Refill Friction Stir Spot Welding Research Articles

Formation of the Interlock Morphology and Its Role in Refill Friction Stir Spot Welding of Aluminum Alloy to Steel

Considering energy conservation and emission reductions, lightweight automobiles have become a research focus in the automotive industry. Steel/aluminum joining is regarded as an ideal lightweight structure, which can not only reduce the energy consumption but also ensure safety and is already attracting extensive attention. In this study, aluminum alloy 6061 and B410LA steel sheets were successfully joined by refill friction stir spot welding. The tensile properties, microhardness distribution and interfacial microstructure characteristics of the steel/Al welded joints were investigated. The maximum tensile load of the steel/Al joint was 4.3 kN. The mechanical properties of the steel/Al refill friction stir spot welded joint were largely determined by the bonding quality of the sleeve-plunging zone. With the stirring of the sleeve and the pin during the refill friction stir spot welding, work hardening occurred in the stir zone (SZ). The microhardness of the SZ was significantly higher than that of the steel base metal (BM) and could be detected on the steel side. The Fe-Al intermetallic compound (IMC) layer was continuously distributed at the interface of the sleeve-plunging zone, revealing good uniformity in the thickness. In particular, a hook-and-vortex-like structure formed during the refill friction stir spot welding process in the sleeve-plunging zone, producing a mechanical interlock effect at the interface. The ideal mechanical properties of the welded joint could be attributed to the good quality of the metallurgical and mechanical bonding at the interface, especially the mechanical interlock effect, thereby depending on the hook-and-vortex-like structure.

Wear mechanisms and failure analysis of a tool used in refill friction stir spot welding of AA6061-T6

Investigating tool wear in refill friction stir spot welding (RFSSW) is essential for understanding its limitations and improving its efficiency. Increasing the tool's service life is important to push the technology's readiness level and transfer the technology from the laboratory to industrial applications. In this study, the quasi-static lap shear performance of AA6061-T6 similar welded spots was investigated and tool wear was continuously monitored until tool failure at 3450 welding cycles. Furthermore, the fundamentals of the wear mechanisms in RFSSW were further elucidated. The investigation shows that it is possible to achieve steady quasi-static lap shear performance of the spot welds over advancing tool wear by adjusting the heat input to compensate for losses in frictional heat generation efficiency (related to tool profile changes by abrasion). A subsequent tool failure case analysis showed the main causes for the continuous wear degradation of the shoulder. Tool wear was driven by plastic deformation of the hot-work tool steel and subsequent break-out of tool steel ridges, introducing big hard particles into the contact region between the moving and rotating tools. In addition, the formation and detachment of Fe-Al intermetallic compounds counteract with the rotating tools and increase tool wear.

Optimization and Analysis of Refill Friction Stir Spot Welding (RFSSW) Parameters of Dissimilar Aluminum Alloy Joints by FE and ANN Methods.

The quality of the refill friction stir spot welding (RFSSW) process is heavily dependent on the selected welding parameters that influence the resultant joint characteristics. Thermomechanical phenomena integral to the process were investigated using finite element (FE) analysis on two dissimilar materials. This FE analysis was subsequently validated through controlled experiments to ensure reliability. An artificial neural network (ANN) was employed to create a neural model based on an experimental setup involving 120 different sets of welding parameters. The parameters adjusted in the experimental plan included pin penetration depth, rotational speed, retention time, and positioning relative to material hardness. To assess the neural model's accuracy, outputs such as maximum temperature and normal stress at the end of the welding process were analyzed and validated by six data sets selected for their uniform distribution across the training domain.

Driving forces of solid-state Cu-to-Cu direct bonding suppressing the work-hardening loss by refill friction stir spot welding

In this study, the solid-state bonding of the Cu-to-Cu parallel connection with no fusion zone and keyhole formation was achieved using the refill friction stir spot welding (RFSSW) process. During the refilling process, significant plastic flow and thermo-compressive behavior promoted geometric and continuous dynamic recrystallization behaviors and highly oriented (111) microstructures, serving as key mechanisms to prevent work-hardening loss and reinforce the joint. Furthermore, the refinement of the grain size without work-hardening loss, increased by 50.8 % which was from 61 Hv in the base material to 92 Hv in the thermo-mechanically affected zone (TMAZ). Even, the hardness of the TMAZ/stir zone interface noticeably increased up to 138 Hv as the reduction in the stacking fault energy (SFE) due to the infiltration of Al element at the trace from the tool. The contribution of microstructural features to the mechanical property was quantitatively investigated by a modified Hall-Petch relationship in terms of the grain size, sub-grain size, and dislocation density. This study systematically investigated the driving forces for the implementation of Cu-to-Cu direct bonding, where work-hardening loss can be suppressed, through the RFSSW process from the perspective of dynamic recrystallization behavior and SFE due to partial alloying of Al elements.

