Through a series of carefully designed experiments, characterization and some modeling tools, this work is aimed at studying the role of thermal profiles on different microstructural zones and associated properties like strength and corrosion through a variation of weld parameters, thermal boundary conditions and material temper. Two different alloys belonging to the Al-Cu and Al-Cu-Li system in different temper conditions- peak aged (T8) and annealed (O) were used. A 3D-thermal pseudo mechanical (TPM) model is developed for the FSW process using heat transfer module in COMSOL Multiphysics and is based on a heat source wherein the temperature dependent yield shear stress is used for the heat generation. The precipitation and coarsening model is based on the Kampmann and Wagner theoretical framework and accounts for the competition between the various nucleation sites for both metastable and equilibrium precipitates. The model predicts different precipitate mean radius and volume fraction for the various zones in the friction stir welded material. A model for the yield strength is developed which considers contributions from different strengthening mechanisms. The predictions of the each models have been verified against experimental data and literature. At constant advance per rotation, the peak temperature decreases with a decrease in traverse speed and increases with an increase in tool rotation. Weld properties were significantly affected by choice of thermal boundary conditions in terms of backing plate diffusivity. Weld conditions with a higher peak temperature and high strain rate results in more dissolution of precipitates and fragmentation of constituent particles resulting in a better corrosion behavior for the weld nugget. For a peak aged temper of 2XXX alloys, the weld nugget experiences dissolution of strengthening precipitates resulting in a lower strength and the Heat affected zone (HAZ) experiences coarsening of precipitates. For an annealed material, both the weld nugget and HAZ experiences dissolution of precipitates with an increase in strength in the weld nugget.

This research demonstrates the use of friction stir welding (FSW) to join dissimilar (Al-Mg) metal alloys. The main challenges in joining different, dissimilar metal alloys is the formation of brittle intermetallic compounds (IMCs) in the stir zone affecting mechanical properties of joint significantly. In this present study, FSW joining process is used to join aluminum alloy AA2139 and magnesium alloy WE43. The 9.5 mm thick plates of AA2139 and WE43 were friction stir butt welded. Different processing parameters were used to optimize processing parameters. Also, various weldings showed a crack at interface due to formation of IMCs caused by liquation during FSW. A good strength sound weld was obtained using processing parameter of 1200 rev/min rotational speed; 76.2 mm/min traverse speed; 1.5 degree tilt and 0.13 mm offsets towards aluminum. The crack faded away as the tool was offset towards advancing side aluminum. Mostly, the research was focused on developing high strength joint through microstructural control to reduce IMCs thickness in Al-Mg dissimilar weld joint with optimized processing parameter and appropriate tool offset.

Master's thesis deals with consideration possibility of conventional and unconvetional welding methods of wrought magnesium alloys. Methods of Friction Stir Welding, Pulsed Nd:YAG laser and Continuous Fiber laser was used to join magnesium alloy sheets AZ31, AZ61, ZE10 and ZE41. For studying influence of processing parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties were used methods of light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, tensile tests and microhardness measurements. The results of tensile tests show that from the point of view of keeping ultimate tensile strength is the best methods for welding magnesium alloys Friction Stir Welding. Compared with Nd:YAG laser, fiber laser give better properties of welds. From comparing microstructure and mechanical properties . It wasn't found publications about Friction Stir Welding of magnesium ZE alloys or about FSW sheets with thickness only 0,8 mm and 1,6 mm.

The penchant towards development of high performance materials for light weighting engineering systems through various thermomechanical processing routes has been soaring vigorously. Friction stir processing (FSP) - a relatively new thermomechanical processing route had shown an excellent promise towards microstructural modification in many Al and Mg alloy systems. Nevertheless, the expansion of this process to high temperature materials like titanium alloys and steels is restricted by the limited availability of tool materials. Despite it challenges, the current thesis sets a tone for the usage of FSP to tailor the mechanical properties in titanium alloys and steels. FSP was carried out on three near beta titanium alloys, namely Ti6246, Ti185 and Tiβc with increasing β stability index, using various tool rotation rates and at a constant tool traverse speed. Microstructure and mechanical property relationship was studied using experimental techniques such as SEM, TEM, mini tensile testing and synchrotron x-ray diffraction. Two step aging on Ti6246 had resulted in an UTS of 2.2GPa and a specific strength around 500 MPa m3/mg, which is about 40% greater than any commercially available metallic material. Similarly, FSP on an ultra-high strength steel―Eglin steel had resulted in a strength greater than 2GPa with a ductility close to 10% at around 4mm from the top surface of stir zone (SZ). Experimental techniques such as microhardness, mini-tensile testing and SEM were used to correlate the microstructure and properties observed inside SZ and HAZ's of the processed region. A 3D temperature modeling was used to predict the peak temperature and cooling rates during FSP. The exceptional strength ductility combinations inside the SZ is believed to be because of mixed microstructure comprised of various volume fractions of phases such as martensite, bainite and retained austenite.

No description available.

Pour réduire le poids des structures aéronautiques, plusieurs voies ont été explorées. Parmi elles, l'utilisation des alliages d'aluminium légers et le remplacement des structures rivetées par des structures soudées par Friction Stir Welding (FSW) sont envisagées. La question de la durée de vie de ces structures préoccupe les industriels. Dans ce cadre, cette étude porte sur la sensibilité à la corrosion sous contrainte intergranulaire (CSC-IG) du noyau de soudure par FSW de l'alliage Al-Cu-Li 2050. Ce matériau est composé de grains équiaxes dont la taille diminue de 17 à 4 µm à mesure que l'on s'éloigne de la surface de soudage. Une variation de texture est révélée grâce à des cartographies EBSD formant la microstructure des « onion rings ». La périodicité de ces « onions rings » est égale à l'avancée du pion FSW sur un tour (500 µm pour notre matériau). Ces hétérogénéités microstructurales entraînent des gradients de champs mécaniques locaux quantifiés par corrélation d'images lors des essais mécaniques. Ces hétérogénéités microstructurales et mécaniques favorisent les phénomènes de corrosion localisée lorsque le matériau est soumis à un environnement agressif. Les effets des contraintes et de la microstructure sur la CSC-IG sont mis en évidence par des essais de corrosion et des essais de corrosion sous contrainte (CSC). Les essais de corrosion montrent une sensibilité du matériau à la piqûration alors que les essais de CSC révèlent l'amorçage de fissures intergranulaires. Les plus grosses fissures s'amorcent préférentiellement à la frontière des « onion rings ». Un modèle par éléments finis a été développé dans le but de simuler la propagation des fissures intergranulaires sur des agrégats réels générés par des cartographies EBSD. / To reduce the aircraft components weight, several solutions were explored. Among them, the using of light aluminum alloys and the substitution of riveting by friction stir welding (FSW) are investigated. Industry is concerned by the question of the life of such structures. For this, this study is focused on intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) sensitivity of the 2050 Al-Li-Cu alloy friction stir weld nugget. This material consists of equiaxed grains whose size is decreasing with the distance from the weld surface between 17 µm at the top and 4 µm at the bottom. The “onion rings” microstructure is revealed by EBSD cartographies as a texture variation. They appear with a periodicity of 500 µm corresponding to the advance per revolution of the tool. Those microstructural heterogeneities cause local mechanical field gradients quantified by digital image correlation measurements during mechanical tests. Those microstructural and mechanical heterogeneities promote localized corrosion when the material is submitted to an aggressive environnement. Microstructure and stress effects on IGSCC are shown by corrosion tests and stress corrosion tests. The first ones show a sensitivity to pitting corrosion and a stress application reveal initiation of intergranular cracks. The biggest ones preferentially initiate at “onion rings” boundaries. A finite element model was developed in order to simulate intergranular cracks propagation on real aggregates obtained by EBSD cartographies.

