Tracy W. Nelson

Microstructural investigation of friction stir welded 7050-T651 aluminium

The grain structure, dislocation density and second phase particles in various regions including the dynamically recrystallized zone (DXZ), thermo-mechanically affected zone (TMAZ), and heat affected zone (HAZ) of a friction stir weld aluminum alloy 7050-T651 were investigated and compared with the unaffected base metal. The various regions were studied in detail to better understand the microstructural evolution during friction stir welding (FSW). The microstructural development in each region was a strong function of the local thermo-mechanical cycle experienced during welding. Using the combination of structural characteristics observed in each weld region, a new dynamic recrystallization model has been proposed. The precipitation phenomena in different weld regions are also discussed.

A new route to bulk nanocrystalline materials

Despite their interesting properties, nanostructured materials have found limited use as a result of the cost of preparation and the difficulty in scaling up. Herein, the authors report a technique, friction stir processing (FSP), to refine grain sizes to a nanoscale. Nanocrystalline 7075 Al with an average grain size of 100 nm was successfully obtained using FSP. It may be possible to further control the microstructure of the processed material by changing the processing parameters and the cooling rate. In principle, by applying multiple overlapping passes, it should be possible to produce any desired size thin sheet to nanostructure using this technique. We expect that the FSP technique may pave the way to large-scale structural applications of nanostructured metals and alloys.

Grain refinement of aluminum alloys by friction stir processing

Combining friction stir processing (FSP) with rapid cooling, samples with grain sizes of ∼100, 180, 300 and 500 nm have been produced in commercial 7075 Al by controlling the cooling rate. Microstructure characteristics of the processed materials were investigated. The nanocrystalline structures formed in the sample processed with the highest cooling rate consist of high-angle grain boundaries, and are free of dislocation cell structures. High temperature discontinuous dynamic recrystallization is the mechanism responsible for the nanocrystalline creation. Dislocations and recovery structures were observed in the large grains of samples with slower cooling rates. The developed grains are a result of the evolution of the initial nanocrystals formed around pin tool during the FSP.

Transformation and Deformation Texture Study in Friction Stir Processed API X80 Pipeline Steel

The nature of deformation in friction stir welding/processing (FSW/P) is complex which is further complicated when allotropic phase transformations are present. Electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) is used as a means to reconstruct prior austenite texture and grain structure to study deformation and recrystallization in austenite and ferrite in FSW/P of high strength low alloy (HSLA) steels. Analyses show evidence of shear deformation textures such as A1* (111)[−1−12], B (1−12)[110], and −B (−11−2)[−1−10], as well as rotated-cube recrystallization texture in the reconstructed prior austenite. Existence of rotated-cube texture as well as polygonal grain structure of the prior austenite implies that recrystallization is partially occurring in elevated temperatures. Room temperature ferrite exhibits well-defined shear deformation texture components. The observed shear deformation texture in the room temperature microstructure implies that FSW/P imposes deformation during the phase transformation. The evolution of both elevated and room temperature textures in friction stir processed API X80 steel are presented.

Friction Stir Welding of Ferrous Alloys: Current Status

Friction stir welding (FSW) offers many potential benefits including reduced distortion, lower cost, no harmful airborne emissions, semi-automated, etc. Although initially developed for Al alloys, considerable work now has been completed to explore the ability of FSW to weld relatively thin (6 mm) ferrous alloys including many alloys of interest to the ship building industry such as HSLA-65. The status of current progress for ferrous alloys is presented offering insight into capabilities and opportunities as well as areas of FSW activity requiring additional improvement. Practical issues of weld penetration depth, gap tolerance, post-FSW mechanical properties, and distortion are addressed. Special consideration will be made to address the ability to friction stir weld 6 mm thick HSLA-65 steel with no/low distortion. Tool materials discussed will include polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) and a new composite tool fabricated from PCBN and W-25Re. Last, data will be presented illustrating the complete absence of harmful airborne emissions when welding an austenitic stainless steel.

Analysis of variant selection in friction‐stir‐processed high‐strength low‐alloy steels

Variant selection in friction-stir-welded high-strength low-alloy steels has been studied using the electron backscatter diffraction and prior austenite (PA) reconstruction techniques described in previous papers. A hypothesis for variant selection has been proposed based on grain-boundary interfacial energy and misorientation. This study focuses on austenite 〈111〉 boundaries with a two-dimensional approach. Results indicate that variant selection is strongly dependent on misorientation. Certain PA misorientations produce combinations of variants that minimize the interfacial energies between a ferrite nucleus and a neighboring austenite grain, and between adjoining ferrite nuclei along the boundary between two PA grains. PA grains that exhibit a 60° 〈111〉 misorientation between them satisfy both these conditions for a combination of variants. These PA boundaries exhibit strong variant selection. As a result, the density of these boundary types influences the overall variant selection. Additionally, variant selection is more prevalent in small PA grains (<150 µm), which is probably a result of limited intragranular nucleation. Nearly all variants are present in larger PA grains.

Material Flow during Friction Stir Welding of HSLA 65 Steel

Material flow during friction stir welding of HSLA-65 steel was investigated by crystallographic texture analysis. During the welding process, the steel deforms primarily by local shear deformation in the austenite phase and then transforms upon cooling. Texture data from three weld specimens were compared to theoretical textures calculated using ideal Euler angles for shear in face centered cubic (FCC) structures transformed by the Kurdjumov–Sacks (KS) relationship. These theoretical textures show similarities to the experimental textures. Texture data from the weld specimens revealed a rotation of the shear direction corresponding to the tangent of the weld tool on both the area directly under the weld tool shoulder and weld cross sections. In addition, texture data showed that while the shear plane of the area under the weld tool shoulder remained constant, the shear plane of the weld cross sections is influenced by the weld tool pin.