Search results for "Friction stir consolidation"

Uncovering Technological and Environmental Potentials of Aluminum Alloy Scraps Recycling Through Friction Stir Consolidation

2020

Conventional metal chips recycling processes are energy-intensive with low efficiency and permanent material losses during re-melting. Solid state recycling allows direct recycling of metal scraps into semi-finished products. It is expected that this process category would lower the environmental performance of metals recycling. Friction Stir Consolidation is a new solid-state technique taking advantage of friction heat generation and severe plastic deformation to consolidate chips into billets. In this research, the feasibility of Friction Stir Consolidation as aluminum chips recycling process is analyzed. Specifically, an experimental campaign has been carried out with varying main proces…

Characterization of friction stir consolidated recycled billet by uniaxial compression tests with miniaturized cylindrical specimen

2023

Abstract. Friction stir consolidation (FSC) is a solid-state recycling method that directly converts machining scraps into semifinished billets. This process has been proven to be a more energy efficient and environmentally friendly technique compared to remelting based conventional recycling methods. During FSC, machining chips are transformed into a solid billet by the stirring action and friction heat of the rotating tool. Due to process mechanics, especially temperature gradient and strain rate, billets have shown different hardness values and grain size distribution across their sections. Therefore, in this research, miniaturized upsetting samples are extracted from the FSC billet. The…

Fabrication of Billet from Aluminum Alloys AA 2011-T3/7075 Chips through Friction Stir Consolidation

2022

Recently evolving Solid-State Recycling (SSR) techniques have shown promising features to recycle metals scraps more efficiently compared to remelting-based approaches. Among these SSR methods, Friction Stir Consolidation (FSC) has been successfully tested to transform metals chips directly into semi or final solid products. Therefore, researchers explored FSC critical process parameters and their subsequent effects on quality in terms of the mechanical and metallurgical properties of the billet. All the previous studies of FSC were limited to developing billet of mono materials. Therefore, in this research, an attempt was made to go beyond the idea of recycling; in fact, a billet of two di…

Life Cycle Assessment of aluminum alloys chips recycling through single and multi-step Friction Stir Consolidation processes

2023

Manufacturing scientists have to find new processes enabling energy and resource efficient circular economy strategies. Solid state recycling processes have proved to be environmentally friendly alternatives to recycle aluminum alloys process scraps like chips. In this paper the environmental characterization of a solid state recycling process named Friction Stir Consolidation (FSC) is presented. A full Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) comparative analysis is developed: the environmental performance of new and different variants of FSC processes and remelting based routes are quantified and compared to one another. Also, different scenarios are analysed to provide guidelines for the correct impl…

A novel approach to enhance mechanical properties during recycling of aluminum alloy scrap through friction stir consolidation

2021

Solid state recycling (SSR) is a new approach for making metals recycling more efficient with respect to remelting-based approaches. Friction stir consolidation (FSC) is a new solid-state process that is employed to recycle metallic scraps. Until now, a single-step FSC process was applied to recycled metal chips. During the single-step approach, critical processes parameters, especially processing time and rotational speed, are considered vital to control the quality and mechanical properties of the billet. However, the effectiveness of process parameters is highly restricted by challenging masses of recycling chips and machine competency. The present study first highlights the issues of th…

Lightweight Alloys Recycling and Processing through Innovative Friction Based Direct Technologies

In the last decades, the use of lightweight alloys has been spreading in almost any industrial field thanks to the relevant weight reduction allowed by the use of such materials. On the other hand, aluminium alloys are characterized by high-energy demands primary production cycles that are responsible for a relevant share of the global CO2 emissions. In order to limit and reverse such phenomenon, putting in place strategies to keep the material in the circle over multiple life cycles is mandatory and the concepts of circular economy, closed loop society and industrial symbiosis are progressively gathering more and more pace. Nevertheless, metal scraps are often mainly composed of chips resu…

Progresses in multi-materials billet manufacturing out of metal scraps through friction stir consolidation

2023

Abstract. The evolution of Friction Stir Consolidation (FSC) from recycling towards upcycling technique proved to be one of the excellent solid-state methods for manufacturing functionally graded billets. Multi-material Functional Graded Materials (FGMs) represent a novel class of materials characterized by a gradual change in properties and functions which can be tailored to enhance components performance. Manufacturing techniques play a critical role in achieving the designed compositional and microstructural distribution. Specifically, FSC allows the manufacturing of FGM billets out of metallic chips; the mixing of different metallic chips offers mutually exclusive mechanical properties …

Outlining the Limits of Friction Stir Consolidation as Used as an Aluminum Alloys Recycling Approach

2021

Friction stir consolidation (FSC) is a solid-state process that recycles metal scraps economically and eco-friendly compared to the conventional melting method. The process parameters especially processing time and rotational speed, have a crucial role in achieving a sound disc during FSC. The current study answers the research question of how far these process parameters can be effective when the mass of chips to be recycled increases. In specific, an experimental setup was analyzed that was previously identified as challenging for recycling 20 g chips of aluminum alloy AA 2024-O. Rotational speed was set doubled, and processing time was increased up to 1.5 times of their initial values. T…