weld line in terms of stress–strain curve shape, joint strength, e…

Microstructural, mechanical and energy demand characterization of alternative WAAM techniques for Al-alloy parts production

Abstract Additive manufacturing (AM) processes are gathering momentum as an alternative to conventional manufacturing processes. A research effort is being made worldwide to identify the most promising AM approaches. Within this category, wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is among the most interesting, especially when large parts must be manufactured. In this paper, two different WAAM deposition techniques suitable for the deposition of Aluminum alloys, Cold Metal Transfer (CMT) and CMT mix drive, are analyzed and compared. With the aim of obtaining a clear picture concerning the two different techniques, microstructural analyses, mechanical property evaluation and electrical energy de…

Friction Stir Welding of Ti6Al4V complex geometries for aeronautical applications: a feasibility study

Abstract While Friction Stir Welding (FSW) of aluminium alloys can be considered a mature technology, even for complex joint morphologies, as T joints welded “in transparency”, welding of hard material still presents several open issues. In fact, welding of titanium alloys is a challenging process due to the chemical, mechanical and thermal characteristics of such materials which are subjected to atmosphere contamination resulting in joint hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen embrittlement; additionally, due to the high melting temperature, large distortion and residual stress are found in joints obtained by traditional fusion welding processes as gas metal arc welding, electron beam welding and l…

Effectiveness of numerical simulation in avoiding defects in hot extrusion forging products

The hot extrusion forging, in the production of an half shaft of a motorcycle engine, has been analysed by means of finite element simulations. The severe mesh distortion occurring in the simulation has been overcome with the aid of a code provided with automatic remeshing techniques. The study is aimed to promote the use of FEM not only in the designing phase but also as a tool able to investigate defects occurring at the production level.

Prediction of Ductile Fractures in Metal-Forming Processes: an Approach Based on the Damage Mechanics

The Authors propose a new approach for the prediction of ductile fractures in bulk metal forming processes: the approach is based on a numerical analysis able to take into account damage occurrence and evolution in constitutive equations. The model supplies the distribution of the void volume fraction in the workpiece during the deformation path: consequently, the comparison to a critical value, determined by means of a simple tension test, allows to predict the growth of defects. The proposed approach has been applied to the drawing process: the numerical results have been compared with a set of experimental tests showing a good predictive capability of the model.

Effect of Plastic hot deformation on the hardness and continuous cooling transformations of 22MnB5 micro-alloyed boron steel

The strains, transformation temperatures, microstructure, and microhardness of a microalloyed boron and aluminum precoated steel, which has been isothermally deformed under uniaxial tensile tests, have been investigated at temperatures between 873 and 1223 K, using a fixed strain rate value of 0.08 s−1. The effect of each factor, such as temperature and strain value, has been later valued considering the shift generated on the continuous cooling transformation (CCT) diagram. The experimental results consist of the starting temperatures that occur for each transformation, the microhardness values, and the obtained microstructure at the end of each thermomechanical treatment. All the thermome…

Friction Stir Processing of NiTi Shape Memory Alloy: Microstructural Characterization

Shape Memory Alloys (SMA) are metal materials that, after being strained, come back to their original shape at a designated temperature. Welding NiTi alloys is not simple because when the material is melted, due to the high reactivity of the alloy elements, the typical shape memory properties may disappear. The solid state welding process, such as friction stir welding, is thus attractive for SMA joining and it exhibits potentials for achieving welded joints affected by microstructural changes that preserve the shape memory properties. The present study investigates the feasibility of friction stir welding process to join NiTi shape memory alloys; in order to analyse the welding process, it…

Macroalgal assemblage type affects predation pressure on sea urchins by altering adhesion strength.

In the Mediterranean, sea breams are the most effective Paracentrotus lividus and Arbacia lixula predators. Generally, seabreams dislodge adult urchins from the rocky substrate, turn them upside down and crush their tests. Sea urchins may respond to fish attacks clinging tenaciously to the substratum. This study is the first attempt to investigate sea urchin adhesion strength in two alternative algal assemblages of the rocky infralittoral and valuated its possible implication for fish predation. We hypothesized that (1) sea urchin adhesion strength is higher in rocky shores dominated by encrusting macro-algae (ECA) than in erected macro algae (EMA); (2) predation rates upon sea urchins are …

Microstructural Changes Determining Joint Strength in Friction Stir Welding of Aluminium Alloys

In the paper the results of a wide experimental activity on friction stir welding (FSW) of aluminum alloys are reported. In particular the butt joints of two different materials, namely AA1050-O and AA6082-T6 were considered. Grains dimensions and precipitates density were investigated both in the parent materials and after the welding processes. Furthermore post-welding heat treatments effects on the joint strength were studied.

ANN Model to predict the bake hardenability of Transformation-Induced Plasticity steels

Neural networks are useful tools for optimizing material properties, considering the material’s microstructure and therefore the thermal treatments it has undergone. In this research an artificial neural network (ANN) with a Bayesian framework able to predict the bake hardening and the mechanical properties of the Transformation-Induced-Plasticity (TRIP) steels was designed. The forecast ability of the ANN model is achieved taking into account the operating parameters involved in the Intercritical Annealing (IA), in the Isothermal Bainite Treatment (IBT) and also considering the different prestrain values and the volume fraction of the retained austenite before the Bake Hardening (BH) treat…

On microstructural phenomena occurring in friction stir welding of aluminium alloys

Abstract The results of experimental activity on friction stir welding (FSW) of aluminum alloys are reported. Butt joints of two different materials, namely AA2024-T4 and AA7075-T6, were investigated from a metallurgical point of view. Grain dimensions and insoluble particle densities were investigated both in the parent materials and in the joints. Furthermore, the effect of post-welding heat treatments on the joint strength was studied.