O processo de soldagem por fricção e mistura (FSW) tem despertado grande interesse nos últimos anos e tornou-se uma alternativa para unir materiais de baixa soldabilidade, como as ligas de alumínio das séries 2XXX e 7XXX, as quais são empregadas na estrutura das aeronaves, por possuírem elevada relação resistência/peso. O processo FSW, todavia, causa mudanças microestruturais nos materiais soldados, particularmente na zona misturada (ZM) e nas zonas termicamente (ZTA) ou termomecanicamente (ZTMA) afetadas. Estas mudanças geralmente interferem no desempenho frente à corrosão das ligas soldadas. No presente estudo, a resistência à corrosão das ligas de alumínio 2024-T3 e 7475-T761, unidas pelo processo FSW foi investigada em solução 10 mM de NaCl. Ensaios de visualização em gel ágar-ágar e de imersão associados a técnicas microscópicas foram realizados para investigar o efeito do acoplamento galvânico na corrosão das diferentes regiões da junta soldada. Os resultados do ensaio de visualização em gel mostraram que, quando acopladas, a liga 2024 atua como cátodo e a 7475 como ânodo. Os ensaios de imersão revelaram acoplamento galvânico entre as ligas na zona misturada (ZM). A região mais afetada pela corrosão foi a ZTMA da liga 7475, com corrosão intergranular desde as primeiras horas de imersão. A influência do processo de soldagem na resistência à corrosão das duas ligas de alumínio foi investigada por ensaios eletroquímicos. Os ensaios eletroquímicos adotados foram medidas de potencial de circuito aberto (PCA) em função do tempo de exposição ao meio corrosivo, espectroscopia de impedância eletroquímica (EIE) e curvas de polarização potenciodinâmica. Os ensaios de polarização mostraram elevada atividade eletroquímica na zona de mistura indicada pelos altos valores de densidade de corrente em comparação com as demais zonas testadas. Os resultados de EIE globais mostraram que nas primeiras horas de exposição ao eletrólito o processo de corrosão foi predominantemente controlado pela liga 7475; todavia, com o tempo de exposição ao eletrólito, a corrosão passou a ser controlada pela liga 2024. / Friction stir welding (FSW) has roused great interest in recent years and it is now an alternative for joining materials of low weldability, such as the aluminum alloys of the 2XXX and 7XXX series, used in the aircrafts structure due to their high strength /weight ratio. However, FSW causes material microstructural changes, mainly in the stir zone (SZ), the heat affected zone (HAZ) or thermomechanically (TMAZ) affected zones of the materials welded. These generally interfere with the corrosive performance of the welded joint. In the present study, the corrosion resistance of the 2024-T3 and 7475-T761aluminum alloys, joined by FSW was investigated in 10 mM NaCl electrolyte. Agar-agar gel and immersion tests associated with microscopic techniques were performed to investigate the effect of galvanic coupling between the welded materials. Results from this test showed that, when galvanically coupled, the 2024 alloy acts as cathode and the 7475 as anode. Immersion tests revealed galvanic coupling between the alloys in the SZ. The zone most susceptible to corrosion was the TMAZ of the 7475. Intergranular corrosion was observed in this zone since the first hours of immersion. The influence of the welding process on the corrosion resistance of the alloys was also evaluated by electrochemical tests. The electrochemical tests adopted were open circuit potential measurements (OCP) as a function of time of exposure to the electrolyte, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization curves. The polarization tests showed high electrochemical activity in the stir zone indicated by the high current densities measured comparatively to the other tested zones. The global EIS results indicated that in the first few hours of exposure to the electrolyte the corrosion process was predominantly controlled by the 7475 alloy; however, with time of exposure to the electrolyte, the corrosion was controlled by alloy 2024.

