Mechanical Properties and Formability of FSWed Sheets

Dear Colleagues,

The present Special Issue of Metals, entitled “Mechanical Properties and Formability of FSWed Sheets”, focuses on the micro- and macromechanical characterization and post-welding formability investigation of friction stir welded joints.

In recent years, demand for lightweight materials has continuously increased in many industrial fields, such as automotive, aeronautic, and transportation, in order to reduce weight, fuel consumptions, and environmental impact. In the manufacturing of sheet metal assemblies, lightweight structures can be effectively obtained using tailor welded blanks (TWBs), fabricated by performing a friction stir welding process of two or more blanks, also in different materials and/or thicknesses, to produce a single assembly. The desired geometry can also be obtained by plastically deforming the TWBs, with an optimized thickness distribution. Nevertheless, in sheet metal-forming operations of TWBs, failures are often observed, initiated either in the weld or in the weaker base alloy, due to the thickness reduction in butt joints, resulting from the forging effect of the shoulder, and to the microstructural changes in the welded area, which could limit the mechanical properties of joints and their attitude to be deformed after welding. As a consequence, in order to achieve sound parts with the desired geometry, it is necessary to accurately design and investigate all the manufacturing phases, from friction stir welding to stamping processes in order to optimize the mechanical behavior of joints.

In this framework, for this Special Issue, we invite our colleagues to submit papers in the area of friction stir welding, focusing in particular on the mechanical properties and post-welding formability of friction stir welded joints. Review articles and short communications are also of interest for this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Archimede Forcellese
Prof. Dr. Michela Simoncini
Guest Editors

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.

• Friction stir welding (FSW)
• Tailor welded blanks
• Lightweight alloys
• Aluminum alloys
• Magnesium alloys
• Titanium alloys
• Material properties
• Mechanical properties
• Post-welding formability
• Microstructure