Search Results (32)

Simulation analysis is a key technical means for studying the internal metal flow patterns in refill friction stir spot welding zones. This study used DeformV11.0 software to establish an accurate and reliable numerical simulation model for 6061-T6 aluminum alloy refill friction stir spot welding. The microstructure of different stages during actual welding was obtained using the stop method, and combined with the simulation results, shows that the temperature in the spot welding zone is highest during the dwell stage, with a high degree of match between the temperature distribution and actual measurements. This stage is also crucial for affecting the refill process. The results indicate that the metal flow rate in the center of the spot welding zone is slow and the pressure is low, while the flow rate on both sides is fast, and the temperature and pressure are high. In addition, the metal in the weld zone flows plastically in a shear friction and in situ spinning manner, and the weld zone achieves connection in a form similar to “complete friction plug riveting”. A “spiral suction–refill injection layer stacking” model was established to describe the forming mechanism of refill friction stir spot welding. Full article

Refill friction stir spot welding (RFSSW) is an effective technique for achieving high-quality joints in metallic materials, with rotational speed being a critical parameter influencing joint quality. Current research on RFSSW has primarily focused on low-melting-point materials such as aluminum alloys, while limited attention has been given to pure copper, a material characterized by its high-melting-point and high-thermal-conductivity. This study aims to investigate the effects of rotational speed on the microstructure and mechanical properties of RFSSW joints in pure copper. To achieve this goal, welding experiments were conducted at five rotational speeds. The welding defects, microstructure, and hook morphology of the welded joints were analyzed, while the variations in axial force and torque during welding were studied. The influence of rotational speed on the microhardness and tensile-shear failure load of the welded joints was explored, and the fracture modes of the welded joints at different rotational speeds were discussed. The results indicated that the primary welding defects were incomplete refill and surface unevenness. Higher rotational speeds resulted in coarser microstructures in the stir zones. As the rotational speed increased, the hook height progressively rose, the peak axial force showed an increasing trend, and the peak torque continuously decreased. The high microhardness points in the welded joints were predominantly located at the top of the sleeve stir zone (S-Zone), while the low microhardness points were observed at the center of the pin stir zone (P-Zone) and in the heat-affected zone (HAZ). The tensile-shear failure load of the welded joints initially increased and then decreased on the whole with the rising rotational speed, peaking at 5229 N at a rotational speed of 1200 rpm. At lower rotational speeds, the fracture type of the welded joints was characterized as plug fracture. Within the rotational speed range of 1200 rpm to 1600 rpm, the fracture type transitioned to upper sheet fracture. The initial fractures under different rotational speeds exhibited ductile fracture. This study contributes to advancing the understanding of RFSSW characteristics in high-melting-point and high-thermal-conductivity materials. Full article

In this work, 2060 Al-Li alloy was joined by refill friction stir spot welding (RFSSW). The effects of the tool’s rotating speed and welding time on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the welded joints were studied. The results showed that joints without defects can be obtained within a wide range of welding parameters. Tiny voids were formed when using a low rotating speed of 1600 rpm, and incomplete refilling was obtained when using a short welding time of 1 s. Increasing the rotating speed from 1600 to 2000 rpm increased the grain size of the stir zone (SZ). When using a short welding time of 1 s, the grains of the SZ were not completely broken with high orientation differences in the grains. Higher hardness was obtained in the SZ when using a lower rotating speed and shorter welding time. Increasing the rotating speed increased the joint strength, while short and long welding times decreased the joint strength. Full article

To reduce vehicle weight and improve energy efficiency, automotive manufacturers are increasingly using aluminum body panels. However, the traditional joining method, Resistance Spot Welding (RSW), presents challenges like weld porosity and electrode degradation when used with aluminum. These issues have driven the industry to explore alternative, more effective methods for joining aluminum in vehicle manufacturing such as Refill Friction Stir Spot Welding (RFSSW). This research reports on a comparison of the microstructure and mechanical properties of welds made with RSW and RFSSW in AA6061-T4 automotive sheets. This comparison includes CT scanning, optical and SEM imaging, statistical microscopy, hardness testing, tensile testing, and fatigue testing. The results showed that RFSSW produced fully consolidated welds with a refined, equiaxed grain structure that outperformed RSW’s dendritic grain structure by as much as 73% in tensile testing and 2600% in fatigue testing. These results suggest that future designs utilizing RFSSW could incorporate fewer joints, reducing processing time, energy consumption, and tool wear. Cost studies also found that RFSSW consumes 2.5% of the energy that RSW does per joint, demonstrating that RFSSW is positioned as the preferred method for joining aluminum automotive sheets. Full article

