Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Concurrent Product-Development Approach for Friction-Stir Welded Vehicle-Underbody Structures

  • Published:
Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

High-strength aluminum and titanium alloys with superior blast/ballistic resistance against armor piercing (AP) threats and with high vehicle light-weighing potential are being increasingly used as military-vehicle armor. Due to the complex structure of these vehicles, they are commonly constructed through joining (mainly welding) of the individual components. Unfortunately, these alloys are not very amenable to conventional fusion-based welding technologies [e.g., gas metal arc welding (GMAW)] and to obtain high-quality welds, solid-state joining technologies such as friction-stir welding (FSW) have to be employed. However, since FSW is a relatively new and fairly complex joining technology, its introduction into advanced military-vehicle-underbody structures is not straight forward and entails a comprehensive multi-prong approach which addresses concurrently and interactively all the aspects associated with the components/vehicle-underbody design, fabrication, and testing. One such approach is developed and applied in this study. The approach consists of a number of well-defined steps taking place concurrently and relies on two-way interactions between various steps. The approach is critically assessed using a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. W.M. Thomas, E.D. Nicholas, J.C. Needham, M.G. Murch, P. Temple-Smith, and C. J. Dawes. Friction Stir Butt Welding, International Patent Application No. PCT/GB92/02203 (1991)

  2. M. Grujicic, G. Arakere, H.V. Yalavarthy, T. He, C.-F. Yen, and B.A. Cheeseman, Modeling of AA5083 Material-Microstructure Evolution During Butt Friction-stir Welding, J. Mater. Eng. Perform., 2010, 19(5), p 672–684

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. M. Grujicic, T. He, G. Arakere, H.V. Yalavarthy, C.-F. Yen, and B.A. Cheeseman, Fully-Coupled Thermo-Mechanical Finite-Element Investigation of Material Evolution During Friction-Stir Welding of AA5083, J. Eng. Manuf., 2010, 224(4), p 609–625

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. M. Grujicic, G. Arakere, C.-F. Yen, and B.A. Cheeseman, Computational Investigation of Hardness Evolution During Friction-Stir Welding of AA5083 and AA2139 Aluminum Alloys, J. Mater. Eng. Perform., 2010. doi:10.1007/s11665-010-9741-y

  5. M. Grujicic, G. Arakere, B. Pandurangan, A. Hariharan, C.-F. Yen, and B.A. Cheeseman, Development of a Robust and Cost-effective Friction Stir Welding Process for Use in Advanced Military Vehicle Structures, J. Mater. Eng. Perform., 2010. doi:10.1007/s11665-010-9650-0

  6. M. Grujicic, G. Arakere, B. Pandurangan, A. Hariharan, C.-F. Yen, B.A. Cheeseman, and C. Fountzoulas, Computational Analysis and Experimental Validation of the Ti-6Al-4V Friction Stir Welding Behavior, J. Eng. Manuf., 2010, 224(8), p 1–16

    Google Scholar 

  7. M. Grujicic, G. Arakere, B. Pandurangan, A. Hariharan, C.-F. Yen, B.A. Cheeseman, and C. Fountzoulas, Statistical Analysis of High-Cycle Fatigue Behavior of Friction Stir Welded AA5083–H321, J. Mater. Eng. Perform., 2010. doi:10.1007/s11665-010-9725-y

  8. MIL-STD-1946A (MR), Welding of Aluminum Alloy Armor, Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, 1989

  9. W.B. Lee, C.Y. Lee, W.S. Chang, Y.M. Yeon, and S.B. Jung, Microstructural Investigation of Friction Stir Welded Pure Titanium, Mater. Lett., 2005, 59, p 3315–3318

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. W.M. Thomas and E.D. Nicholas, Friction Stir Welding for the Transportation Industries, Mater. Des., 1997, 18, p 269–273

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. J.Q. Su, T.W. Nelson, R. Mishra, and M. Mahoney, Microstructural Investigation of Friction Stir Welded 7050-T651 Aluminum, Acta Mater., 2003, 51, p 713–729

