There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

Welding Metallurgy of

In this paper, deformation behaviors and microstructure evolution of a hot-rolled AZ31B magnesium alloy under cyclic loadings are investigated. The relationship between plastic deformation and microstructure evolution and the crack formation mechanisms are discussed. Under a high cyclic stress (90–140 MPa), steady ratcheting effect occurred in the material and the development of ratcheting strain went through three stages: 1) Stage I - initial rapid increase stage; 2) Stage II - steady stage; and 3) Stage III - final abrupt increase stage. Under a low cyclic stress (≤ 90 MPa), inconspicuous ratcheting effect was found in the material, indicating a light damage in the material. When the cyclic stress is below 30 MPa, no ratcheting effect is found and only elastic deformation occurs in the material. The formation of cracks in Stages I & II is mainly due to the activation of the basal slip system. The mean geometrically necessary dislocations (GND) are calculated to analyze the relationship between the basal slip and the ratcheting effect during the cyclic loading. Finally, a new approach is proposed to estimate the AZ31B magnesium alloy’s cyclic strength (at 107 cycles) according to the cyclic stress at which steady ratcheting effect starts to occur in the material.

Deformation behaviors and cyclic strength assessment of AZ31B magnesium alloy based on steady ratcheting effect

Welding of dissimilar magnesium alloys and aluminum alloys is an important issue because of their increasing applications in industries. In this document, the research and progress of a variety of welding techniques for joining dissimilar Mg alloys and Al alloys are reviewed from different perspectives. Welding of dissimilar Mg and Al is challenging due to the formation of brittle intermetallic compound (IMC) such as Mg17Al12 and Mg2Al3. In order to increase the joint strength, three main research approaches were used to eliminate or reduce the Mg-Al intermetallic reaction layer. First, solid state welding techniques which have a low welding temperature were used to reduce the IMCs. Second, IMC variety and distribution were controlled to avoid the degradation of the joining strength in fusion welding. Third, techniques which have relatively controllable reaction time and energy were used to eliminate the IMCs. Some important processing parameters and their effects on weld quality are discussed, and the microstructure and metallurgical reaction are described. Mechanical properties of welds such as hardness, tensile, shear and fatigue strength are discussed. The aim of the report is to review the recent progress in the welding of dissimilar Mg and Al to provide a basis for follow-up research.

A Review of Dissimilar Welding Techniques for Magnesium Alloys to Aluminum Alloys.

Slowing climate change requires overcoming inertia in political, technological, and geophysical systems. Of these, only geophysical warming commitment has been quantified. We estimated the commitment to future emissions and warming represented by existing carbon dioxide–emitting devices. We calculated cumulative future emissions of 496 (282 to 701 in lower- and upper-bounding scenarios) gigatonnes of CO 2 from combustion of fossil fuels by existing infrastructure between 2010 and 2060, forcing mean warming of 1.3°C (1.1° to 1.4°C) above the pre-industrial era and atmospheric concentrations of CO 2 less than 430 parts per million. Because these conditions would likely avoid many key impacts of climate change, we conclude that sources of the most threatening emissions have yet to be built. However, CO 2 -emitting infrastructure will expand unless extraordinary efforts are undertaken to develop alternatives.

Future CO2 Emissions and Climate Change from Existing Energy Infrastructure

Lightweighting is currently considered as an effective way in improving fuel efficiency and reducing anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. The structural applications of lightweight magnesium and aluminum alloys in the aerospace and automotive sectors unavoidably involve welding and joining while guaranteeing the safety and durability of motor vehicles. The objective of this study was to evaluate the lap shear strength and fatigue properties of friction stir spot welded (FSSWed) dissimilar AZ31B-H24 Mg alloy and Al alloy (AA) 5754-O in three combinations, i.e., (top) Al/Mg (bottom), Al/Mg with an adhesive interlayer, and Mg/Al with an adhesive interlayer. For all the dissimilar Mg-to-Al weld combinations, FSSW induced an interfacial layer in the stir zone (SZ) that was composed of intermetallic compounds of Al3Mg2 and Al12Mg17, which led to an increase in hardness. Both Mg/Al and Al/Mg dissimilar adhesive welds had significantly higher lap shear strength, failure energy and fatigue life than the Al/Mg dissimilar weld without adhesive. Two different types of fatigue failure modes were observed. In the Al/Mg adhesive weld, at high cyclic loads nugget pull-out failure occurred due to fatigue crack propagation circumferentially around the nugget. At low cyclic loads, fatigue failure occurred in the bottom Mg sheet due to the stress concentration of the keyhole leading to crack initiation followed by propagation perpendicular to the loading direction. In the Mg/Al adhesive weld, nugget pull-out failure mode was primarily observed at both high and low cyclic loads.

