Heat Affected Zone Regions Research Articles

Investigation of Electromagnetic Wave Propagation in Photonic-like Welded Materials Using the Finite Element Method

In this study, two identical and two dissimilar materials are conjoined by applying the friction welding method to yield various rods. This investigation’s primary focus entails examining the repercussions associated with the heat-affected zone (HAZ) arising from elevated temperatures at the welding interfaces on the propagation of electromagnetic (EM) waves within the resultant structures. The study incorporates the photonic crystal approach in conjunction with Maxwell’s equations, and the subsequent solution of the latter is executed using the finite element method. The subdivision of the structures into fifteen elements is predicated upon the assumption of the electromagnetic wave number of the m-th segment, km, of discrete segments. The finite element method is then administered to the HAZ regions of the structures, wherein the HAZ is discretised into one, three, and five elements, respectively.

Microstructure-Linked Mechanical Properties of P91-Incoloy 800HT Dissimilar Metal Welds

Dissimilar metal welds (DMWs) between P91 steel and Incoloy 800HT® using shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) with ENiCrCoMo-1 filler electrode were characterized in detail. The impact of multiple weld passes on microstructure in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) and weld fusion zone (WFZ) was thoroughly investigated. Postweld heat treatment (PWHT) impacts on mechanical characteristics and microstructure were also observed. The DMW was observed with heavy C, Cr, and Mo microsegregation in the WFZ, which deteriorated mechanical strength. The microstructural changes directly affected the mechanical behavior of the DMW. The ultimate tensile strength of the weld fusion zone was low at 576 MPa compared to the base metals’ strength. The tensile specimens failed in the IN 800HT base metal and WFZ. The WFZ had significant microsegregation near the solidified grain boundaries (SGBs). The metallurgical heterogeneity in the WFZ caused the formation of localized stress zones, which directly affected the mechanical behavior of the WFZ. The carbide particles influenced the microhardness in the WFZ and P91 HAZ regions. The PWHT successfully homogenized the microhardness in the WFZ and P91 HAZ regions. The impact toughness decreased to 64 J from 82 J after PWHT due to precipitation at SGBs and its coarsening. The SMAW process involves multiple thermal cycles during welding. The deposition of filler metal in multiple welding passes created uncontrolled variations in the solidification behavior of the WFZ. Microsegregation had a detrimental impact on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the P91 and IN 800HT dissimilar metal welds.

Tensile testing of S690QL1 HSS welded joint heterogeneous zones using small scale specimens and indentation methods

Abstract The welded joints are structures with significant heterogeneity, indicated by their fundamental segmentation into base metal (BM), heat affected zone (HAZ), and weld metal (WM). The heat affected zone, having width in millimeter scale for fusion welding processes, is further segmented into several characteristic regions, having differences in grain structure and size. The microstructural heterogeneity results in significant differences in mechanical properties of individual welded joint zones. Mechanical testing of such small material volumes is inconvenient, or even impossible, using the standard size specimens proposed in testing standards. Requirement to precisely position the specimens, even ones with subsize dimensions, and investigate mechanical properties of specific narrow HAZ regions presents certain challenge. This work investigates the X welded joint of S690QL1 grade high strength steel (HSS), welded with slightly overmatching filler metal. The material tensile properties are tested, using small scale specimens and indentation methods. Small scale specimens are ASTM E8 round tensile subsize and flat sheet mini tensile specimens (MTS). The indentation methods include hardness testing and profilometry-based indentation plastometry (PIP) method, to gain additional insights into material stress–strain behavior. Finally, paper evaluates the testing methods, comparatively processes the collected experimental data, and provides guidelines for heterogeneous structures testing.

Enhancing NDE Reliability for Grade 91 Steel Welds: Ultrasonic Imaging and Microstructural Correlations

Ensuring the integrity of Grade 91 (9Cr-1Mo-V) steel welds is vital for the safe and reliable operation of fossil fuel–fired and nuclear power plants. This study applies an imaging technique for the ultrasonic characterization of two Grade 91 steel welds created with cold metal transfer and flux-cored arc welding processes. Ultrasonic immersion testing in the through-transmission configuration was employed to generate shear waves, which helped identify the weld metal, heat-affected zone, and base metal regions. These weld microstructures were also correlated to their ultrasonic images using metallography, ultrasonic amplitude, hardness measurements, and grain size. The findings from this study can assist practitioners in developing new nondestructive evaluation technologies, improving the inspection reliability of creep strength–enhanced ferritic steel welds by potentially identifying weld microstructure regions susceptible to creep-type failures.

