DOI 10.

1007/s11182-015-0563-0

Russian Physics Journal, Vol. 58, No. 6, October, 2015 (Russian Original No. 6, June, 2015)

STRUCTURE AND HARDNESS OF 01570 ALUMINUM ALLOY

FRICTION STIR WELDS PROCESSED UNDER DIFFERENT
CONDITIONS
R. R. Ilyasov,1 E. V. Avtokratova,1 M. V. Markushev,1 UDC 538.91
P. Yu. Predko,2 and V. Yu. Konkevich2

Structure and hardness of the 01570 aluminum alloy joints processed by friction stir welding at various speeds
are investigated. It is shown that increasing the traverse tool speed lowers the probability of macrodefect
formation in the nugget zone; however, this can lead to anomalous grain growth in the zone of contact with the
tool shoulder. Typical onion-like structure of the weld consisting of rings that differ by optical contrast is
formed for all examined welding regimes. It is demonstrated that this contrast is caused by the difference in the
grain sizes in the rings rather than by their chemical or phase composition. Mechanisms of transformation of
the alloy structure during friction stir welding are discussed.

Keywords: aluminum alloy, friction stir welding, microstructure, microhardness.

INTRODUCTION

The process of friction stir welding (FSW) that has been developed relatively recently [1 3] is a highly
effective method of solid-state joining of metals and alloys, including aluminum-based alloys, as demonstrated by the
existing practice of its industrial application [4, 5]. Despite active investigations performed in many countries, the
nature of structurization during FSW is still unclear in many respects. Meanwhile, the knowledge of mechanisms and
regularities of the structural and phase transformations of materials being joined as a function of their initial state and
welding parameters is important and is in fact necessary for a clear understanding of the essence of the process, its
effective application, and further development.
The aim of the present work is to investigate the influence of FSW regimes of 01570 aluminum alloy sheets of
the AlMgScZr system on the microstructure and hardness of the welds.

MATERIAL AND METHODS OF RESEARCH

Hot-rolled sheets of the 01570 aluminum alloy (with composition, in wt.%: Al 5.91Mg 0.42 Mn 0.24 Sc
0.1 Zr) were welded with different tool traverse speeds (and constant tool rotation rate) at the Special Design Bureau
Salyut. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the alloy structure in the joints was performed in the traverse plane by
the standard methods of optical metallography (OM) and scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and
TEM, respectively). The macro- and microstucture was examined for specimens etched in Kellers reagent using
a Nikon L150 optical microscope. The dislocation structure was investigated using a JEOL-2000EX transmission
electron microscope. An electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) analysis was carried out using a TESCAN MIRA 3

1
Institute for Metals Superplasticity Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ufa, Russia, e-mail:
ilyasov@imsp.ru; avtokratova@imsp.ru; mvmark@imsp.ru; 2MATI Russian State Technological University Named
after K. . Tsiolkovsky, Moscow Russia, e-mail: konkevich@mail.ru. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh
Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 6, pp. 1620, June, 2015. Original article submitted March 6, 2015.

756 1064-8887/15/5806-0756 2015 Springer Science+Business Media New York

 Fig. 11. Microstructuure of the alloyy 01570 in the iinitial sheet: a)) SEM-EBSD iimage and b) T
TEM image.

Fig.. 2. Macrostruccture of the FSSW sheet jointss processed witth low tool travverse speed. T
The arrows
indiicate defects off the weld, andd the square shoows the regionn depicted in Fiig. 3a.

LLMH scanningg electron micrroscope and the software pacckage HKL Chaannel 5. Low-aangle (from 2 tto 15) boundaaries in
tthe images off the reconstruccted structuress were markedd in white, andd high-angle (ggreater than 155) boundariess were
mmarked in blacck. The objects for the TEM M and SEM anaalyses were preepared by jet eelectropolishinng using a TenuuPol-5
apparatus. X-rray microanalyysis (XMA) off particles and OM of zones with differentt etchability w were performedd using
a TESCAN VE EGA-3 LMU scanning electtron microscoppe. The microhhardness of thhe alloy was m measured durinng 10 s
uusing an Axiovvert-100 opticaal microscope w with an MHT-10 attachment (control unit) and a load of 00.5 N.

