Abstract
The automotive industry is required to produce lightweight, fuel-efficient vehicles. The development and application of tailor welded blanks of Al alloys is a logical extension of the vehicle weight reduction process. Friction stir welding (FSW) is a favorable joining process for the production of tailor welded blanks, because it can make defect-free welds with a homogeneous microstructure in Al alloys. In this study, a relationship between the fracture limit strain of a pseudo-plane strain deformation and the microstructure was examined in a friction stir welded AA5052 sheet to evaluate the formability of friction stir welded Al alloy for automotive applications. The fracture limit strain increased with increasing subgrain size in the stir zone. This study suggests that both larger grain size and lower density of dislocations and sub-boundaries are required as microstructural features to obtain the excellent plane strain value in the stir zone of AA5052.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 15-22 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Keikinzoku Yosetsu/Journal of Light Metal Welding and Construction |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Publication status | Published - 2006 May |
Keywords
- Al alloys
- Formability
- Friction stir welding
- Microstructure