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Impulse Friction Stir Welding (IFSW) was utilized to join 6082–T6 alloy plates at various impulse frequencies. A distinctive feature of IFSW is the generation of mechanical impulses that enhances the forging action of the tool, and thereby, alters the weld microstructure. The microstructural evolution in the Stir Zone (SZ) with special focus on the strengthening precipitation behavior, and overall mechanical properties of the IFSW joints have been investigated. It was demonstrated that the strengthening β″ precipitates reprecipitated in the SZ of the IFSW joints during natural aging. In contrast, no precipitates were found in the SZ of the Friction Stir Welding (FSW) weld. Partial reversion of β″ after IFSW is supposed to occur due to more developed subgrain network and higher dislocation density introduced by impulses that accelerated precipitation kinetics. Dynamic recrystallisation was facilitated by impulses resulting in a fine, homogeneous structure. There was no significant difference between the microhardness in the SZ, tensile and yield strength of the FSW and IFSW joints. However, the application of impulses demonstrated the smoothing of the hardness reduction in the transition region at the advancing side. The shift of the fracture location from the Heat-Affected Zone (HAZ) by FSW to the SZ as well as higher elongation of the joints by IFSW of lower frequencies could be related to the grain refinement and the change of the grain orientation.
The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of the high welding speed on the mechanical properties and their relations to microstructural characteristics of butt friction stir welded joints with the use of 6082-T6 aluminum alloy. The aluminum sheets of 2.0 mm thick were friction stir welded at low (conventional FSW) and high welding speeds (HSFSW) of 200 and 2500 mm/min, respectively. The grain size in the nugget zone (NZ) was decreased; the width of the softened region was narrowed down as well as the lowest microhardness value located in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) was enhanced by HSFSW. The increasing welding speed resulted in the higher ultimate tensile strength and lower elongation, but it had a slight influence on the yield strength. The differences in mechanical properties were explained by analysis of microstructural changes and tensile fracture surfaces of the welded joints, supported by the results of the numerical simulation of the temperature distribution and material flow. The fracture of the conventional FSW joint occurred in the HAZ, the weakest weld region, while all HSFSW joints raptured in the NZ. This demonstrated that both structural characteristics and microhardness distribution influenced the actual fracture locations.
The series of impulse friction stir welding (IFSW) experiments for aluminum alloy 6082-T6 butt joints was performed to obtain micrographs, tensile and hardness test samples and to receive the validation data for a numerical model of the process. Impulse force and frequency were varied to determine the effect of individual process parameters on microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of the welded butt joints. A three-dimensional model was established to simulate temperature distribution, heat generation and contact state between the tool and the workpiece during IFSW. Based on the numerical simulation, the influence of the impulses on heat input, maximum weld temperatures and contact state was found. The combination of impulse force and frequency effected the grain refinement. The influence of impulses on the elongation and hardness of the welded joints during IFSW were determined.
The temperature influence on the microstructure evolution and microhardness of the agehardenable aluminium alloy 6082 T6 during friction stir welding was defined. In order to achieve this aim, the thermocycles calculated using the developed 3D Finite Element Model were physically simulated on the Gleeble-3800 in the points which located in the different zones of the weld. The microstructure in the chosen points after Gleeble testing was investigated as well as the microhardness was measured. The results were consequently compared with the relevant results obtained after friction stir welding. It was shown that the microstructure and microhardness profile are influenced not only by temperature but by deformation. The increase in hardness in different zones after FSW compared to Gleeble testing can be explained by the grain refinement in the nugget zone as well as the hardening precipitate distribution along the weld which can occur more rapidly due to the deformation influence.