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Metals
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Friction Stir Welding of Lightweight Alloys
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Friction Stir Welding of Lightweight Alloys

A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701). This special issue belongs to the section "Welding and Joining".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2021) | Viewed by 17823

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Michela Simoncini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Industrial Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche 12, 60131 Ancona, Italy
Interests: lightweight alloys; composite materials; material characterization; mechanical testing; metal-forming operations; metal-cutting operations; solid state welding; plastic deformation; formability; sustainable manufacturing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Metals, entitled “Friction Stir Welding of Lightweight Alloys”, focuses on the very attractive friction stir welding (FSW) technology, a solid-state joining process widely used in many important industrial fields, such as in automotive, aerospace, and ship-building industries. The FSW process allows for the joining of sheets in similar and dissimilar lightweight alloys, difficult to weld through traditional fusion techniques. The frictional heat developed between tools and workpieces, along with that generated by the stirring action of the tool and the adiabatic heating, promote a strong plastic deformation of the workpieces and their complex mixing across the weld. In addition, friction stir welding is receiving growing interest, owing to the energy efficiency, environment friendliness, and versatility that make FSW a promisingly ecologic and "green" technology, compared with conventional welding techniques, due to the low temperatures involved and the solid state nature of the process. Furthermore, FSW leads to a decrease in material waste, and allows for avoiding radiation and dangerous fumes.

The present Special Issue aims to collect contributions on the FSW process applied to lightweight alloys, as well as to review the state of the art on this welding technique. The manuscripts of this Issue will focus on the most significant and promising settings and procedures of FSW, performed on both similar and dissimilar lightweight alloys. A comprehensive overview of the most recent results and findings in the field of microstructural analysis, mechanical behavior, and the post-welding formability of friction stir welded lightweight sheets will be provided.

Prof. Dr. Michela Simoncini
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Friction stir welding (FSW)
  • Lightweight alloy
  • Material properties
  • Microstructure
  • Micro-mechanical properties
  • Macro-mechanical properties
  • Post-welding formability
  • Life cycle assessment
  • Numerical simulation
  • Metallurgical characterization

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 7387 KiB  
Article
Enhancement of the Al/Mg Dissimilar Friction Stir Welding Joint Strength with the Assistance of Ultrasonic Vibration
by Yinghao Bai, Hao Su and Chuansong Wu
Metals 2021, 11(7), 1113; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11071113 - 12 Jul 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 1925
Abstract
The assistance of ultrasonic vibration during the friction stir welding (FSW) process has been verified as an effective approach for the improvement of joint strength. In the present study, experimentation on Al/Mg dissimilar alloys in butt joint configuration is implemented by employing FSW [...] Read more.
The assistance of ultrasonic vibration during the friction stir welding (FSW) process has been verified as an effective approach for the improvement of joint strength. In the present study, experimentation on Al/Mg dissimilar alloys in butt joint configuration is implemented by employing FSW with and without the assistance of ultrasonic vibration. An optimized tool shoulder diameter of 12 mm is utilized, and the ultrasonic vibration is applied perpendicularly onto the tool along the welding direction, which is named UVaFSW. The results of joint appearance and macrostructure, characteristics of the intermetallic compounds (IMCs), as well as joint strength and fracture appearance are compared between Al/Mg FSW joints with and without ultrasonic vibration. It is demonstrated that the material intermixing between Al and Mg alloys is substantially strengthened in the UVaFSW joint compared with that in the FSW joint. Additionally, the ultrasonic vibration can be beneficial for the reduction of IMC thickness, as well as the formation of intermittently distributed IMC phases at the Al–Mg bonding interface. Consequently, the mechanical properties of Al/Mg FSW joints are significantly improved with the assistance of ultrasonic vibration. The maximum ultimate tensile strength is 206 MPa at tool rotation speed of 800 rpm and welding speed of 50 mm/min for the Al/Mg UVaFSW joint. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Friction Stir Welding of Lightweight Alloys)
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18 pages, 6501 KiB  
Article
Bobbin Tool Friction Stir Welding of Aluminum Using Different Tool Pin Geometries: Mathematical Models for the Heat Generation
by Mohamed M. Z. Ahmed, Mohamed I. A. Habba, Nabil Jouini, Bandar Alzahrani, Mohamed M. El-Sayed Seleman and Ahmed El-Nikhaily
Metals 2021, 11(3), 438; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11030438 - 07 Mar 2021
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 2492
Abstract
In this work, three mathematical models for the heat generation during bobbin tool friction stir welding (BT-FSW) of aluminum using three tool pin geometries have been proposed. The models have utilized and updated the available models for the heat generation during the conventional [...] Read more.
In this work, three mathematical models for the heat generation during bobbin tool friction stir welding (BT-FSW) of aluminum using three tool pin geometries have been proposed. The models have utilized and updated the available models for the heat generation during the conventional tool friction stir welding (CT-FSW). For the validation of the models, BT-FSW experiments have been carried out for aluminum alloy AA1050 using three different pin geometries (cylindrical, square, and triangular), at different welding speeds of 200, 400, 600, 800, and 1000 mm/min and a constant tool rotation speed of 600 rpm. The welding temperatures during BT-FSW have been measured to be compared with that calculated from the models at the same parameters. It has been found that the calculated welding temperatures from the models and that measured during BT-FSW are in good agreement at all the investigated welding speeds especially in case of the square and cylindrical pins, proving the validity of the developed models for the predication of the heat generation as well as the welding temperatures. This will allow proper designing of the BT-FSW parameters and avoiding the conditions that can deteriorate the joint quality and properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Friction Stir Welding of Lightweight Alloys)
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18 pages, 8435 KiB  
Article
Dissimilar Friction Stir Welding of AA2024 and AISI 1018: Microstructure and Mechanical Properties
by Mohamed M. Z. Ahmed, Nabil Jouini, Bandar Alzahrani, Mohamed M. El-Sayed Seleman and Mohammad Jhaheen
Metals 2021, 11(2), 330; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11020330 - 14 Feb 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3395
Abstract
This study investigated the effect of the friction stir welding rotation rate and welding speed on the quality and properties of the dissimilar joints between aluminum and carbon steel. Plates of 4 mm thickness from both AA2024 and AISI 1018 were successfully friction [...] Read more.
This study investigated the effect of the friction stir welding rotation rate and welding speed on the quality and properties of the dissimilar joints between aluminum and carbon steel. Plates of 4 mm thickness from both AA2024 and AISI 1018 were successfully friction stir butt welded at rotation speeds of 200, 250, and 300 rpm and welding speeds of 25, 50, and 75 mm/min. The joint quality was investigated along the top surface and the transverse cross-sections. Further investigation using scanning electron microscopy was conducted to assess the intermetallic layers and the grain refining in the stir zone. The mechanical properties were investigated using tensile testing for two samples for each weld that wire cut perpendicular to the welding direction and the hardness profiles were obtained along the transverse cross-section. Both the top surface and the transverse cross-section macrographs indicated defect free joints at a rotation rate of 250 rpm with the different welding speeds. The intermetallic compounds (IMCs) formation was significantly affected by the heat input, where there is no formation of IMCs at the Al/steel interfaces when higher traverse speed (75 mm/min) or lower rotation speed (200 rpm) were used, which gave the maximum tensile strength of about 230 MPa at the low rotation speed (200 rpm) along with 3.2% elongation. This is attributed to the low amount of heat input (22.32 J/mm) experienced. At the low traverse speed (25 mm/min and 250 rpm), a continuous layer of Al-rich IMCs FeAl3 is formed at the joint interface due to the high heat input experienced (79.5 J/mm). The formation of the IMCs facilitates fracture and reduced the tensile strength of the joint to about 98 MPa. The fracture mechanism was found to be of mixed mode and characterized by a cleavage pattern and dimples. The hardness profiles indicated a reduction in the hardness at the aluminum side and an increase at the steel side. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Friction Stir Welding of Lightweight Alloys)