Numerical study of refill friction stir spot welding of dissimilar metallic materials using smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH)

Numerical study of refill friction stir spot welding of dissimilar metallic materials using smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH)

Characterization of thermoplastic composite joints fabricated by the combined refill friction stir spot welding and riveting process

Characterization of thermoplastic composite joints fabricated by the combined refill friction stir spot welding and riveting process

Considerations for Tungsten Carbide as Tooling in RFSSW.

Tool wear is a key issue for the manufacturing performance of refill friction stir spot welding in high-volume manufacturing environments. As such, the aim of this study is to examine conditions in which tungsten carbide with a cobalt binder can succeed as a tool material in the spot welding of 2029 aluminum for a sustained lifetime. Critical factors are shown herein to include cleanliness and thermal management. The life of a WC-Co toolset is demonstrated to be approximately 2998 welds, which is of the same scale as conventional steel tooling. With a WC-Co shoulder and probe, the H13 clamp showed the only significant wear.

The Use of Artificial Intelligence for Quality Assessment of Refill Friction Stir Spot Welded Thin Joints

The Use of Artificial Intelligence for Quality Assessment of Refill Friction Stir Spot Welded Thin Joints

Evaluating the Influence of Tool Material on the Performance of Refill Friction Stir Spot Welds in AA2029

Joining high strength 2xxx series aluminum is known to be complex and difficult; these alloys are traditionally considered non-weldable for fusion welding. This paper describes details on welding AA2029-T8 for skin-stiffened structures using refill friction stir spot welding (RFSSW). RFSSW is a solid-state process invented in the early 2000s that produces spot welds that are strong, lightweight, flush, and hermetic. Cycle times between 1 and 3 s are discussed, and process forces within a range of 8 to 14 kN are demonstrated. Furthermore, lap-shear quasi-static tensile strengths are shown to be between 10 kN and 12 kN in 9 mm diameter spots. A comparison of the performance of RFSSW welds made with various tool materials—which include H13 tool steel, tungsten carbide, and MP159—is detailed. Comparisons of parameters, weld consolidation, and heat-affected zones are presented with discussion related to heat generation specific to each tool material.

Experimental study and numerical simulation of cellular I-beam manufactured using refill friction stir spot welding technology

The paper presents analyses of thin-walled I-beams constructed from 6061-T6 aluminum alloy using refill friction stir spot welding (RFSSW). A parametrized finite element model of the reference cellular beam was developed, and the results from numerical simulations and experiments were compared. Subsequently, the validated numerical model was utilized to conduct an in-depth analysis of three additional beams featuring distinct cross-sections. To assess the weld behavior, experiments were conducted on samples composed of two sheets connected by two spot welds. The outcomes of these investigations underscore the suitability of RFSSW as a method for constructing thin-walled structures in civil engineering applications.

Refill friction stir spot welding (RFSSW): a review of processing, similar/dissimilar materials joining, mechanical properties and fracture mechanism

Refill friction stir spot welding (RFSSW): a review of processing, similar/dissimilar materials joining, mechanical properties and fracture mechanism

Refill friction stir spot welding tool plunge depth effects on shear, peel, and fatigue properties of Alclad coated AA7075 aluminum joints

This study investigates the impact of refill friction stir spot welding (RFSSW) on Alclad-coated AA7075 aluminum alloy, specifically exploring the effects of two plunge depths (g = 1.55 mm and g = 1.9 mm) on the mechanical and fatigue properties. The influence of the Alclad layer on the final joint properties is assessed. Internal flow analysis reveals a concentration of the Alclad layer at the corners of the stir zone for an increased plunge depth. Notably, the sample using a plunge depth of 1.55 mm exhibits a 32 % increase in pure shear strength compared to the sample executed with a plunge depth of 1.9 mm, emphasizing the significance of the plunge depth for achieving superior mechanical performance. SEM analysis of the fracture surface highlights deformation and dimples in the g = 1.55 mm sample, while EDS confirms the Alclad layer's presence, indicating its positive influence on mechanical resilience. Additionally, peel tests demonstrate a 41 % strength increase for the g = 1.9 mm sample. Low and high cycle fatigue tests reveal superior fatigue performance in the g = 1.55 mm sample, supported by SEM analysis illustrating crack initiation and fracture mechanisms. These findings contribute to a nuanced understanding of the interaction between plunge depth, Alclad ldistribution and resulting mechanical and fatigue properties.