A soldagem altera as propriedades mecânicas dos aços ligados ao níquel, em especial seu desempenho em aplicações criogênicas. Assim, este trabalho apresenta um estudo sobre a soldabilidade metalúrgica do aço com 9% níquel e tem como objetivos: identificar se a fragilização em temperatura abaixo da temperatura Ac3 ocorre em ZACs com dois e três ciclos térmicos simulados fisicamente; analisar as características da junta soldada pelo processo de soldagem por atrito linear com mistura e os efeitos da soldagem multipasse; e analisar a influência dos passes de enchimento e acabamento sobre o comportamento mecânico da ZAC da raiz de uma junta soldada pelo processo de soldagem MIG/MAG. Destacam-se entre os resultados da simulação física da ZAC: as amostras que tiveram a temperatura máxima abaixo da temperatura Ac1, no terceiro ciclo térmico, não apresentaram o efeito de redução da energia absorvida no ensaio Charpy V; a fração volumétrica de austenita retida não aumenta a quantidade de energia absorvida no ensaio Charpy V para as amostras que tiveram a temperatura máxima do segundo ciclo térmico abaixo da temperatura Ac3 (723°C); e a correlação linear múltipla sugere um modelo empírico, baseado nos dados deste trabalho, onde os fatores de fração volumétrica do microconstituinte martensita-austenita, fração volumétrica de austenita retida e tamanho de grão são mais relevantes para a quantidade de energia absorvida no ensaio Charpy V. Destacam-se entre os resultados da soldagem por atrito linear: a energia absorvida no ensaio Charpy V da zona misturada do primeiro cordão (CP1) é menor que o metal de base; o segundo cordão gera duas regiões na zona misturada do primeiro cordão, que tendem a aumentar a energia absorvida no ensaio Charpy V; os valores de energia absorvida no ensaio Charpy V apresentam correlações lineares simples com a microdureza, a fração volumétrica do microconstituinte martensita-austenita e com o tamanho de grão. Destacam-se entre os resultados da soldagem com MIG/MAG: A soldagem do aço com 9% de níquel com a liga Inconel 625 gera uma zona não misturada entre o metal de solda e a ZAC; a amostra com todos os passes de solda (CP3) apresenta a menor energia absorvida no ensaio Charpy V entre todos os experimentos; e a trinca, no ensaio Charpy V, propaga na zona não misturada no CP1 e no CP2, que tiveram as maiores energias absorvidas no ensaio Charpy. O CP3 apresenta propagação de trinca na linha de fusão e possui a menor energia absorvida no ensaio Charpy V. / Welding modify the mechanical properties of nickel steels, especially their performance in cryogenic applications. Thus, this work presents a study on the metallurgical weldability of 9% nickel steel and its objectives are: identify if the embrittlement in temperature below the Ac3 temperature occurs in HAZs with two and three thermal cycles simulated physically; analyze the characteristics of the joint welded by friction stir welding process and the effects of multipass welding; and analyze the influence of the filling and finishing passes on the mechanical behavior of HAZ from the root of a joint welded by the GMAW welding process. The results of the physical simulation of the HAZ were: the samples that had the maximum temperature below the temperature Ac1, in the third thermal cycle, did not present the effect of reduction of the energy absorbed in the Charpy V test; the retained austenite volumetric fraction does not increase the amount of energy absorbed in the Charpy V test for the samples having the maximum temperature of the second thermal cycle below the Ac3 temperature (723 °C); and the multiple linear correlation suggests an empirical model, based on the data of this work, where the volumetric fraction factors of the martensite-austenite microconstituent, retained austenite volumetric fraction and grain size are more relevant for the amount of energy absorbed in the Charpy V test. The FSW welding highlights results: the energy absorbed in the Charpy V test of the mixed zone of the first pass (CP1) is smaller than the base metal; the second pass generates two regions in the mixed zone of the first pass, which tend to increase the energy absorbed in the Charpy V test; the values of energy absorbed in the Charpy V test show simple linear correlations with the microhardness, the volumetric fraction of the martensite-austenite microconstituent and with the grain size. The GMAW welding highlights results: welding of the steel with 9% nickel with the Inconel 625 alloy makes an unmixed zone between the weld metal and the HAZ; the sample with all weld passes (CP3) shows the lowest energy absorbed in the Charpy V test among all the experiments; and the crack, in the Charpy V test, propagates in the unmixed zone in CP1 and CP2, which had the highest energies absorbed in the Charpy test. The CP3 shows crack propagation in the melting line and has the lowest energy absorbed in the Charpy V test.

O processo de soldagem por atrito linear com mistura (FSW) é uma técnica recente para a soldagem no estado sólido de materiais, em particular para o alumínio e suas ligas. O processo foi inventado na Inglaterra em 1991. Neste processo, as partes a serem soldadas são fixadas e uma ferramenta especial realiza a soldagem de forma contínua. A ferramenta possui uma velocidade de rotação e, durante a sua translação, o material é misturado no estado sólido e, conseqüentemente, soldando as duas partes. A junta soldada por FSW de alumínio AA 6063-T6, com espessura de 3 mm foi caracterizada. A soldagem foi realizada com uma rotação da ferramenta de 710 rpm e com uma velocidade de translação de 5,3 mm/s. A ferramenta empregada é do tipo three flats, com diâmetro do ombro de 14 mm, diâmetro do pino de 3 mm e com ângulo de 90° com relação à horizontal. Os corpos de prova foram soldados em três condições: um passe, dois passes e dois passes com inversão de rotação do pino. Após a soldagem foram realizados os seguintes tratamentos térmicos: solubilização, envelhecimento e recozimento. A junta soldada foi caracterizada por macrografias, micrografias, microdureza, ensaios de calorimetria diferencial e EBSD. Os resultados mostraram que existem ZTMAs diferentes conforme a condição dos de passes. O número de passes tem influência nas componentes da textura alterando de Cubo para Latão e para Goss + Cobre. Os tratamentos térmicos de envelhecimento e recozimento produziram as maiores e menores durezas do cordão, respectivamente. Foi observada a sinergia entre os fatores número de passes e região do cordão no tamanho de grão do cordão. O lado de retrocesso, após o tratamento térmico, apresentou os grãos mais finos. / Friction stir welding (FSW) is a recent process for aluminium welding in solid state. This process was invented in England in 1991. The welding process is done with a special rotating tool that travels along the joint while the parts are fixed. The tool has a speed and a rotation and during its translation the material mixtures in solid state and the joint occurs. The objective of this paper is to show the metallurgical and mechanical characteristics of a 3 mm thick Aluminum AA 6063 T6 plate welded joint. The tool rotation speed was 710 rpm and the translation speed was 5.3 mm/s. The type of the tool used was three flats, with a shoulder diameter of 14mm and pin diameter of 3mm and perpendicular to the plate. The samples were welded in three conditions: one pass, two passes and two passes with pin rotation inversion in the second pass. The welded samples were also submitted to solution heat treatment, solution heat treatment followed by aging and annealing heat treatments. The welded joint was studied with these main experimental techniques: optical and scanning electron microscopy, microhardness, differential scanning calorimetry and electron backscatter diffraction for texture analysis. The results showed different TAZs according to the welding conditions. The number of passes has influence over the texture components changing from Cube to Brass and to Goss + Copper. The aging and solution heat treatments showed the highest and the lowest hardness, respectively. Synergy between the welding conditions and weld region was observed for the grain size results. The retreating side produced the finest grains after heat treating.

Le procédé de soudage par friction malaxage (FSW) entraîne, d’une manière générale, une importante chute de dureté à travers le joint soudé. Dans le but de concevoir des structures aéronautiques soudées par FSW en fatigue, il est nécessaire de connaître l’impact de cette chute de dureté dans le comportement mécanique global de la soudure. Dans ces travaux, l’alliage d’aluminium à durcissement structural 2198-T8 est considéré. Une chaîne de calcul de durée de vie en fatigue d’une structure soudée par FSW est mise en place. Elle intègre un couplage de calculs et d’expériences grâce auxquels le comportement mécanique de la structure est modélisé. Dans un premier temps, le gradient de comportement mécanique de la soudure est étudié. Des essais mécaniques de traction et cycliques sont réalisés à température ambiante. La méthode de corrélation d’images numériques (DIC) est utilisée dans le but de mesurer les champs de déplacements localement dans et au voisinage du joint soudé. À partir des résultats expérimentaux, les paramètres mécaniques d’un modèle de comportement sont identifiés à partir d’un élément de volume, zone par zone à travers le joint soudé. En parallèle, une quantification des précipités durcissants T1 (Al2CuLi) est menée dans différentes zones du joint soudé à l’aide d’un Microscope Electronique en Transmission (MET). Un lien entre l’évolution de la microstructure à travers la soudure et l’évolution des paramètres mécaniques est recherché. Le modèle de comportement mécanique est utilisé sur des calculs de structure utilisant la méthode des éléments finis pour simuler le joint soudé. En parallèle, des essais de fatigue sont réalisés sur des éprouvettes uniaxiales et cruciformes soumises à des chargements uniaxiaux et multiaxiaux. À l’aide des simulations du gradient de comportement mécanique du joint soudé ainsi que des résultats mesurés en fatigue, les paramètres d’un modèle d’endommagement sont identifiés. Ce modèle est utilisé pour prédire les durées de vie en fatigue et les zones d’amorçages de fissure pour une structure soudée soumise à des chargements multiaxiaux. / The Friction Stir Welding (FSW) process generally induces a critical hardness decrease inside the welded joint. To design aeronautical structure welded by FSW in fatigue, it is then necessary to know the impact of this hardness drop on the constitutive behaviour of the junction. In this study, the hardening structural aluminium alloy 2198-T8 is considered.A fatigue lifetime assessment loop of a welded structure is implemented. It integrates a calculations and experiments coupling which is used to model the structure’s mechanical behaviour. The gradient mechanical behaviour of the weldment is initially studied.Monotonic and cyclic mechanical tests are carried out to room temperature. Digital Image Correlation (DIC) is used to measure local displacement fields around the junction. Based on this experimental data, mechanical parameters for a constitutive model are identified on a volume element, zone by zone across the welded joint. In parallel, a quantification of the T1 (Al2CuLi) strengthening precipitates is realized in different region of the joint with a Transmission Electron Microscope. A connection between the microstructure evolution and the mechanical parameters is researched. The gradient mechanical behaviour of the joint is assessed on a 3D structure by Finite Element Analysis. Furthermore, fatigue tests are carried out on uniaxial and multiaxial loadings welded specimen. Thanks to the mechanical behaviour model and the fatigue lifetime measured, a damage model is used to predict the fatigue lifetime and the crack initiation zone for a welded structure which is subjected to higher multiaxial loads.