Search results for "FSW"
showing 10 items of 73 documents
In-process heat treatments to improve FS-welded butt joints
2008
Friction-stir welding (FSW) is a relatively new but already well known solid-state welding process whose main advantage with respect to fusion welding processes is the possibility to successfully weld light alloys, traditionally considered difficult to weld or unweldable. Despite the good mechanical performances that can be obtained, there exists the possibility to further improve the joints' effectiveness through post-welding heat treatments that are however time and cost-expensive and, therefore, not best suited for industrial applications. In the present paper, the authors report the results of an experimental campaign, developed on FSW of AA7075-T6 aluminum alloy, aimed to investigate t…
Using a neural network for predicting the average grain size in friction stir welding processes
2009
In the paper the microstructural phenomena in terms of average grain size occurring in friction stir welding (FSW) processes are focused. A neural network was linked to a finite element model (FEM) of the process to predict the average grain size values. The utilized net was trained starting from experimental data and numerical results of butt joints and then tested on further butt, lap and T-joints. The obtained results show the capability of the AI technique in conjunction with the FE tool to predict the final microstructure in the FSW joints.
Friction stir welding of lap joints: Influence of process parameters on the metallurgical and mechanical properties
2009
Abstract Aluminum alloys are widely used in the aircraft industries even if such materials present lower ductility with respect to steels, anisotropy phenomena and, more important, they are often “difficult” to be welded or even “non-weldable”. In the last years the friction stir welding process (FSW) was proposed and applied in order to get good mechanical and technological performances of the joints. In this paper, an experimental and numerical investigation on the lap joining of AA2198-T4 aluminum alloy blanks by FSW is presented. In particular the joints strength and metallurgical properties are investigated by varying the joint configuration and the tool geometry and rotational speed. …
Dissimilar material lap joints by Friction Stir Welding of Steel and Titanium Sheets: Process Modeling
2013
In the paper a continuum based FEM model for Friction Stir Welding of different material lap joint made out of thin stainless steel and titanium sheets is proposed. The simulation campaign was made out using the 3D Lagrangian implicit code DEFORM{trade mark, serif} by means of a rigid-visco-plastic approach. The model, already set up and tuned for FSW process of similar materials and geometrical configurations takes into account the different mechanical and thermal behavior of the two materials and the microstructural evolution of the considered titanium alloy in the same joint. Additionally, it is able to predict temperature, phase, strain and strain rate distributions and evolution at the…
Friction stir welding of stainless steel thin sheets in lap configuration
2013
New research trends for Friction Stir Welding include the use of highly resistant materials as steels and titanium alloys. In the paper a continuum based FEM model for Friction Stir Welding of lap joint made out of thin stainless steel sheets is proposed, that is 3D Lagrangian implicit, coupled, rigid-viscoplastic. The model, whose potential has been analyzed though temperature distribution comparisons, is able to predict temperature, strain and strain rate distributions, with varying process variables. In this way the FEM model can be applied for effective process and tool design.
Wear Analysis During Friction Stir Processing of A359+20%SiC MMC
2009
Metal Matrix Composites (MMC) are very interesting materials for applications in the automotive and aerospace fields, since they combine the lightness of Aluminium with the strength of the ceramic reinforcement. These materials are very difficult to join and conventional welding techniques are not applicable, whereas solid-state welding techniques, like Friction Stir Welding (FSW), could be a solution. However very hard tool materials will need to be chosen in order to overcome the problem of heavy abrasive tool wear. In this work the wear behaviour of coated and uncoated steel tools has been investigated in the Friction Stir Processing of extruded bars in A359 + 20%SiC. AISI 1040 steel was…
Mode I failure modeling of friction stir welding joints
2008
This paper analyzes mechanical response by finite element method up to the decohesion failure in fracture mode I for joints of friction stir welding (FSW) of an aluminum alloy. It first describes experimental investigations on specimens with FSW embedded, subjected to uniform traction and local punch tests used to characterize local elastic and plastic material parameters. The heterogeneity of the mechanical properties induced by the FSW process is taken into account for the elastic-plastic finite element simulation. The growing damage and the opening failure of the welding zone are described by the adoption of a cohesive interface model with specific mechanical properties.
FSW of AA2139-T8 Butt joints for aeronautical applications
2011
The effect of process parameters on mechanical and microstructural properties of AA 2139 T8 joints produced by friction stir welding (FSW) was analysed by means of statistical tools. Three different parameters were taken into account: angular speed ( ω), welding speed ( va), and plunging depth ( p); each of them was varied on three levels. Forces and temperatures achieved during the welding were monitored and analysed for all joints. An accurate microstructural analysis was performed: the occurrence of some remarkable defects, typical of FSW, such as tunnel or lack of penetration, was related to actual process parameters adopted. The extension of each FSW characteristic zone was measured a…
Residual stresses and FCP prediction in FSW through a continuous FE model
2009
Abstract Residual stresses prediction is definitively a relevant and open issue in welding processes. In the last years, different numerical models are proposed by many researchers to predict the residual stress field in FSW butt joint. However, most of these works are based on properly tuned analytical models and neglect the effect of the mechanical action due to the presence of the tool pin. In the present paper, a continuous 3D FE model, which was previously developed by some of the authors, was used to simulate the FSW process of butt joints with a single block approach, and predict the residual stress field by considering both thermal and mechanical actions. Then, the residual stress e…
Friction Stir Welding of steels process design through a continuum based fem model
2009
AbstractFriction stir welding (FSW) has been reaching a continuously increasing popularity among joining processes since its invention in 1991. Although mainly used for aluminium alloys, it has been successfully applied also to steels. In the present paper, a continuum based FEM model for FSW of steels is proposed, which is three-dimensional Lagrangian implicit, coupled, rigid viscoplastic. The model, whose potential has been analysed through temperature distribution comparisons, is able to predict temperature, strain and strain rate distributions, together with thermal and mechanical loads on the welding tool, at varying main process variables. In this way, the FEM model can be used for pr…