Abstract
Two rolled plates of 7075 aluminum alloy were used as starting material. The plates were welded using a simultaneous double-sided friction stir welding (FSW) process. One way of obtaining feedstock materials for Semi-solid processing or thixoforming is via deformation routes followed by partial melting in the semi-solid state. As both the base plate materials and the friction weld area have undergone extensive deformation specimens were subjected to a post welding heat-treatment in the semi-solid range at a temperature of 628 °C, for 3 min in order to observe the induced microstructural changes. A comparison between the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of friction stir welded plates was performed before and after the heat-treatment in the Base Metal (BM), the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ), the Thermomechanically Affected Zone (TMAZ) and the Nugget Zone (NZ) using optical microscopy, Scanning Electron microscopy (SEM) and Vickers hardness tests. The results revealed that an extremely fine-grained structure, obtained in the NZ after FSW, resulted in a rise of hardness from the BM to the NZ. Furthermore, post welding heat-treatment in the semi-solid state gave rise to a consistent morphology throughout the material which was similar to microstructures obtained by the thixoforming process. Moreover, a drop of hardness was observed after heat treatment in all regions as compared to that in the welded microstructure.
Highlights
AA 7075 (Al-Zn-Mg-Cu) alloy is a heat treatable alloy possessing remarkable strength due to the precipitation of MgZn2 phase when Zn to Mg ratio is 1:2 or 1:3
Friction stir welding is well suited for joining of aluminum alloys, as the process leads to the grain refinement in the nugget zone, with potential to further improve the strength of aluminum alloys [4,5]
The base metal consists of pancake-shaped grains elongated in the rolling direction, as can be seen in Figure 1c, and the grain structure in the nugget zone, shown in Figure 1d, shows that the grains are extremely fine, so much so that the grain size could not be measured by conventional optical methods
Summary
AA 7075 (Al-Zn-Mg-Cu) alloy is a heat treatable alloy possessing remarkable strength due to the precipitation of MgZn2 phase when Zn to Mg ratio is 1:2 or 1:3. This class of aluminum alloys is widely used in the aerospace and automotive industries where parts must have particular properties to meet the required demands as well as being reliably weldable and machinable [1,2,3]. Friction stir welding is well suited for joining of aluminum alloys, as the process leads to the grain refinement in the nugget zone, with potential to further improve the strength of aluminum alloys [4,5]. Continuous improvements to the performance of FSW joints during the process, has been achieved by variations of the process, as for instance, double-sided FSW that offers advantages over conventional FSW methods such as higher transverse speed and even distribution of heat input into the workpieces to be joined [9,10,11]
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