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Impact of Backing Plate and Thermal Boundary Conditions for High-Speed Friction Stir Welding of 25-mm Thick Aluminum Alloy 7175-T79

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Abstract

This study focuses on the challenges with butt joining of 25 mm thick aluminum alloy 7175-T79. High-speed (150 mm/min) single-pass friction stir welding was employed as an effective technique for this purpose. The influence of quenching and cooling rate on critical performance level indicators such as joint strength and microstructure was investigated. A series of friction stir welding (FSW) trials, conducted both in air and with a trailing water spray using steel and composite backing plates (BP) revealed distinct hardness distribution in the nugget, heat-affected zone (HAZ), and HAZ minimum hardness. The influence of trailing water spray (TWS) on joint efficiency proves more significant than the impact of BP combinations, owing to their markedly different contributions to the quenching process. The ultimate tensile strength of TWS welds exhibited a notable 14% increase compared to the air welds. TWS also introduces multifaceted effects on FSW, including a reduction in processing temperature, an increase in X and Z forces, and decrease in Y force, and a narrowing of the HAZ. Lastly, the study employs digital image correlation (DIC)-based fracture mode analysis and grain size measurements, establishing correlations with the observed micro-hardness distribution.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management under Field Work Proposal 71971. The authors would like to acknowledge the guidance and support from Roy Long and Dave Cercone, Technology Managers, Offshore Oil and Gas, National Energy Technology Laboratory. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is operated by Battelle for DOE under contract DE-AC05-76RL01830. The authors would like to thank Anthony Guzman, Timothy J. Roosendaal, Nathan Canfield, and Angel Ortiz for their assistance in preparing and testing samples. Finally, the authors would like to extend their appreciation to Mr. Douglas Waldron, President, Xymat. For his continuous support to this project including providing the feedstock materials.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Blvd., Richland, WA, 99352, USA

    Hrishikesh Das, Md. Reza-E-Rabby, Scott A. Whalen, Piyush Upadhyay & Glenn J. Grant

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  1. Hrishikesh Das
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  2. Md. Reza-E-Rabby
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  3. Scott A. Whalen
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  4. Piyush Upadhyay
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  5. Glenn J. Grant
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Contributions

Hrishikesh Das: Investigation, Methodology, Writing—review & editing. Md. Reza-E-Rabby: Investigation, Methodology, Writing—review & editing. Scott A. Whalen: Supervision, Writing—review & editing. Piyush Upadhyay: Writing – review & editing. Glenn J. Grant: Funding acquisition, Supervision, Writing—review & editing.

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Correspondence to Md. Reza-E-Rabby.

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Das, H., Reza-E-Rabby, M., Whalen, S.A. et al. Impact of Backing Plate and Thermal Boundary Conditions for High-Speed Friction Stir Welding of 25-mm Thick Aluminum Alloy 7175-T79. Int. J. of Precis. Eng. and Manuf.-Green Tech. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40684-024-00607-x

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