Considering energy conservation and emission reductions, lightweight automobiles have become a research focus in the automotive industry. Steel/aluminum joining is regarded as an ideal lightweight structure, which can not only reduce the energy consumption but also ensure safety and is already attracting extensive attention. In this study, aluminum alloy 6061 and B410LA steel sheets were successfully joined by refill friction stir spot welding. The tensile properties, microhardness distribution and interfacial microstructure characteristics of the steel/Al welded joints were investigated. The maximum tensile load of the steel/Al joint was 4.3 kN. The mechanical properties of the steel/Al refill friction stir spot welded joint were largely determined by the bonding quality of the sleeve-plunging zone. With the stirring of the sleeve and the pin during the refill friction stir spot welding, work hardening occurred in the stir zone (SZ). The microhardness of the SZ was significantly higher than that of the steel base metal (BM) and could be detected on the steel side. The Fe-Al intermetallic compound (IMC) layer was continuously distributed at the interface of the sleeve-plunging zone, revealing good uniformity in the thickness. In particular, a hook-and-vortex-like structure formed during the refill friction stir spot welding process in the sleeve-plunging zone, producing a mechanical interlock effect at the interface. The ideal mechanical properties of the welded joint could be attributed to the good quality of the metallurgical and mechanical bonding at the interface, especially the mechanical interlock effect, thereby depending on the hook-and-vortex-like structure. Full article

The quality of the refill friction stir spot welding (RFSSW) process is heavily dependent on the selected welding parameters that influence the resultant joint characteristics. Thermomechanical phenomena integral to the process were investigated using finite element (FE) analysis on two dissimilar materials. This FE analysis was subsequently validated through controlled experiments to ensure reliability. An artificial neural network (ANN) was employed to create a neural model based on an experimental setup involving 120 different sets of welding parameters. The parameters adjusted in the experimental plan included pin penetration depth, rotational speed, retention time, and positioning relative to material hardness. To assess the neural model’s accuracy, outputs such as maximum temperature and normal stress at the end of the welding process were analyzed and validated by six data sets selected for their uniform distribution across the training domain. Full article

Tool wear is a key issue for the manufacturing performance of refill friction stir spot welding in high-volume manufacturing environments. As such, the aim of this study is to examine conditions in which tungsten carbide with a cobalt binder can succeed as a tool material in the spot welding of 2029 aluminum for a sustained lifetime. Critical factors are shown herein to include cleanliness and thermal management. The life of a WC-Co toolset is demonstrated to be approximately 2998 welds, which is of the same scale as conventional steel tooling. With a WC-Co shoulder and probe, the H13 clamp showed the only significant wear. Full article

Joining high strength 2xxx series aluminum is known to be complex and difficult; these alloys are traditionally considered non-weldable for fusion welding. This paper describes details on welding AA2029-T8 for skin-stiffened structures using refill friction stir spot welding (RFSSW). RFSSW is a solid-state process invented in the early 2000s that produces spot welds that are strong, lightweight, flush, and hermetic. Cycle times between 1 and 3 s are discussed, and process forces within a range of 8 to 14 kN are demonstrated. Furthermore, lap-shear quasi-static tensile strengths are shown to be between 10 kN and 12 kN in 9 mm diameter spots. A comparison of the performance of RFSSW welds made with various tool materials—which include H13 tool steel, tungsten carbide, and MP159—is detailed. Comparisons of parameters, weld consolidation, and heat-affected zones are presented with discussion related to heat generation specific to each tool material. Full article

To ensure the high reliability of aircraft structures, the Refill Friction Stir Spot Welding (RFSSW) process must be characterized by a high load capacity of the welds and a small standard deviation of the load capacity spread. This allows us to obtain uniform functional properties in the connections, ensuring the high quality of the process. This work aims to select the most favorable technological parameters for the welding process of EN AW-7075-T6 Alclad aluminum alloy sheets, which are used for the production of aircraft structures. The best networks were calculated using the Statistica 13.3 program. The obtained results were compared with the results of previous investigations. It has been shown that a model using neural networks allows for the determination of connection parameters with much greater accuracy than the classical model. The maximum error in estimating the load capacity of the connection for the mathematical model was 6.13%, and the standard deviation was 14.51%. In the case of neural networks, the maximum error value did not exceed 1.55%, and the standard deviation was 3.74%. It was shown that, based on the neural model, it is possible to determine the process parameters that ensure the required quality capacity of the process, ensuring a probability of obtaining the required load capacity of the connections amounting to P = 0.999935 with a defect rate of 0.0065%. This possibility is not provided by the classical model due to its large error in estimating the process spread and the high sensitivity of the process input parameters to the output parameters. Full article

Surface features are crucial for assessing welding quality because they serve as an intuitive depiction of the quality of the joint and have a major influence on welding strength. According to the characteristics of the refill friction stir spot welding (RFSSW) process and an analysis of the surface-state and internal morphology of RFSSW joints, a method of predicting the mechanical properties of RFSSW joints based on surface-state characteristics was proposed. In this paper, a laser-ranging sensor was used to characterize the surface state of RFSSW joints, and parametric characterization methods of the surface-state features of RFSSW joints were proposed. On this basis, a support vector machine was used to predict and analyze the fracture mode of RFSSW joints. The accuracy of the analysis of the test samples reached 95.8%. This paper provides a more efficient and convenient new method for the quality evaluation of RFSSW joints. Full article