Lap shear strength and fatigue behavior of friction stir spot welded dissimilar magnesium-to-aluminum joints with adhesive

Lightweighting is today considered as one of the key strategies in reducing fuel consumption and anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. The structural applications of lightweight magnesium and aluminum alloys in the transportation industry inevitably involve welding and joining while guaranteeing the safety and reliability of motor vehicles. This study was aimed at evaluating lap shear strength and fatigue properties of friction stir spot welded (FSSWed) AZ31B-H24 Mg and 5754-O Al alloys in three combinations, i.e., similar Mg-to-Mg, Al-to-Al, and dissimilar Al-to-Mg joints. The Mg/Mg similar weld had a nugget-shaped stir zone (SZ) around the keyhole where fine recrytallized equiaxed grains were observed. While the hardness profile of the Mg/Mg similar weld exhibited a W-shaped appearance, the lower hardness values appeared in the TMAZ and HAZ of both Mg/Mg and Al/Al similar welds. In the Al/Mg dissimilar weld, a characteristic interfacial layer consisting of intermetallic compounds (IMC) Al 12 Mg 17 and Al 3 Mg 2 was observed. Both Mg/Mg and Al/Al similar welds had significantly higher lap shear strength, failure energy and fatigue life than the Al/Mg dissimilar weld. While the Al/Al weld displayed a slightly lower lap shear strength than the Mg/Mg weld, the Al/Al weld had higher failure energy and fatigue life. Three types of failure modes were observed. In the Mg/Mg and Al/Al similar welds, at higher cyclic loads nugget pullout failure occurred due to fatigue crack propagation circumferentially around the nugget, while at lower cyclic loads fatigue failure occurred perpendicular to the loading direction caused by the opening of keyhole through crack initiation in the TMAZ and HAZ. In the Al/Mg dissimilar weld nugget debonding failure mode was observed because of the presence of an interfacial IMC layer.

Lap shear strength and fatigue life of friction stir spot welded AZ31 magnesium and 5754 aluminum alloys

This study was aimed at characterizing the microstructure, texture and tensile properties of a friction stir welded AZ31B-H24 Mg alloy with varying tool rotational rates and welding speeds. Friction stir welding (FSW) resulted in the presence of recrystallized grains and the relevant drop in hardness in the stir zone (SZ). The base alloy contained a strong crystallographic texture with basal planes (0002) largely parallel to the rolling sheet surface and \( \langle {11\bar{2}0} \rangle \) directions aligned in the rolling direction (RD). After FSW the basal planes in the SZ were slightly tilted toward the TD determined from the sheet normal direction (or top surface) and also slightly inclined toward the RD determined from the transverse direction (or cross section) due to the intense shear plastic flow near the pin surface. The prismatic planes \( (10\bar{1}0) \) and pyramidal planes \( (10\bar{1}1) \) formed fiber textures. After FSW both the strength and ductility of the AZ31B-H24 Mg alloy decreased with a joint efficiency in-between about 75 and 82 pct due to the changes in both grain structure and texture, which also weakened the strain rate dependence of tensile properties. The welding speed and rotational rate exhibited a stronger effect on the YS than the UTS. Despite the lower ductility, strain-hardening exponent and hardening capacity, a higher YS was obtained at a higher welding speed and lower rotational rate mainly due to the smaller recrystallized grains in the SZ arising from the lower heat input.

Friction Stir Welded AZ31 Magnesium Alloy: Microstructure, Texture, and Tensile Properties

This study was aimed at characterizing microstructural change and evaluating tensile and fatigue properties of fiber laser welded AZ31B-H24 Mg alloy with special attention to the effect of welding speed Laser welding led to the formation of equiaxed dendrites in the fusion zone and columnar dendrites near the fusion zone boundary along with divorced eutectic Mg17Al12 particles and recrystallized grains in the heat-affected zone The lowest hardness across the weld appeared in the fusion zone Although the yield strength, ductility, and fatigue life decreased, the hardening capacity increased after laser welding, with a joint efficiency reaching about 90 pct A higher welding speed resulted in a narrower fusion zone, smaller grain size, higher yield strength, and longer fatigue life, as well as a slightly lower strain-hardening capacity mainly because of the smaller grain sizes Tensile fracture occurred in the fusion zone, whereas fatigue failure appeared essentially in between the heat-affected zone and the fusion zone Fatigue cracks initiated from the near-surface welding defects and propagated by the formation of fatigue striations together with secondary cracks

S. H. Chowdhury

Papers

Lap shear strength and fatigue behavior of friction stir spot welded dissimilar magnesium-to-aluminum joints with adhesive

Lap shear strength and fatigue life of friction stir spot welded AZ31 magnesium and 5754 aluminum alloys

Friction Stir Welded AZ31 Magnesium Alloy: Microstructure, Texture, and Tensile Properties

Fiber Laser Welded AZ31 Magnesium Alloy: The Effect of Welding Speed on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties