The use of laser welding in the automotive industry in the past few decades has facilitated joining of hot-dip galvanized (HDG) steel sheets at high production rates and low cost. The recent development of tailor welded blanks (TWB) using laser welding allowed combinations of sheet grades and thicknesses to “tailor” the vehicle part for optimized design, structural integrity and crash performance but more importantly, reductions in weight. Welded blanks are further subjected to stamping or stretch forming prior to final assembly. Unfortunately, both welding and stretch forming cause the galvanized coating to deteriorate, and thereby, undermine the long term corrosion protection. Despite existing publications on zinc coated steel and advances in processing techniques, there is a lack of understanding on the influence of laser welding and stretch forming on the corrosion performance of HDG steel. Hence, the purpose of this study was to determine how welding speed and biaxial strain affect interstitial-free (IF) and high strength low allow (HSLA) steel coupons when they are subjected to continuous immersion and accelerated corrosion tests. The corrosion rates of the coupons were evaluated using electrochemical techniques and gravimetry. Changes in the galvanized coating were characterized using scanning electron metallography. It was observed that, the original zinc layer transformed into the delta and gamma Fe-Zn intermetallic phases locally in the heat affected zone (HAZ) after laser welding. The resulting microstructure was similar to that of a commercially galvannealed coating and exhibited superior corrosion resistance than that of pure zinc. Linear polarization resistance (LPR) measurements revealed that the zinc coating was able to protect a chemically exposed region of steel in 0.1 M NaCl solution. While the Nd:YAG laser welded coupons with narrow HAZs performed equally well as the non-welded ones, diode laser welded coupons, with a wide locally annealed coating in the HAZ, exhibited a decrease in the peak corrosion rate of zinc. Moreover, minimal amounts of rust were observed on the surface of the HAZ after testing. With biaxial strain, welded and deformed coupons generally demonstrated higher peak corrosion rates than that of undeformed welded ones. When subjected to cyclic corrosion testing according to SAE J2334, rust formed in the exposed region after one 24 hour test cycle due to wet-dry conditions. However, zinc corrosion products on the surface provided substantial corrosion resistance to the remaining zinc coating and to the steel substrate. Gravimetric measurements of welded coupons showed a linear increase in weight gain with increased exposed widths of the steel after 30 cycles but biaxial strain further increased the weight gain on deformed coupons. After 60 cycles, the trend became exponential for both welded and deformed coupons. There was a negligible difference between the corrosion performance of IF and HSLA steel. Using X-Ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy, species of both iron and zinc corrosion products were identified. Without the application of paint coatings, zinc oxide (ZnO), zinc hydroxy chloride (ZnCl2[Zn(OH)2]4), and hydrozincite ([ZnCO3]2[Zn(OH)2]3) were responsible for passivating the surface and reducing the overall corrosion rate of the galvanized coating.

The use of laser welding in the automotive industry in the past few decades has facilitated joining of hot-dip galvanized (HDG) steel sheets at high production rates and low cost. The recent development of tailor welded blanks (TWB) using laser welding allowed combinations of sheet grades and thicknesses to “tailor” the vehicle part for optimized design, structural integrity and crash performance but more importantly, reductions in weight. Welded blanks are further subjected to stamping or stretch forming prior to final assembly. Unfortunately, both welding and stretch forming cause the galvanized coating to deteriorate, and thereby, undermine the long term corrosion protection. Despite existing publications on zinc coated steel and advances in processing techniques, there is a lack of understanding on the influence of laser welding and stretch forming on the corrosion performance of HDG steel. Hence, the purpose of this study was to determine how welding speed and biaxial strain affect interstitial-free (IF) and high strength low allow (HSLA) steel coupons when they are subjected to continuous immersion and accelerated corrosion tests. The corrosion rates of the coupons were evaluated using electrochemical techniques and gravimetry. Changes in the galvanized coating were characterized using scanning electron metallography. It was observed that, the original zinc layer transformed into the delta and gamma Fe-Zn intermetallic phases locally in the heat affected zone (HAZ) after laser welding. The resulting microstructure was similar to that of a commercially galvannealed coating and exhibited superior corrosion resistance than that of pure zinc. Linear polarization resistance (LPR) measurements revealed that the zinc coating was able to protect a chemically exposed region of steel in 0.1 M NaCl solution. While the Nd:YAG laser welded coupons with narrow HAZs performed equally well as the non-welded ones, diode laser welded coupons, with a wide locally annealed coating in the HAZ, exhibited a decrease in the peak corrosion rate of zinc. Moreover, minimal amounts of rust were observed on the surface of the HAZ after testing. With biaxial strain, welded and deformed coupons generally demonstrated higher peak corrosion rates than that of undeformed welded ones. When subjected to cyclic corrosion testing according to SAE J2334, rust formed in the exposed region after one 24 hour test cycle due to wet-dry conditions. However, zinc corrosion products on the surface provided substantial corrosion resistance to the remaining zinc coating and to the steel substrate. Gravimetric measurements of welded coupons showed a linear increase in weight gain with increased exposed widths of the steel after 30 cycles but biaxial strain further increased the weight gain on deformed coupons. After 60 cycles, the trend became exponential for both welded and deformed coupons. There was a negligible difference between the corrosion performance of IF and HSLA steel. Using X-Ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy, species of both iron and zinc corrosion products were identified. Without the application of paint coatings, zinc oxide (ZnO), zinc hydroxy chloride (ZnCl2[Zn(OH)2]4), and hydrozincite ([ZnCO3]2[Zn(OH)2]3) were responsible for passivating the surface and reducing the overall corrosion rate of the galvanized coating.

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / This study evaluated dome test samples of a superplastic AA5083 aluminum alloy deformed at nominally constant strain rates under biaxial strain conditions. Dome test samples resulted from gas-pressure forming of sheet material; for this study, samples were deformed at strain rates corresponding either to grain boundary sliding or dislocation creep control of deformation. Orientation Imaging Microscopy was utilized to determine texture development, grain size and grain-to-grain misorientation angle distributions for locations located along a line of latitude of the dome samples. The goal was to identify the location of the transition from grain boundary sliding to dislocation creep. Grain boundary sliding, which dominates at lower strain rates, can be recognized by a randomized texture and a higher concentration of high disorientation angles. Dislocation creep, which dominates at higher strain rates, is characterized by fiber texture formation and development of a peak at lower angles in the grain-to-grain misorientation angle distribution. / Ensign, United States Navy

Orientador: Prof. Dr. Jeverson Teodoro Arantes Junior / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal do ABC, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Nanociências e Materiais Avançados, Santo André, 2018. / Investigamos, sistematicamente, as propriedades estruturais e eletrônicas do óxido de zinco nanoporoso sob tração e compressão biaxial utilizando cálculos de primeiros princípios baseados na Teoria do Funcional da Densidade. O sistema apresenta uma alta concentração de nanoporos lineares orientados nas direções cristalográcas [0001] e [01-10], bem como um lme no nanoporoso. Para compressões maiores do que 4% com relação ao parâmetro de rede, foi observada uma distorção estrutural nas regiões menos densas do material poroso, mostrando uma tendência à mudança de fase localizada. O coe- ciente de Poisson calculado dos nanoporos orientados na direção [0001] foi negativo. Isto signica que quando o material poroso foi tracionado, expandiu-se transversalmente. Já quando comprimido, o material contraiuse na direção transversal. Os materiais que possuem esta característica são conhecidos como materiais auxéticos. Nossos resultados mostram que o valor do gap de energia foi modulado pelas deformações biaxiais com uma tendência oposta ao bulk. A densidade dos estados eletrônicos conrmou nossas observações. A tendência estrutural inversa da superfície dos nanoporos é o principal mecanismo para o comportamento inverso do gap sob compressão e tração. Dentro do nosso conhecimento, este é o primeiro reporte de um comportamento inverso do gap de energia de estruturas de ZnO sob compressão e tração biaxial. Nossos resultados sugerem que a nanoporosidade, conjuntamente com tra- ção e compressão biaxial, podem ser empregadas como um método dentro da engenharia de gap para customizar materiais funcionais que requerem controle da atividade eletrônica. / This work investigated, systematically, the structural and electronic properties of nanoporous zinc oxide, under biaxial strain, through rst-principles methods, based on total energy ab initio calculations using Density Functional Theory. The system was in a massive nanopore concentration regime. We studied linear pores in [0001] and [01-10] direction and a porous thin lm. Using a biaxial tension above 4% of the ZnO bulk lattice parameter, we observed a distortion resulting in a local phase change region in the material's structure. The calculated Poisson's coecient was negative for the [0001] pore. When stretched, they become thicker in the perpendicular direction to the applied force. These materials are known as auxetic. Our results show that the energy band gap value is tuned by the strain with an uncommon opposite trend related to the bulk. The density of electronic states conrmed the energy gap modulation. The structural inverse trend of nanopores surface is the principal mechanism for gap inverse behavior under compressive and tensile strain. From the best of our knowledge, this is the rst report about opposite Egap trend in strained nanopores. Our results suggest that nanoporosity and biaxial strain could be employed as a method within the band gap engineering for tailored functional matexi rials that require control of the electronic activity.