Analytical Approach for Forecasting the Load Capacity of the EN AW-7075-T6 Aluminum Alloy Joints Created Using RFSSW Technology.

To ensure the high reliability of aircraft structures, the Refill Friction Stir Spot Welding (RFSSW) process must be characterized by a high load capacity of the welds and a small standard deviation of the load capacity spread. This allows us to obtain uniform functional properties in the connections, ensuring the high quality of the process. This work aims to select the most favorable technological parameters for the welding process of EN AW-7075-T6 Alclad aluminum alloy sheets, which are used for the production of aircraft structures. The best networks were calculated using the Statistica 13.3 program. The obtained results were compared with the results of previous investigations. It has been shown that a model using neural networks allows for the determination of connection parameters with much greater accuracy than the classical model. The maximum error in estimating the load capacity of the connection for the mathematical model was 6.13%, and the standard deviation was 14.51%. In the case of neural networks, the maximum error value did not exceed 1.55%, and the standard deviation was 3.74%. It was shown that, based on the neural model, it is possible to determine the process parameters that ensure the required quality capacity of the process, ensuring a probability of obtaining the required load capacity of the connections amounting to P = 0.999935 with a defect rate of 0.0065%. This possibility is not provided by the classical model due to its large error in estimating the process spread and the high sensitivity of the process input parameters to the output parameters.

Exploring a novel chamfered tool design for short duration refill friction stir spot welds of high strength aluminium

This work investigates refill friction stir spot welded joints of AA2024-T3 aluminium alloy, produced with short welding times between 3 s and 0.75 s. A novel tool geometry that incorporates a chamfer on the inner edge of the shoulder tip is investigated as a means of improving joint quality at short welding times by easing material flow during the refill stage. The influence of shoulder design on weld microstructure, defect formation, material flow, and mechanical properties was assessed. When compared with a standard shoulder geometry, it was found that the introduction of a chamfer on the inner tip edge improved material flow during the refill stage and led to improved material mixing at the weld periphery. The formation of voids in the region of the weld periphery was eliminated and tensile lap-shear strength of the welded joints was increased by 19% to 7.2 kN, and 27% to 8.16 kN, for 0.75 s and 1.5 s duration welds, respectively.

Exploring the boundaries of refill friction stir spot welding: influence of short welding times on joint performance

Refill friction stir spot welding is a solid-state spot-welding technique suited to lap joining of thin aluminium sheets, including difficult-to-weld 2xxx series alloys that are prone to hot cracking during fusion welding processes. Long welding time is an ongoing challenge that hinders industrial adoption of the process. To address this, the present study explores much shorter welding times than those previously reported in the literature and assesses the impact on joint quality. Joints of 1.8 mm thick AA2024-T3 sheet were produced with welding times from 3 s, down to 0.75 s and rotational speeds of 1000 rpm to 2500 rpm. Defect formations within the welds were studied with the aid of optical microscopy. The mechanical properties were evaluated using tensile lap shear testing and microhardness mapping, and failure modes were characterised using scanning electron microscopy. Various weld defects were found at all welding times and rotational speeds, and the defects enlarged with decreasing welding time and increasing RS. The highest lap shear strength of 9.21 kN was achieved with a welding time of 3 s and rotational speed of 2000 rpm; lap shear strengths of 7.02 kN and 6.37 kN were achieved for 1.5 s and 0.75 s welds, respectively.

Experimental investigation of crack propagation mechanism in refill friction stir spot joints of AA6082-T6

Since many aluminum alloys preferred in structural engineering can be welded conventionally only with great effort and energy input interest in alternative joining techniques is growing, such as solid state joining processes. In this work, the effect of refill friction stir spot welding (refill FSSW) on the crack propagation behavior in AA6082-T6 is studied. To be able to identify the individual fracture mechanism, refill FSSW was performed as a blind weld, i.e. only in one sheet designed as C(T)100 specimens. The vertical distance between notch and spot weld was varied and tested in two phases. First, a cyclic pre-crack was induced and then the specimen was caused to fail in quasi-static conditions, resulting in two different fracture modes. The results showed that the cyclic crack is dominated by residual stresses but the microstructure mainly influences the quasi-static crack propagation. It was also found that a stress concentration occurs in the transition area even without a hook. Furthermore, it was found that the crack propagation is not exclusively driven by the local strength but also by the angle at which the crack hits the spot weld.

Research on the Surface-State Parameterization of a Refill Friction Stir Spot Welding Joint Made of Aluminum Alloy and Its Connection to the Fracture Mode.

Surface features are crucial for assessing welding quality because they serve as an intuitive depiction of the quality of the joint and have a major influence on welding strength. According to the characteristics of the refill friction stir spot welding (RFSSW) process and an analysis of the surface-state and internal morphology of RFSSW joints, a method of predicting the mechanical properties of RFSSW joints based on surface-state characteristics was proposed. In this paper, a laser-ranging sensor was used to characterize the surface state of RFSSW joints, and parametric characterization methods of the surface-state features of RFSSW joints were proposed. On this basis, a support vector machine was used to predict and analyze the fracture mode of RFSSW joints. The accuracy of the analysis of the test samples reached 95.8%. This paper provides a more efficient and convenient new method for the quality evaluation of RFSSW joints.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Refill Friction Stir Spot-Welded Joints of 2A12Al and 7B04Al: Effects of Tool Size and Welding Parameters.

To solve problems in dissimilarly light metal joints, refilled friction stir spot welding (RFSSW) is proposed instead of resistance spot welding. However, rotation speed, dwell time, plunge depth, and the diameter of welding tools all have a great influence on joints, which brings great challenges in optimizing welding parameters to ensure their mechanical properties. In this study, the 1.5 mm thick 2A12Al and 2 mm thick 7B04Al lap joints were prepared by Taguchi orthogonal experiment design and RFSSW. The welding tool (shoulder) diameters were 5 mm and 7 mm, respectively. The macro/microstructures of the cross-section, the geometrical characteristics of the effective welding depth (EWD), the stir zone area (SZA), and the stir zone volume (SZV) were characterized. The shear strength and failure mode of the lap joint were analyzed using an optical microscope. It was found that EWD, SZA, and SZV had a good correlation with tensile-shear force. The optimal welding parameters of 5 mm diameter joints are 1500 rpm of rotation speed, 2.5 mm of plunge depth, and 0 s of dwell time, which for 7 mm joints are 1200 rpm, 1.5 mm, and 2 s. The tensile-shear force of 5 mm and 7 mm joints welded with these optical parameters was 4965 N and 5920 N, respectively. At the same time, the 5 mm diameter joints had better strength and strength stability.

Toward defect-less and minimized work-hardening loss implementation of Al alloy/high-purity Cu dissimilar lap joints by refill friction stir spot welding for battery tab-to-busbar applications

The refill-friction stir spot welding (RFSSW) process on the Al5052–H32 alloy joined with high-purity Cu film resulted in notable changes in the work-hardened Al alloy. The stirring action caused dynamic recrystallization in the weld zone, leading to the loss of work-hardening. Surprisingly, the plot of grain size-hardness in Al alloy after RFSSW did not follow the Hall-Petch relationship. Obtained through combined analysis with a transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, and thermodynamic calculation, at the interface of Al and Cu, diffusion in nanoscale and microscale between the metals induced the formation of secondary phases (e.g., CuxAly intermetallic compounds, θ′ or θ'' phases), positively contributing to increased mechanical properties. The near-surface region in contact with the tool experienced significant compressive stresses, resulting in maximized compressive residual stresses. This, in turn, sustained or even enhanced the initial hardness of the material. Our study systematically investigates whether creating a lap joint with Cu in work-hardened Al alloy with RFSSW can yield a robust joint without defects in Al and without an overall loss of work-hardening.

Quality improvement of refill friction stir spot welds in 2A12-T42 aluminum alloy with alclad by adjusting sleeve design

Quality improvement of refill friction stir spot welds in 2A12-T42 aluminum alloy with alclad by adjusting sleeve design