To solve problems in dissimilarly light metal joints, refilled friction stir spot welding (RFSSW) is proposed instead of resistance spot welding. However, rotation speed, dwell time, plunge depth, and the diameter of welding tools all have a great influence on joints, which brings great challenges in optimizing welding parameters to ensure their mechanical properties. In this study, the 1.5 mm thick 2A12Al and 2 mm thick 7B04Al lap joints were prepared by Taguchi orthogonal experiment design and RFSSW. The welding tool (shoulder) diameters were 5 mm and 7 mm, respectively. The macro/microstructures of the cross-section, the geometrical characteristics of the effective welding depth (EWD), the stir zone area (SZA), and the stir zone volume (SZV) were characterized. The shear strength and failure mode of the lap joint were analyzed using an optical microscope. It was found that EWD, SZA, and SZV had a good correlation with tensile–shear force. The optimal welding parameters of 5 mm diameter joints are 1500 rpm of rotation speed, 2.5 mm of plunge depth, and 0 s of dwell time, which for 7 mm joints are 1200 rpm, 1.5 mm, and 2 s. The tensile–shear force of 5 mm and 7 mm joints welded with these optical parameters was 4965 N and 5920 N, respectively. At the same time, the 5 mm diameter joints had better strength and strength stability. Full article

Refill friction stir spot welding (RFSSW) technology is a solid-state joint that can replace conventional welding or riveting processes in aerospace applications. The quality of the new welding process is directly influenced by the welding parameters selected. A finite element analysis was performed to understand the complexity of the thermomechanical phenomena during this welding process, validated by controlled experiments. An optimization model using neural networks was developed based on 98 parameter sets resulting from changing 3 welding parameters, namely pin penetration depth, pin rotation speed, and retention time. Ten parameter sets were used to verify the learning results of the optimization model. The 10 results were drawn to correspond to a uniform distribution over the training domain, with the aim of avoiding areas that might have contained distortions. The maximum temperature and normal stress reached at the end of the welding process were considered output data. Full article

Refill friction stir spot welding (RFSSW) is an emerging solid-state welding technology that demonstrates an outstanding ability to join aerospace aluminum alloys. The thermomechanical processing of RFSSW may cause variations in the workpiece in the form of distortion. This study aims to establish a metrology method for sheet metal distortion with the intent to investigate the effects of RFSSW sequences on sheet metal distortion. The approach employs a robotic metrology system and the least squares method to measure and estimate the flatness of sheet metal before RFSSW and after RFSSW. The RFSSW experimentation produces five 10-spot-weld panels with five different RFSSW sequences, whereas the RFSSW sequences are based on the common practice of making sheet metal assemblies. A panel consists of two lap-welded sheets where the top sheet, a 6013-T6 aluminum alloy, is refill friction stir spot welded onto the bottom sheet, a 2029-T8 aluminum alloy. The results suggest that RFSSW sequences do have effects on sheet metal distortion. The panel with the worst distortion has a root-mean-square error of 0.8 mm as an average deviation from the ideal flatness. Full article

A three-dimensional (3D) numerical model was created to simulate and analyze the effect of tool rotational speeds (RS) and plunge rate (PR) on refill friction stir spot welding (refill FSSW) of AA7075-T6 sheets. The numerical model was validated by comparing the temperatures recorded at a subset of locations with those recorded at the exact locations in prior experimental studies from the literature. The peak temperature at the weld center obtained from the numerical model differed by an error of 2.2%. The results showed that with the rise in RS, there was an increase in weld temperatures, effective strains, and time-averaged material flow velocities. With the rise in PR, the temperatures and effective strains were reduced. Material movement in the stir zone (SZ) was improved with the increment of RS. With the rise in PR, the top sheet’s material flow was improved, and the bottom sheet’s material flow was reduced. A deep understanding of the effect of tool RS and PR on refill FSSW joint strength were achieved by correlating the thermal cycles and material flow velocity results obtained from the numerical models to the lap shear strength (LSS) from the literature. Full article

The use of the friction stir welding (FSW) process as a relatively new solid-state welding technology in the aerospace industry has pushed forward several developments in different related aspects of this strategic industry. In terms of the FSW process itself, due to the geometric limitations involved in the conventional FSW process, many variants have been required over time to suit the different types of geometries and structures, which has resulted in the development of numerous variants such as refill friction stir spot welding (RFSSW), stationary shoulder friction stir welding (SSFSW), and bobbin tool friction stir welding (BTFSW). In terms of FSW machines, significant development has occurred in the new design and adaptation of the existing machining equipment through the use of their structures or the new and specially designed FSW heads. In terms of the most used materials in the aerospace industry, there has been development of new high strength-to-weight ratios such as the 3rd generation aluminum–lithium alloys that have become successfully weldable by FSW with fewer welding defects and a significant improvement in the weld quality and geometric accuracy. The purpose of this article is to summarize the state of knowledge regarding the application of the FSW process to join materials used in the aerospace industry and to identify gaps in the state of the art. This work describes the fundamental techniques and tools necessary to make soundly welded joints. Typical applications of FSW processes are surveyed, including friction stir spot welding, RFSSW, SSFSW, BTFSW, and underwater FSW. Conclusions and suggestions for future development are proposed. Full article