Process-Structure-Property-Performance Relationships of Precipitate- and Strain-Hardened Aluminum Alloys as Processed Through Solid-State Additive Manufacturing Process

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Date
2021
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University of Alabama Libraries
Abstract

Additive manufacturing provides alternatives to traditional manufacturing methods. Equipment footprint, energy use, maintenance considerations, component geometries and material selection are all being reconsidered on the rise of additive manufacturing. Aluminum alloys are of particular interest in the additive manufacturing realm because of their strength-to-weight ratio, general availability, and performance in austere environments. However, it’s critical that the strengthening mechanisms that make aluminum alloys so desirable are preserved post additive processing. Additive Friction Stir Deposition (AFSD) is a novel additive manufacturing process that utilizes solid-state plastic deformation to create near-net shaped, layered depositions. Because the process is still being developed, the microstructural and mechanical performance of deposited aluminum alloys have not been fully characterized. In this work, the process-structure-property-performance of a precipitate-hardened (AA6061-T6) and strain-hardened (AA5083-H131) aluminum alloy as processed through AFSD, were quantified. A standard post deposition heat treatment (PDHT) was applied to AA6061 AFSD material, an Al-Mg-Si alloy. The as-deposited material exhibited a refined grain structure, reduced tensile strength from the heat treated feedstock, and increased elongation to failure. The PDHT AFSD material exhibited tensile properties characteristic of a T6 temper through the regrowth of strengthening precipitates. The other material of interest, Al-Mg-Mn alloy (AA5083-H131), a strain-hardened alloy, was processed through AFSD using two methods of machine feeding: recycled chip and solid rod. The thermo-mechanical processing of AFSD resulted in an exchange of strengthening mechanisms – removing the wrought material of strength from strain-hardening and replacing it with grain boundary strengthening. The monotonic tensile results demonstrated a reduced yield strength and comparable elastic modulus and ultimate tensile strength to the AA5083-H131 wrought control. The fatigue results demonstrated comparable fatigue performance, primarily between the recycled chip feedstock and wrought AA5083-H131. A strength model and a multistage fatigue model were employed to capture the tensile and fatigue performance for AFSD AA5083. Dynamic compression testing was performed using a Split-Hopkinson pressure bar to quantify strain rate dependence. Experiments reveal that the flow stress of AA5083-H131 and AA5083 AFSD are dependent on the strain rate under compression loading. Furthermore, resulting mechanical performance was captured by the internal state variable (ISV) plasticity-damage model.

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Electronic Thesis or Dissertation
Keywords
Additive Friction Stir Deposition, Aluminum, Internal State Variable Modeling, Multistage Fatigue Modeling
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