R
RESULTS AN
ND DISCUSSION

The m microstructure of the sheetss outside the weld zone waas mainly reppresented by ccoarse fibers having h
a thickness of a few microm meters and elonngated in the roolling directionn (Fig. 1a). Finne grains weree observed along the
fiber boundaries, and a grid ofo low-angle bboundaries diviiding the fiberss into fragmentts (subgrains) w
were detected within
tthe fiber bodiees. The relativve fraction of the high-anglee boundaries fHAB in the struucture was cloose to 50%, annd the
average misorientation anglee for all bounddaries av was about 25 (Figg. 1a). High densities of nannodispersed phhases
tthe secondaryy aluminides of o transition m metals Al3(Sc,, Zr) (dispersoids) being pproducts of deecomposition of the
aluminum soliid solution anoomalously supeersaturated by scandium and zirconium upoon homogenizaation and subseequent
hhot deformatioon of the ingot (Fig. 1b) weere observed wiithin the (sub)ggrain bodies annd along the booundaries.
Analyysis of the macrostructure of the welded joiint obtained wiith slow tool trraverse speed rrevealed in the upper
ppart of the weld the presence of macrodefe m of gaps in thhe zone of conntact of the weelded sheets with the
fects in the form
shoulder of thhe tool (Fig. 2)). The microsttructure of the weld itself, aas a whole, waas fine-grainedd and representted by
alternating layyers with diffeerent optical coontrasts forminng the so-calleed onion ring structure [2, 3]. A distinguuishing

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 FFig. 3. Structure of the weld after FSW witth low tool travverse speed: a)) OM structuree in the
zzone designateed in Fig. 2 (tthe bright ringg is marked offf by the dashhed line), b) zoone of
ccontact with thhe tool, c) EBS
SD map from thhe bright ring, and d) TEM im mage of dispseersoids
iinside of the nuugget zone.

feature of the sstructure of thee upper part off the joint was a quite abrupt transition fromm the fibrous sttructure of the initial
sheet to the unniaxial fine-graained structuree of the weld. F For the most ppart of the thermmomechanicallly affected zonne this
ttransition occuupied an extennded region, giiving the possiibility to trace out the regulaarities of the trransformation of the
fibrous structuure into the finne-grained one and to analyzee the main meechanisms of thhe alloy grain refinement. Thhus, at
first the prefeerred spatial orientation of tthe fibers channged resultingg in rotations of their axes, local bendingg, and
fragmentation.. Activation of these processses then led tto the formatioon of the S-shhaped (fir-tree)) mixed structture in
wwhich the voluume fraction off fine grains coontinuously inccreased when aapproaching to the nugget zonne [6]. A comp pletely
rrecrystallized fine-grained sttructure having the average grain size of about 1 and 2 m in the daark and bright rings,
rrespectively, wwas observed in the core (Figg. 3a). Approxximately the saame grain size was observed in the zone off close
contact with thhe tool shouldeers (Fig. 3b).
The aangular parameeters of the microstructure vaaried in accorddance with varriation of the ffine grain fracttion in
tthe structure oof the joint. AsA a result, thhe fraction of high-angle booundaries in thhe core of thee weld increased to
fHAB = 0.94, annd the average misorientationn angle of the boundaries reaached ~40 (F Fig. 3c). In the fine structure of the
nnugget zone, tthe lattice disloocation densityy was lower thhan in the therrmomechanicaally affected zoone. In this casse, the
dispersoids preserved their coherency
c withhin the matrixx; however, theeir number waas somewhat ddiminished, proobably
due to dissoluttion of small paarticles and groowth of larger ones (Fig. 3d).
Resultts of x-ray miccroanalysis shoowed that the cchemical composition in the ccore of the welld joint was ideentical
iin the neighboor rings and coorresponded to the composition of the alloyy, which was aalso observed iin [7]. This suuggests
tthat the differeence in the optiical ring contraasts is not due tto inhomogeneeity of chemicaal compositionn of the matrix and/or
distribution off particles of seecondary phasees caused by th the specifics off the weld proccessing and itss specific condditions,
as was pointeed out, for exaample, in [8]. It seems moost likely that this contrast is due to diffferent grain siizes in
nneighboring riings caused by b peculiaritiess of the macrooflow and forrmation of layyers during FS SW (traverse speed,
deformation ddegree, etc.) ass well as by thhe intensity of post-deformaation grain groowth. In turn, all above-inddicated
pprocesses in thhis alloy are larrgely governedd by the disperssoids and depeend on their sizze and density. This was repeeatedly
ppointed out in many studies,, including [9] where the rolle of dispersoidds and of theirr parameters foor obtaining a stable

758
 Fig. 4. Macrostructure
M e of an FSW w
weld obtained w
with high tool trraverse speed.

uultrafine-grainned structure inn the alloy 015570 of similar ccomposition by equal-channnel angular presssing was disccussed.
To answer thee question which of the paraameters has thee predominant effect on the behavior of thhe alloy duringg FSW
observed in thhe present studyy requires addiitional investiggations. Howevver, in our opinion, it is mosst likely that ch hanges
iin the grain sttructure of thee alloy were ddetermined largely by the kiinetics of graiin growth duriing welding annd the
fraction of parrticles that lostt coherency wiithin the matrixx. This is also confirmed by results of com mparative analyysis of
tthe joint structture and hardneess presented bbelow.
An increase in the toool traverse sppeed led to a chhange in both the macro- annd microstructuure of the weldd joint,
expressed prim mary through a change in thee shape of thee weld core and in the absennce of macrodeefects in the fo orm of
ggaps in the joinnt (Fig. 4). It should
s be notedd that the onioon-like characteer of the macroostructure was preserved; how wever,
tthe thickness oof the rings beecame noticeabbly larger, leadding to the form mation of a lesss dispersed annd less homogeeneous
structure in thhe weld core annd adjacent zoones. Moreoveer, the grain sizze in the ringss increased in the dark ringss up to
d 1.5 m annd in the brighht rings up to d 3 m (Fig. 5a). It shouuld also be nooted that, as inn the previouss case,
a difference inn the chemical composition
c off the rings coulld not be foundd.
A disttinguishing feature of the w weld structure is the fact thaat grains in thhe upper part oof the joint grrew to
an anomalouslly large size d 10 m (Fig.. 5b). In additiion, our measuurements reveaaled a large sizze of the (sub))grains
(up to 3 m) aand a small fraaction of high--angle boundaaries (fHAB = 0.888) in the coree of the weld. Results of thee TEM
analysis, as inn the previouss case, revealled a low dennsity of latticee dislocations indicating thaat the recoverry and
rrecrystallizatioon of the structure proceededd to completionn. In this casee, the size of alluminides of trransition metals was
slightly higherr (Fig. 5d). Alll this indicatedd that the maxim mum temperatture in the centter of the weldd, in particular in the
zzone under thee tool, was higgher and causeed the anomaloous growth off grains even inn such a compplex alloy with h large
amounts of traansition metals..
Thus, the data on thhe structure off FSW joints oof the 01570 allloy demonstraate that dispersed precipitations of
aluminides of transition mettals play the ddominant role in the formatiion of the welld structure, annd their densitty and
mmorphology deetermine the peeculiarities of tthe weld structture.
The m measured hardnness of the exam mined joints aalso confirmed this conclusionn. Judging from m the data presented
iin Fig. 6, it is cclear that the microhardness
m ddistribution annd level across the axis of the joints depend directly on thee FSW
rregime. Thus, after welding with w a low tooll traverse speed, the microhaardness of the aalloy varied inssignificantly (F Fig. 6).
Only a weak ddiminution (by 58% in all) oof its level in tthe core of the weld was noteed. The reason for such behaavior is
pprobably the fformation of a specific completely recrystallized ultrafinee-grained struccture and a cryystallographic texture
t
iin the core as well as the deetected coagulaation of the disspersoids. Witth increasing toool traverse sppeed, the decreease of
tthe alloy micrrohardness in the weld was more pronounnced a dropp from 110 to 95 HV. In thiis case, when going
tthrough the booundary of the nugget zone of the weld coree, an abrupt droop of the alloyy hardness was noted. This was w due
tto a more abruupt transition frrom the initial fibrous structuure to the equiaaxed fine-grainned one. In adddition to the deecrease
iin the dispersooid size, a greaater reduction oof the alloy haardness in this case was appaarently due to tthe large sizes of the
rrecrystallized ggrains in the weld,
w expressingg itself in a low
wer value of thhe HallPetch sstrengthening.

759
 Fig.. 5. Structure of an FSW jooint obtained w with high tool traverse speed: a) boundarries of the
ringgs, b) zone of contact
c with thhe tool shouldeer, c) EBSD paattern from a bbright ring, andd d) TEM
image of the dispeersoids.

Figg. 6. Microharddness distributiion in the weldd zone after FSW

W with differeent tool traverse speeds.

ONS
CONCLUSIO

1. Durring FSW of thhe 01570 alloyy sheets, a banded (onion-likke) fine-grainedd structure is foformed in the core
c of
tthe weld causeed by the diffeerence in grain sizes in the rings. This is noot connected w with a redistribuution of the alloying
elements.
2. Incrreasing the traaverse tool ratee leads to increeased inhomoggeneity of the sstructure and hhardness distribbution
across the welld against the background
b off elimination of macrodefectss in the form oof gaps in the zzone of contacct with
tthe tool.

760
 3. The ultrafine-grained structure of the FSW joint is formed during continuous dynamic recrystallization
directly in the process of interaction of the tool with the material being welded and is followed by the normal grain
growth during cooling of the joint.

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