Influence of Oxide Inclusions on the Creep Properties of Electron Beam Welds in Ti-added Reduced Activation Ferritic/Martensitic Steel

In this study, the effects of reducing oxide inclusions on the microstructure, tensile properties at 550 ℃, and creep resistance of electron beam welded (EBW) joints in Ti-added reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steel were investigated. Two RAFM steels, designated as Steel A and Steel B, were prepared by adjusting the Al and Si contents to contain different fractions of oxide inclusions. The microstructures of the base metal and heat-affected zone (HAZ) were analyzed, and the mechanical properties of the welds were evaluated. Reducing the Al and Si content in Steel B resulted in a decrease in both the fraction and size of oxide inclusions compared to Steel A. Both steels exhibited tempered martensitic microstructures with M23C6 and MX precipitates. Hardness tests revealed that the over-tempered HAZ (OTHAZ) was the weakest region. However, both tensile test and creep tests at 550 ℃ showed fractures occurring in the base metal, indicating that the low heat input of EBW effectively minimized the weak HAZ regions. Steel B demonstrated improved tensile properties and creep resistance due to the reduced oxide inclusions. It was found that Steel B had a significantly longer creep life than Steel A at 550 ℃. SEM analysis revealed ductile fracture characterized by dimples, where oxide inclusions containing Al, Si, Ta, and Ti were predominant. The presence of these inclusions reduced the effectiveness of solid solution and precipitation strengthening by consuming Ta and Ti. Additionally, microvoids could easily nucleate at the interface between the hard oxide inclusions and the soft metal matrix during creep. Therefore, the reduction of oxide inclusions improved deformation resistance and high-temperature stability, resulting in better creep resistance in Steel B. In conclusion, the reduction of oxide inclusions in Ti-added RAFM steel enhances the high-temperature mechanical properties and creep resistance of EBW joints, underscoring the importance of oxide control in the development of RAFM steels for fusion reactor applications.

Prevention of weld decay in TIG-welded AISI 304 steel pipes

Weld decay occurs due to chromium carbide precipitation at grain boundaries in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) during tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding of austenitic stainless steels. This issue is particularly significant concerning the welding of AISI 304 steels, commonly used in the food industry. Although this problem can be overcome with different methods, there are some restrictions. A novel technique for welding AISI 304 steel pipes is introduced to reduce weld decay and improve their mechanical properties. The use of this technique, which includes faster cooling after welding, significantly minimizes the time of precipitation of chromium carbide. Temperature measurements and microstructural analyses monitored precipitation, and the impact of the technique on the mechanical characteristics of AISI 304 steel pipes was assessed through hardness and hoop tensile tests. There was a 6% increase in hardness values observed in the HAZ region, as well as a 16.7% increase in maximum load and a 127.4% increase in elongation. The reduction in chromium carbide precipitation observed in the microstructural analysis was confirmed through the double-loop electropotentiokinetic reactivation test, specifically for assessing intergranular corrosion. With the novel method, there were a 25% increase in corrosion resistance in the HAZ and a 40% increase in the weld zone.

Microstructural characteristics of different heat-affected zones in welded joints of UNS S32304 duplex stainless steel using the GMAW process: analysis of the pitting corrosion resistance

Abstract The influence of specific microstructural characteristics on the properties of single-pass welding joints was assessed by optical processed images, transmission electron microscopy, microhardness measurements and corrosion tests conducted in various regions of the heat-affected zone (HAZ) in a lean duplex stainless steel. The welded joints were obtained with heat inputs of 1.5 and 2.5 kJ/mm using a gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process with a shielding gas enriched in Ar. Three selected regions in the HAZ showed different ferrite grain sizes and austenite fractions. The place in the welded joint where the HAZ was narrowest, and therefore experiences the highest cooling rate, is most prone to the formation of cubic CrN metastable nitrides. Conversely, the place where the HAZ was wider promotes the precipitation of stable Cr2N nitrides with more coalesced intragranular austenite (IGA) particles, where presumably random interfaces predominate. The HAZ region where the cooling rate was the highest presented more pitting corrosion resistance.

