S. Sundarrajan

EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION ON FRICTION STIR WELDING OF CRYOROLLED AA2219 ALUMINUM ALLOY JOINTS

In this paper, experimental investigation on cryorolled aluminum AA2219-T87 plate by using friction stir welding (FSW) process is carried out. AA2219-T87 plates with a size of 200×100×22.4 mm were rolled and reduced to 12.2mm thickness (more than 45% of reduction in total thickness of the base material) at cryogenic temperature (operating temperature range −90–−30∘C). The cryorolled (CR) plates have reduced grain size, improved hardness and increased corrosion resistance property compared with the uncryorolled AA2219-T87 plates. FSW joints of cryorolled AA2219-T87 plates were prepared using cylindrical threaded FSW tool pin profile. Mechanical and metallurgical behaviors of friction stir welded joints were analyzed and the effects of the FSW process parameters are discussed in this paper. The variation of microhardness in the FSW joint regions were correlated with the microstructure of FSW joints. Cryorolled plate and FSW joints were tested for corrosion resistance using potentiodynamic polarization test. FSW joints shows better result during the corrosion resistance analysis compared to base AA2219-T87. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) test results showed that fine α-Al grains with eutectic phase (Al2Cu) were present in the weld nugget (WN). The large clusters of strengthening precipitates were reduced in size and merged with the weld nugget portion.

Corrosion behavior of as-cast Mg–8Li–3Al+xCe alloy in 3.5wt% NaCl solution

Mg–8Li–3Al+xCe alloys (x = 0.5wt%, 1.0wt%, and 1.5wt%) were prepared through a casting route in an electric resistance furnace under a controlled atmosphere. The cast alloys were characterized by X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The corrosion behavior of the as-cast Mg–8Li–3Al+xCe alloys were studied under salt spray tests in 3.5wt% NaCl solution at 35°C, in accordance with standard ASTM B–117, in conjunction with potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) tests. The results show that the addition of Ce to Mg–8Li–3Al (LA83) alloy results in the formation of Al2Ce intermetallic phase, refines both the α-Mg phase and the Mg17Al12 intermetallic phase, and then increases the microhardness of the alloys. The results of PDP and salt spray tests reveal that an increase in Ce content to 1.5wt% decreases the corrosion rate. The best corrosion resistance is observed for the LA83 alloy sample with 1.0wt% Ce.

Mould Filling Ability Characterisation of Cast Aluminium Alloys Using Design of Experiments

Mould filling ability characteristic has been influencing the liquid metal flow, heat transfer, and solidification there by affecting the quality of aerospace castings. Mould filling is a critical parameter in the production of sound and quality castings, especially in the case of complex-shaped castings where section thickness is varying considerably. The mould filling ability of aluminium alloys LM6 and LM25 has been studied in the present investigation. Experimentation has been carried out using orthogonal array experimental layout. The process parameters studied in the present investigation are alloy composition, sand fineness, mould coating, and pouring temperature. The mould filling ability of selected aluminium alloy has been studied using pin test piece with cylindrical cores. The results from experimentation are analyzed to find the influence of the process parameters on mould filling ability. Based on the above, LM6 alloy has been found to have better mould filling ability characteristics and the analysis of variance has also revealed the same optimum factor combination.

CORROSION PROPERTIES OF CRYOROLLED AA2219 FRICTION STIR WELDED JOINTS USING DIFFERENT TOOL PIN PROFILES

The purpose of this paper is to present the corrosion behavior of the Cryorolled (CR) material and its Friction Stir Welded joints. Due to the thermal cycles of Friction Stir Welding (FSW) process, the corrosion behavior of the material gets affected. Here, the cryorolling process was carried out on AA2219 alloy and CR material was joined by FSW process using four different pin tool profiles such as cylindrical, threaded cylindrical, square and hexagonal pin. The FSW joints were analyzed by corrosion resistance with the help of potentiodynamic polarization test with 3.5% NaCl solution. From the analysis, it is found that CR AA2219 material exhibits good corrosion resistance compared to the base AA2219 material, and also a hexagonal pin profile FSW joint exhibits high corrosion resistance. Among the weld joints created by four different tools, the lowest corrosion resistance was found in the cylindrical pin tool FSW welds. Further, the corroded samples were investigated through metallurgical investigations like OM, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). It was found that the amount of dissolution of Al2Cu precipitate was present in the weld nugget. The amount of dissolution of Al2Cu precipitate is higher in the weld nugget produced by hexagonal pin tool. This is due to the enhancement of the corrosion resistance.

Corrosion Analysis of AZ61 Alloy with Different Level of Ca Addition and Aging

The corrosion behavior of AZ61 alloyed with 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0% Ca were studied by potentiostatic polarization technique in 3.5wt. % NaCl solution and the further effect of corrosion behavior have been studied after aging at different temperature in a controlled environment.The results show that the calcium addition enhances the corrosion resistance.Simultaneously when the alloy is aged at 180°C, the corrosion resistance has improved. This study also reveals the interesting microstructural change that isresponsible for the improved corrosion resistance. Themicrostructural characterization of this alloy was studied using Optical and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).