Enhancement of wear and ballistic resistance of armour grade AA7075 aluminium alloy using friction stir processing

Industrial applications of aluminium and its alloys are restricted because of their poor tribological properties. Thermal spraying, laser surfacing, electron beam welding are the most widely used techniques to alter the surface morphology of base metal. Preliminary studies reveal that the coating and layering of aluminium alloys with ceramic particles enhance the ballistic resistance. Furthermore, among aluminium alloys,7075 aluminium alloy exhibits high strength which can be compared to that of steels and has profound applications in the designing of lightweight fortification structures and integrated protection systems. Having limitations such as poor bond integrity, formation of detrimental phases and interfacial reaction between reinforcement and substrate using fusion route to deposit hard particles paves the way to adopt friction stir processing for fabricating surface composites using different sizes of boron carbide particles as reinforcement on armour grade 7075 aluminium alloy as matrix in the present investigation. Wear and ballistic tests were carried out to assess the performance of friction stir processed AA7075 alloy. Significant improvement in wear resistance of friction stir processed surface composites is attributed to the change in wear mechanism from abrasion to adhesion. It has also been observed that the surface metal matrix composites have shown better ballistic resistance compared to the substrate AA7075 alloy. Addition of solid lubricant Mo S2 has reduced the depth of penetration of the projectile to half that of base metal AA7075 alloy. For the first time, the friction stir processing technique was successfully used to improve the wear and ballistic resistances of armour grade high strength AA7075 alloy.     

Microstructure and pitting corrosion of armor grade AA7075 aluminum alloy friction stir weld nugget zone-Effect of post weld heat treatment and addition of boron carbide

Friction stir welding(FSW) of high strength aluminum alloys has been emerged as an alternative joining technique to avoid the problems during fusion welding.In recent times FSW is being used for armor grade AA7075 aluminum alloy in defense,aerospace and marine applications where it has to serve in non uniform loading and corrosive environments.Even though friction stir welds of AA7075 alloy possess better mechanical properties but suffer from poor corrosion resistance.The present work involves use of retrogression and reaging(RRA) post weld heat treatment to improve the corrosion resistance of welded joints of aluminum alloys.An attempt also has been made to change the chemical composition of the weld nugget by adding B4C nano particles with the aid of the FSW on a specially prepared base metal plate in butt position.The effects of peak aged condition(T6),RRA and addition of B4C nano particles on microstructure,hardness and pitting corrosion of nugget zone of the friction stir welds of AA7075 alloy have been studied.Even though RRA improved the pitting corrosion resistance,its hardness was slightly lost.Significant improvement in pitting corrosion resistance was achieved with addition of boron carbide powder and post weld heat treatment of RRA.     

陶瓷/薄钢板复合结构靶板抗高速侵彻性能研究

为探讨陶瓷/薄钢板复合结构靶板(ceramic/thin steel targets,CS靶板)的抗高速侵彻机理,通过弹道试验,分析了3 mm厚SiC陶瓷层和0.6 mm厚钢板层的CS靶板的破坏模式和抗侵彻性能,并与面密度基本相同的纯钢板进行了比较。在此基础上,基于能量守恒原理,建立了CS靶板抗高速侵彻的理论预测模型,并与试验结果进行了对比。结果表明,CS靶板中前陶瓷层的存在,使得后钢板层的破坏模式由剪切冲塞转变为花瓣开裂,大大提升了后钢板层的抗侵彻吸能效率,从而使得CS靶板的整体抗侵彻性能高于等面密度的纯钢板,CS靶板的整体抗侵彻效率较等面密度纯钢板提升15%以上;弹体穿透CS靶板后的剩余速度理论预测值与试验结果吻合较好,相对误差均在5%以内,验证了理论模型的合理性和有效性。     

Fabrication of AA7005/TiB2-B4C surface composite by friction stir processing: Evaluation of ballistic behaviour

The present work aims to enhance the ballistic resistance of AA7005 alloy by incorporating the TiB₂ and B₄C ceramic reinforcement particles. Surface composites with different weight fractions of TiB₂ and B₄C particles were processed by friction stir processing. Micro-hardness and depth of penetration tests were carried out to evaluate the ballistic properties of the surface composites. The surface hardness of the composite was found to be nearly 70 HV higher than base alloy. The depth of penetration of the steel projectile was 20–26 mm in the composites as compared to 37 mm in the base alloy. Ballistic mass efficiency factor of the surface composite was found to be 1.6 times higher than base alloy. This is mainly attributed to the dispersion strengthening from the reinforcement particles.     