Nanomechanical, mechanical and microstructural characterization of electron beam welded Al2219-T6 tempered aerospace grade alloy: A comprehensive study

As compared to traditional fusion welding processes, electron beam welding (EBW) is known to produce structurally robust microstructures and narrow heat-affected zone (HAZ) in metals. The process becomes more significant for the tempered alloys vulnerable to heat exposure. In the present investigation, Al 2219-T6 alloy was joined using the EBW process. The microstructural, mechanical, and nanomechanical characteristics of the resulting joint were investigated. EBW resulted in a narrow HAZ (22 μm) with a 430 mm fusion zone (FZ). A dendritic structure was observed in the FZ zone, while second-phase particles were absent indicating their dissolution during welding and interesting formation of Al2Cu mixture around the dendrites. The limited content of Cu in the base metal (BM) resulted in the formation of a solid solution in the FZ, along with the presence of fine equiaxed grains in the HAZ and equiaxed dendritic grains in the FZ zone. The X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the absence of peaks corresponding to incoherent phases in the FZ. Compared to the BM, micro-hardness measurements revealed a 12.7 % increase in the hardness in the HAZ, while a significant decrease of approximately 19 % was observed in the FZ. The joint exhibited reduced tensile strength, ultimate strength by 42.2 %, and yield strength by 47.3 % when compared to the BM. The fracture analysis indicated a ductile failure mode with the presence of microvoids. Nano-indentation tests at various loads demonstrated a decrease in the nanohardness from the BM to the HAZ and FZ regions. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis revealed significant pile-ups in the FZ, indicating the occurrence of plastic deformation during the welding process. The presented findings are valuable for the joint and structure design of Al −2219T6 alloy in particular and other Al alloys in general.

Gleeble Simulation of HAZ in S690QL Steel: Microstructural and Mechanical Properties

When investigating the heterogeneous properties of welded joints, mechanical testing of certain Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) regions, using standard approach test specimens, is very difficult or sometimes even impossible. Inability to precisely position and extract mechanical test specimens, even ones of the subsize dimensions, from the narrow HAZ regions is a limiting factor in the mechanical testing implementation. Detailed investigation of the HAZ is made possible by the use of thermo-mechanical simulations on the Gleeble welding simulator. In scope of this paper several characteristic HAZ microstructures of S690QL grade High Strength Steel (HSS) are being simulated. Multi-pass welding simulations are done on special 10x10 mm square section bar specimens in order to reproduce thermal gradients and characteristic microstructures at any location in a weld. Such simulated HAZ microstructures are of a sufficiently large volume, with homogeneous and repeatable properties, that standard specimen methods for mechanical testing can be readily implemented. Metallographic optical examinations, as well as hardness measurements were done initially. Mechanical properties are focused on determining stress-strain curves for each characteristic weld region. The paper investigates whether the mechanical properties of Gleeble simulated hard-soft combined HAZ regions are better in comparison to exclusively hard or soft HAZ regions. The obtained results can subsequently be used for the material model development.

The effect of friction spot stir welding in double rivet lap joint installation of aluminum 2024-T3 on the strength of shear tests

The process of joining materials is very necessary to facilitate the manufacture of industrial products. Among these connections are rivets, bolts, nails, glue, and welding which is mostly done on metal materials. The aircraft skin is usually connected with rivets through a drilling process. Joining metal materials, especially aluminum, uses many welding techniques. The welding method currently being developed is Friction Stir Welding (FSW). FSW developed the Friction Stir Spot Welding (FSSW) process in joining metals, especially in this study using 2024-T3 aluminum. The purpose of combining the rivet method with FSSW is to see the material’s mechanical characteristics when applied to aluminum material. The FSSW method uses a 2500 RPM engine speed milling machine using a blunt tool holder with a pin dimension of 2.5 mm. It is carried out using a pneumatic drill using a drill bit with a dimension of 2.5 mm. Aluminum 2024-T3 has of 200×20×2 mm dimensions, a hole spacing of 15 mm with double rivet lap joint installation. The results showed that the FSSW variation had a higher tensile shear strength of 2.8% than the drilling variation. However, the hardness value in the drilling variation is 56.3% higher than the FSSW variation in the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ). Microstructural observations also indicate differences in the HAZ region, where the FSSW is reduced in size and longer. This is due to the heat treatment process due to friction between the pin tool and the aluminum, thus changing the structure.