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21 pages, 6036 KiB  
Article
Experimental Analysis and Optimization to Maximize Ultimate Tensile Strength and Ultimate Elongation of Friction Stir Welded AA6082 Aluminum Alloy
by Michela Simoncini, Antonio Costa, Sergio Fichera and Archimede Forcellese
Metals 2021, 11(1), 69; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11010069 - 31 Dec 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1660
Abstract
Friction stir welding (FSW) is a well-established welding technique, which allows joining abutting surfaces by generating heating through a rotating and translating tool specifically shaped. Differently from the conventional techniques, continuous welding processes can be executed by FSW, thus supporting the economy of [...] Read more.
Friction stir welding (FSW) is a well-established welding technique, which allows joining abutting surfaces by generating heating through a rotating and translating tool specifically shaped. Differently from the conventional techniques, continuous welding processes can be executed by FSW, thus supporting the economy of scales objectives. This paper deals with the selection of the optimal process parameters for the FSW of the AA6082 aluminum alloy. Three welding parameters, namely tool plunging, rotational speed and welding speed, have been handled as independent variables for developing two mathematical models by means of a non-linear regression-based approach, with the aim of predicting both ultimate tensile strength and ultimate elongation of the welded joints. A set of additional experimental tests has been used to validate the mentioned metamodels and finally three different metaheuristic algorithms have been implemented for selecting the best process parameters able to maximize the aforementioned mechanical properties. A comparison analysis based on further experimental tests confirmed the accuracy of the predicting metamodels and the quality of solutions yielded by the proposed optimization approaches. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Friction Stir Welding of Lightweight Alloys)
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15 pages, 5414 KiB  
Article
Hybrid Self-Reacting Friction Stir Welding of AA 6061-T6 Aluminium Alloy with Cooling Assisted Approach
by Kishan Fuse and Vishvesh Badheka
Metals 2021, 11(1), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11010016 - 24 Dec 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2321
Abstract
In the present work, self-reacting friction stir welding of 6 mm thick Al 6061-T6 was processed considering two novel approaches as different temperatures of the water (1 °C and 30 °C), and methods of use (spraying and enveloping top surface) using water as [...] Read more.
In the present work, self-reacting friction stir welding of 6 mm thick Al 6061-T6 was processed considering two novel approaches as different temperatures of the water (1 °C and 30 °C), and methods of use (spraying and enveloping top surface) using water as cooling media. The four experiments as natural air cooling (NAC), spraying with room temperature water mist (S-RM), spraying with ice water mist (S-IM), and cooling with room temperature water jet (C-RJ) were performed. The thermal profile, microstructure, microhardness, and tensile properties were investigated for all the joints. The lowest hardness location was heat affected zone in NAC and it was the boundary of the thermo-mechanically affected zone and weld nugget zone in all cooling assisted joints. The C-RJ cooling assisted joint resulted in the highest tensile strength of 189.16 MPa which is 8.17% higher than the conventional self-reacting friction stir welded joint. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Friction Stir Welding of Lightweight Alloys)
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12 pages, 11656 KiB  
Article
Effect of Tool Geometry and Welding Parameters on Friction Stir Welded Lap Joint Formation with AA2099-T83 and AA2060-T8E30 Aluminium Alloys
by Egoitz Aldanondo, Javier Vivas, Pedro Álvarez and Iñaki Hurtado
Metals 2020, 10(7), 872; https://doi.org/10.3390/met10070872 - 01 Jul 2020
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 4748
Abstract
In this paper the effect of tool geometry and welding parameters on friction stir welded lap joints with AA2099-T83 and AA2060-T8E30 aluminium alloys has been investigated through the study of the material flow and weld formation along with the reaction forces during friction [...] Read more.
In this paper the effect of tool geometry and welding parameters on friction stir welded lap joints with AA2099-T83 and AA2060-T8E30 aluminium alloys has been investigated through the study of the material flow and weld formation along with the reaction forces during friction stir welding (FSW) for various sets of welding parameters and two FSW tools with different geometrical features. The results showed that welding parameters and tool probe geometry strongly affect the characteristics of the typical defect features (hook and cold lap defects) of the friction stir welded lap joints. From the relationship established between the welding parameters, tool probe geometry and the hook and cold lap defect formation, some guidelines are concluded with the objective of guaranteeing appropriate FSW lap joint properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Friction Stir Welding of Lightweight Alloys)
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