Microstructural Characterization of Thermo-Mechanical Treated TRIP Steels

The increasing demand for the reduction of automobiles CO2 emissions for environmental preservation leads the automotive industries towards the mechanical components weight reduction. Sheet steels with multiphase microstructures exhibit favourable combinations of strength and ductility. The so called TRIP steels have a metastable microstructure that consists of a continuous ferrite matrix containing a dispersion of hard second phases martensite and bainite. These steels also contain retained austenite, at room temperature, that represents the source of the TRansformation Induced Plasticity effect. When the material is subjected to deformation step, the retained austenite transforms itself i…

Effetto del substrato sulla tenacità di attacco e sulla predazione dei ricci Paracentrotus lividus (Lmk) nell’AMP Isola di Ustica.

Mechanical and metallurgical characterization of AA6082-T6 sheet-bulk joints produced through a linear friction welding based approach

In the last decades, new flexible manufacturing processes have been developed to face the demands, by many industrial fields, for highly customized complex functional parts. The peculiar design of these components often overcomes conventional sheet metal and bulk metal forming processes capabilities. In order to face this issue, new hybrid techniques, capable of exploit key advantages of different processes, have to be developed. In this study, a method to obtain sheet-bulk joints, based on the Linear Friction Welding process, is proposed. The feasibility of the technique was investigated through an experimental campaign carried out with varying pressure and oscillation frequency using AA60…

Improving Of The Productivity And The Quality Of A Manufacturing Robotized Cell For Mig/Mag Welding

During the last years, globalization and the necessity to reduce production costs have pushed industry to employ more and more manufacturing robotized cells. This trend has been assimilated by arc welding too. The use of robotic systems allows to increase the performance of productive systems by means of reduction in lead-time, reproducibility of processes and increase in quality. However, process automation needs pre-scheduling of manufacturing cell movements and also a setup of different welding parameters, such as power provided by the welding generator, arc length and robot speed, all of which allows to get a joint without defects. An online scheduling of robotic systems brings certainl…

Validation of frictional studies by double-cup extrusion tests in cold-forming

Abstract Studies on frictional conditions in cold-forming have shown that, for a given lubricant, friction factor values are strongly affected by the test method. In the present paper, different cold-forging processes of an aluminium alloy, are modelled by a FEM numerical code using the m values obtained by both the double cup extrusion and ring compression tests. It appears that the m values given by the ring tests can be effectively used in the simulation of upsetting processes, while the m values derived by the double cup extrusion tests are more appropriate for predictions in extrusion and closed-die forging operations.

Influence of process parameters for thixotropic alloys

With reference to a metallic alloy, the attribute thixotropic is utilized to indicate the behaviour of it in the semi-solid state when its microstructure consists of spheroids in a liquid matrix. Such alloys are characterized by very low values of viscosity under shearing stress in the semi-solid state, while after solidification they show relevant mechanical properties. Actually a structural change from a dendritic structure to a globular one, with the globular grains finely dispersed in a liquid matrix, is observed after particular thermo-mechanical treatments. In the present paper the authors present the results of a wide experimental campaign on the AA 7075 aluminium alloy that shows a …

Application of a decision making method to improve an industrial hot extrusion forging process

Abstract Success of a bulk forming process is significantly affected by several operative parameters, such as dies and workpiece temperature, friction factor, preformed dimensions and its initial positioning. In the paper the hot extrusion forging of an half shaft of a two stroke motorcycle engine has been investigated. The combined effect of the most influent operative parameters has been determined by means of a consistent factorial plan. A sensitivity analysis was performed using an advanced numerical finite element code as a powerful CAE tool able to assist the analyst in the design of the process. The geometry of the part has allowed a combined 2D-3D numerical analysis; in fact, the in…

The Continuous Extrusion Process CONFORM: a full 3D Thermal and Mechanical Analysis

The principle of the Conform extrusion process is based on the action of a rotating wheel that drags and push the feed material by means of the frictional force existing between them. The Conform process has several advantages over the traditional extrusion processes. The preheating phase may be neglected, so that furnaces for heating are not necessary; furthermore, the product is continuous and welding phase of the billets is not required. The influence of three operative parameters, die geometry, velocity and die cooling rate, has been analysed in this paper by means of an “outranking approach” able to give precious indications for the assessment of the process.

Central Bursting Defects in Drawing and Extrusion: Numerical and Ultrasonic Evaluation

Abstract A new approach for the prediction of central bursting defects in extrusion and drawing is proposed: a finite element analysis of the processes has been carried out, and the obtained results have been elaborated by means of a post-processor, which, employing a proper ductile fracture criterion, is able to suggest if and where the central burst occur. An ultrasonic control system able to detect the insurgence of defects with a resolution of 0.2 mm. has been setup in order to verify the predictive capability of the model. The experimental results show a good agreement with the numerical predictions confirming the effectiveness of the proposed approach, whose industrial application app…