Wire-EDM cutting strategies of WC-Co hardmetals: Effect of number of EDM pass on surface integrity

In this study, the effect of the number of wire-EDM passes on the surface integrity of WC-Co hardmetals was investigated. As-received doughnut-shaped WC-25 wt%Co samples were wire EDM’ed with one, two, three and five passes. The resulting surface conditions were investigated in terms of macroscopic and microscopic examinations. Surface roughness and hardness measurements were carried out. Detailed SEM investigations were coupled with EDS analyses. Based on the experimental findings, a detailed cutting strategy was offered for WC-Co hardmetals depending on the expectations of surface conditions, production route, cost and productivity. If there is at least one subsequent process including material removal, wire-EDM with one pass is suggested to decrease cost and increase productivity. However, heat-affected zone (HAZ), recast layer and lower surface hardness region should be removed at subsequent production steps. If there are no production steps to remove HAZ, recast layer and lower surface hardness region, the number of wire-EDM passes should be maximised.

A Phenomenological Model for Creep and Creep-Fatigue Crack Growth Rate Behavior in Ferritic Steels

A model to rationalize the effects of test temperature and microstructural variables on the creep crack growth (CCG) and creep-fatigue crack growth (CFCG) rates in ferritic steels is described. The model predicts that as the average spacing between grain boundary particles that initiate creep cavities decrease, the CCG and CFCG rates increase. Further, the CCG data at several temperatures collapse into a single trend when a temperature compensated CCG rate derived from the model is used. The CCG and CFCG behavior measured at different temperatures is used to assess the effects of variables such as the differences between the base metal (BM), weld metal (WM), and heat-affected zone (HAZ) regions. The model is demonstrated for Grade 22 and Grade 91 steels using data from literature. It is shown that differences between the CCG behavior of the Grade 22 steel in new and ex-service conditions are negligible in the BM and WM regions but not in the HAZ region. The CCG behavior of the Grade 91 steels can be separated into creep-ductile and creep-brittle regions. The creep-brittle tendency is linked to the presence of excess trace element concentrations in the material chemistry. Significant differences found in the CCG rates between the BM, WM, and HAZ regions of the Grade 91 steel are explained.

Microstructural features and hot tensile behaviour of tungsten inert gas welded TP321 nuclear tubes at elevated temperatures

Austenitic stainless steel (ASS) tubes, specifically TP321, are widely used in nuclear reactors and heat exchangers due to their excellent strength, toughness, and corrosion at ambient and elevated temperatures. The microstructure observed in the TP321 weldment reveals the existence of equiaxed dendrites, along with delta ferrite and TiC precipitates within the austenitic matrix. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) scans confirm differences in texture, grain size, and grain misorientation distribution in the weld metal (WM), heat-affected zone (HAZ), and base metal (BM) regions of the weldment. The EBSD texture at the WM zone is strong in the 〈0 0 1〉 fiber direction, consistent with the face-centered cubic structure of the TP321. Hot tensile tests were conducted on BM and WM samples at 450 °C, 550 °C, 650 °C, 700 °C, 850 °C, and 900 °C using a Gleeble 3500 simulator. The yield strength (YS), ultimate tensile strength (UTS), and percentage elongation (EL) exhibited a decreasing trend with the rise in test temperature. The strain hardening capacity (Hc) of both BM and WM decreases with increasing test temperatures due to enhanced dislocation movement. The strain hardening exponent, ‘n’ was determined for BM and WM through suitable fitting of stress–strain curves using the Hollomon equation and depicted a decreasing trend with rising test temperatures. The fractured samples are subjected to scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis to investigate the failure mechanism. Fractography of the fractured samples reveal the presence of micro voids and dimples, supporting the ductile nature of the rupture.

Experimental and numerical study on the distribution of temperature field and residual stress in a multi-pass welded tube joint of Inconel 617 alloy