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. O. Frigaard, Ø. Grong, and O.T. Midling, A Process Model for Friction Stir Welding of Age Hardening Aluminum Alloys, Metall. Mater. Trans. A, 2001, 32, p 1189–1200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. M.W. Mahoney, C.G. Rhodes, J.G. Flintoff, R.A. Spurling, and W.H. Bingel, Properties of Friction-Stir-Welded 7075 T651 Aluminum, Metall. Mater. Trans. A, 1998, 29, p 1955–1964

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. C.G. Rhodes, M.W. Mahoney, W.H. Bingel, R.A. Spurling, and C.C. Bampton, Effect of Friction Stir Welding on Microstructure of 7075 Aluminum, Scripta Mater., 1997, 36, p 69–75

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. G. Liu, L.E. Murr, C.S. Niou, J.C. McClure, and F.R. Vega, Microstructural Aspects of the Friction-Stir-Welding of 6061-T6 Aluminum, Scripta Mater., 1997, 37, p 355–361

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. K. Masaki, Y.S. Sato, M. Maeda, and H. Kokawa, Experimental Simulation of Recrystallized Microstructure in Friction Stir Welded Al Alloy Using a Plane-Strain Compression Test, Scripta Mater., 2008, 58, p 355–360

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. J.H. Cho, D.E. Boyce, and P.R. Dawson, Modeling Strain Hardening and Texture Evolution in Friction Stir Welding of Stainless Steel, Mater. Sci. Eng. A, 2005, 398, p 146–163

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. M.F. Ashby, Material Selection in Mechanical Design, 3rd ed., Butterworth- Heinemann, Burlington, 2005

    Google Scholar 

  19. G.R. Johnson and W.H. Cook, A Constitutive Model and Data for Metals Subjected to Large Strains, High Strain Rates and High Temperatures, Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Ballistics, 1983

  20. G.R. Johnson and W.H. Cook, Fracture Characteristics of Three Metals Subjected to Various Strains, Strain Rates and Temperatures, Eng. Fract. Mech., 1985, 21(1), p 31–48

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. R.E. Reed-Hill and R. Abbaschian, Physical Metallurgy Principles, 3rd ed., Brooks-Cole/Thomas Learning, Boston, MA, 1992

    Google Scholar 

  22. M. Grujicic, T. He, B. Pandurangan, W.C. Bell, N. Coutris, B.A. Cheeseman, W.N. Roy, and R.R. Skaggs, Development, Parameterization and Validation of a Visco-Plastic Material Model for Sand with Different Levels of Water Saturation, J. Mater. Des. Appl., 2009, 223, p 63–81

    Google Scholar 

  23. M. Grujicic, G. Arakere, H.K. Nallagatla, W.C. Bell, and I. Haque, Computational Investigation of Blast Survivability and Off-road Performance of an Up-armored High- Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), J. Automob. Eng., 2009, 223, p 301–325

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. M. Grujicic, W.C. Bell, G. Arakere, and I. Haque, Finite Element Analysis of the Effect of Up-armoring on the Off-road Braking and Sharp-turn Performance of a High-Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), J. Automob. Eng., 2009, 223(D11), p 1419–1434

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. A. Wenzel and J.M. Hennessey, Analysis and Measurements of the Response of Armor Plates to Land Mine Attacks, Proceedings of the Army Symposium on Solid Mechanics, Warren, Michigan, 1972, p 114–128

  26. T. Hill and R. Westbrook, SWOT Analysis: It’s Time for a Product Recall, Long Range Plan., 1997, 30(1), p 46–52

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Clemson University, 241 Engineering Innovation Building, Clemson, SC, 29634-0921, USA

    M. Grujicic, G. Arakere, A. Hariharan & B. Pandurangan

Authors
  1. M. Grujicic
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. G. Arakere
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A. Hariharan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. B. Pandurangan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. Grujicic.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Grujicic, M., Arakere, G., Hariharan, A. et al. A Concurrent Product-Development Approach for Friction-Stir Welded Vehicle-Underbody Structures. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 21, 437–449 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-011-9955-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-011-9955-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation