The Effects of Pin Profile on HDPE Thermomechanical Phenomena during FSW.

Friction stir welding (FSW) of polymeric materials has recently attracted significant attention. Herein, we present the effect of the tool pin profile on the FSW of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) joints through joint experimental analysis and thermomechanical simulations. For analysis of pin profile effects on the thermomechanical properties of HDPE joints, frustum (FPT), cubic (CPT), and triangular (TPT) pin shapes were selected in this study. This research investigated the heat generation of the parts of the different tools as well as heat flux (internal and surface). The results revealed that the heat generation in pins with more edges (cubic (96 °C) and triangular (94 °C)) was greater than in pins with a smooth shape (frustum (91 °C)). The higher heat generation caused the heat flux on the surface of the HDPE from the cubic pin profile to be greater than for other joints. Due to the properties of HDPE, higher heat generation caused higher material velocity in the stirring zone, where the velocity of the materials in TPT, CPT, and FPT pins were 0.41 m/s, 0.42 m/s, and 0.4 m/s, respectively. The simulation results show sharp-edged pins, such as triangular and cubic, lead to over-stirring action and internal voids formed along the joint line. Furthermore, the simulation results indicated that the size of the stirred zones (SZs) of the FPT, TPT, and CPT samples were 17 mm2, 19 mm2, and 21 mm2, respectively, which is around three times the corresponding values in the HAZ.

Advantages of the Application of the Temper Bead Welding Technique During Wet Welding.

Thermo-mechanically rolled S460ML steel was chosen for welding in underwater wet welding conditions by covered electrodes. The main aim of this study was to check the weldability for fillet welds in a water environment by controlled thermal severity (CTS) tests and to check the influence of temper bead welding (TBW) on the weldability of the investigated steel. Non-destructive and destructive tests showed that S460ML steel has a high susceptibility to cold cracking. In all joints, hardness in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) was extended to the 400 HV10 values. Microscopic testing showed the presence of microcracks in the HAZ of all welded joints. TBW was chosen as the method to improve the weldability of the investigated steel. This technique allows for the reduction of the maximum hardness in the HAZ below the critical value of 380 HV10, as stated by the EN-ISO 15614-1:2017. It was determined that for S460ML steel, from the point of view of weldability, the pitch between two beads should be in the range 75%⁻100%. Also, if the pitch between two beads increases, the hardness, grain size, and number of cracks decreases. In all specimens where the hardness of the HAZ was below 380 HV10, there were no microcracks.