The purpose of this study is to compare the residual stress generation during hot wire gas tungsten arc welding (HW-GTAW) welding and conventional gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) in a multi-pass pipe weld of a nickel-based superalloy. HW-GTAW yields better mechanical properties at low heat input than conventional GTAW, and decreases the accumulation of residual stress significantly. The distribution of residual stress developed in the through-thickness direction is determined experimentally using the Deep hole drilling method. As a result of the analysis, it was observed that the highest residual stress arises in Fusion Zone (FZ) and Heat Affected Zone (HAZ). In the case of conventional GTAW the hoop stress was observed to be tensile and distributed over 70% of the weld whereas only 20% of the weld is found to be under tensile hoop stress in the case of HW-GTAW along the weld center. The results show that shrinkage at the weld HAZ region affects the stresses produced at the cylinder's outer surface. The bending effect created during the welding process is primarily responsible for the distribution of residual stresses in the weld zone. A comprehensive numerical analysis has been carried out using ABAQUS software to predict the level of thermal and residual stresses in the weld zone, FZ, and HAZ in the case of both welding process. A 2D finite element models have been developed to simulate the welding process using the ABAQUS FE tool based on coupled thermal-mechanical analysis. A double ellipsoidal heat source model has been developed using a DFLUX subroutine file to simulate the welding process during the numerical analysis. The predicted residual stresses were validated with the experimentally obtained results.

MICROSTRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF LASER-WELDED BUTT JOINTS OF X2CRTINB18 STEEL

The process of autogenous laser welding of stainless steel X2CrTiNb18 was investigated. The Yb:YAG disk laser was used in the study for welding of 1.5mm thick butt joins. The influence of basic laser welding parameters on the joint quality, fusion zone geometry, microhardness distribution across the butt joint, structure and microstructure of fusion zone (FZ) and heat affected zone (HAZ) was studied and determined. The quality level of the test joints was determined according to the PN-EN ISO 13919-1 standard. The chemical composition of the base metal was determined by spark emission spectroscopy. Results of the study have shown that laser welding parameters have a significant influence on the quality of butt joints. However, it is possible to produce joints that meet the high requirements and criteria of quality. The width of HAZ of the butt joints welded in the investigated range of parameters was narrow and did not exceed 0.2 mm. It was found that the most common imperfections of the analysed joints are concavity of the weld face and insufficient penetration. The HAZ region of joints is characterized by mainly ferritic microstructure with complex carbides precipitates. In turn, the fusion zone is dominated by a ferritic microstructure but also precipitates were observed, which were identified as fine dispersion carbides. Hardness of the base metal is round 160÷170HV0.3. A tendency to increase in hardness in the HAZ and FZ was observed. The maximum hardness measured in HAZ was approx. 220HV0.3, while in the FZ 190HV0.3.

Experimental study on the fatigue crack growth rates of welded ultra-high strength steel plates

The assessment of the fatigue crack growth rate behavior of welded structural components made of ultra-high strength steels (UHHS) is very important to gain a comprehensive understanding of these materials under high-cycle fatigue loadings and to enhance their applications in the construction industry. The literature on the fatigue crack growth rates of welded ultra-high strength steel plates with nominal yield strengths higher than 690 MPa is very scarce and only very limited research has been done thus far to provide the Paris’ Law fatigue material constants for welded UHSS components in terms of the base metal (BM), the weld metal (WM), and the heat-affected zone (HAZ) regions, which are essential for fatigue life prediction. Hence, the fatigue crack growth rates of butt-welded UHSS plates with three grades (S700, S960, and S1100) are experimentally investigated in this study using Paris’ Law for these three different regions of the welded components. Gas metal arc welding (GMAW) and laser welding (LW) methods are adopted to analyze the influence of welding methods on each steel grade with respect to their static and fatigue strength, microstructural changes, and hardness. In the fatigue crack growth rate test, it was observed that the S700 base material shows the lowest fatigue crack propagation resistance amongst these three grades. In welded components, laser welding outperforms gas welding in terms of the fatigue crack growth resistance. Comparisons of fatigue crack growth behaviors are made among all three tested UHSSs as well as with those from the literature.

Microstructural and mechanical properties of GMAW welded 572 GR 50 steel

Gas metal arc welding (GMAW) is a versatile welding technique and hence used in almost all industrial segment. The process parameters greatly affect mechanical properties in heat affected zone (HAZ) and weld bead zone. In the present investigation, optimized process parameters were selected after rigorous literature review. The parameters current, gas flow rate and welding speed were 170 A, 14 lit/min and 1.25 mm/sec respectively. The welded structure was characterized for microstructural features in different zones through optical microscopy. The mechanical properties of the welded plates were analyzed in terms of microhardness and tensile strength. Results showed higher hardness in the weld bead region with respect to base metal and HAZ region. The strengths (yield and ultimate tensile strength) both decreased in weld bead region because of the grain coarsening.

Microstructure, properties and fracture failure mechanism of MAG welded joints of four types of stainless steels

In this study, four types of austenitic stainless steels (SUS 301L, SUS 304, SUS 316L and SUS 321) with different chemical compositions were butt welded by using MAG (metal active gas) welding. Unique information was gained by studying the solidification mode, microstructure and mechanical properties of the four welded joints under the same welding process, and their fracture mechanisms were analyzed from the perspective of crystallography. The results indicate that the microstructure of the four austenitic stainless steel base metals is uniformly sized equiaxed austenite with δ-ferrite distributed inside or at the boundary of austenite grains in 301L and 304 base metals. The welds of the four kinds of stainless steels are solidified in Austenitic-Ferrite (AF) solidification mode, and the final microstructures of the 301L, 304 and 316L weld are equiaxed grains while the 321 stainless steel weld grows into a dendritic structure due to its low temperature gradient. The microstructures of the fusion zone (FZ)/fine equiaxed zone (FQZ) and heat affected zone (HAZ) of the four types of stainless steels are closely related with the solidification mode of FZ, i.e. small FZ and HAZ regions result from Ferrite (F) solidification mode present in the 301L and 321 welded joints. However, larger FQZ regions generate in the 304 and 316L welded joints due to the Ferrite-Austenitic (FA) solidification mode. The 304 and 316L stainless steel tend to fracture at the HAZ positions due to the formation of FQZ; large angle grain boundary formed at the weld of 301L stainless steel is the reason for its fracture, and the good anisotropy of the weld and heat affected zone of 321 stainless steel also makes it easier to fracture in the base metal (BM). The section hardness distribution characteristics of the four stainless steels welded joints also verify their fracture tendency.

Influence of Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Dissimilar Rotary Friction Welded Inconel to Stainless Steel Joints.

The present study aims to evaluate the microstructure, grain size, and mechanical properties of the dissimilar AISI 316L/Inconel 718 (IN 718) rotary friction welded joints under both the as-welded and post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) conditions. Because of reduced flow strength at elevated temperatures, the AISI 316L and IN 718 dissimilar weldments exhibited more flash formation on the AISI 316L side. At higher rotating speeds during friction welding, an intermixing zone was created at the weld joint interface due to the material softening and squeezing. The dissimilar welds exhibited distinctive regions, including the fully deformed zone (FDZ), heat-affected zone (HAZ), thermo-mechanically affected zone (TMAZ), and the base metal (BM), located on either side of the weld interface. The dissimilar friction welds, AISI 316L/IN 718 ST and AISI 316L/IN 718 STA, exhibited yield strength (YS) of 634 ± 9 MPa and 602 ± 3 MPa, ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 728 ± 7 MPa and 697± 2 MPa, and % elongation (% El) of 14 ± 1.5 and 17 ± 0.9, respectively. Among the welded samples, PWHT samples exhibited high strength (YS = 730 ± 2 MPa, UTS = 828 ± 5 MPa, % El = 9 ± 1.2), and this may be attributed to the formation of precipitates. Dissimilar PWHT friction weld samples resulted in the highest hardness among all the conditions in the FDZ due to the formation of precipitates. On the AISI 316L side, prolonged exposure to high temperatures during PWHT resulted in grain growth and decreased hardness. During the tensile test at ambient temperature, both the as-welded and PWHT friction weld joints failed in the HAZ regions of the AISI 316L side.

Local Microstructure and Texture Development during Friction Stir Spot of 5182 Aluminum Alloy

The local microstructure, texture gradient and mechanical properties through the shoulder dimension (10 mm) of upper and lower AA5182 aluminum sheets were investigated using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and Vickers microhardness after friction stir spot welding (FSSW). Based on the microstructural features (mean grain size, grain boundary type and dynamic recrystallization (DRX)), the upper sheet was found to be mainly composed of the stir zone (SZ) and thermomechanically affected zone (TMAZ) due to the high deformation induced simultaneously by the tool rotation and the shoulder download force, while the SZ, TMAZ, heat-affected zone (HAZ) and base metal (BM) were detected in the lower sheet due to the limited effect of the shoulder on the lower sheet. The texture changes, due to the nature of the deformation, demonstrated a shear-type texture at the SZ to a plane strain compression deformation type texture at the TMAZ and then a recrystallization texture at the HAZ and BM. The microhardness gradually decreased with the increasing distance from the keyhole along the SZ, TMAZ and HAZ regions. Eventually, the microstructure and microhardness evolutions were correlated based on the Hall–Petch relationship.