Partial penetration of annular grooved projectiles impacting ductile metal targets

Changing and optimizing the projectile nose shape is an important way to achieve specific ballistic performance. One special ballistic performance is the embedding effect, which can achieve a delayed high-explosive reaction on the target surface. This embedding effect includes a rebound phase that is significantly different from the traditional penetration process. To better study embedment behavior, this study proposed a novel nose shape called an annular grooved projectile and defined its interaction process with the ductile metal plate as partial penetration. Specifically, we conducted a series of low-velocity-ballistic tests in which these steel projectiles were used to strike 16-mm-thick target plates made with 2024-O aluminum alloy. We observed the dynamic evolution characteristics of this aluminum alloy near the impact craters and analyzed these characteristics by corresponding cross-sectional views and numerical simulations. The results indicated that the penetration resistance had a brief decrease that was influenced by its groove structure, but then it increased significantly-that is, the fluctuation of penetration resistance was affected by the irregular nose shape. Moreover, we visualized the distribution of the material in the groove and its inflow process through the rheology lines in microscopic tests and the highlighted mesh lines in simulations. The combination of these phenomena revealed the embed-ment mechanism of the annular grooved projectile and optimized the design of the groove shape to achieve a more firm embedment performance. The embedment was achieved primarily by the target material filled in the groove structure. Therefore, preventing the shear failure that occurred on the filling material was key to achieving this embedding effect.     

Reaction characteristic of PTFE/Al/Cu/Pb composites and application in shaped charge liner

In this paper, the reaction characteristic and its application in shaped charge warhead of a novel reactive material, which introduced copper (Cu) and plumbum (Pb) into traditional polytetrafluoroethylene/aluminum (PTFE/Al), are studied. The thermal analysis and chemical reaction behavior of the PTFE/Al/Cu/Pb mixture are investigated by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC),Thermo-gravimetry (TG), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) techniques. Then, the shaped charge liners with PTFE/Al/Cu/Pb reactive materials are fabricated, and the X-ray experiments show that they could form reactive jets with excellent performance under the detonation effects of the shaped charge. Based on that, the penetration experiments of shaped charge with PTFE/Al/Cu/Pb reactive liner against steel plates are carried out, and the results demonstrate that the PTFE/Al/Cu/Pb reactive jets could produce a deeper penetration depth compared to the traditional PTFE/Al reactive jets. Meanwhile, the PTFE/Al/Cu/Pb reactive jets also show significant inner-blast effects, leading to dramatically cracking or fragmentation behavior of the penetrated steel plates. This new PTFE/Al/Cu/Pb reactive liner shaped charge presents enhanced penetration behavior for steel targets that incorporates the penetration capability of a high-density and ductility jet, and the chemical energy release of PTFE-matrix reactive materials.     

High strain rate deformation of explosion-welded Ti6Al4V/pure titanium

Multilayer materials are widely used in military, automobile and aerospace industries. In this paper, the response of an explosion-welded Ti6Al4V/pure titanium with a flat interface to dynamic loading is investigated. An SHPB apparatus is used. Then, the dynamic behaviour of a bimetal sample is explored with a DIC system coupled to the SHPB. Result indicates that in the bimetal sample pure titanium is deformed and failed before Ti6Al4V. The stress curve of the sample shows two different peaks in a striker velocity higher than the 18.3 m/s. When the incident wave encounters the interface of the Ti6Al4V/pure titanium sample, only a small fraction of the wave is reflected owing to similar impedance. Using the direct interpretation stress-strain curve is unreasonable in this case because of unhomogenised plastic deformation. The microstructure of the sample is investigated after loading. An adiabatic shear band is formed in the pure titanium side before failure, and the interface of the sample remains intact under different loading conditions. The FEM simulation result for the sample is in good agreement with experimental observations.     

球形头部弹丸侵彻运动靶板的数值模拟

为研究球形头部弹丸高速侵彻运动靶板的侵彻规律,运用LS-DYNA动力分析软件仿真研究了不同条件下球形头部弹丸对靶板的正侵彻效应,获得了运动靶板厚度、材料和弹丸着速3种参数对侵彻过程中弹丸弹道偏移、翻转角度和剩余速度的响应规律。结果表明,随着着速的提高,弹丸翻转幅度和弹道偏移量逐渐减小;随着靶板厚度的增加,弹丸正向翻转角度和轴向剩余速度显著减小,而弹道偏移量增大;3种材料运动靶板中,4340钢靶对弹丸弹道偏移、翻转角度和剩余速度的影响最大,Weldox460钢次之,LY12铝最小。     

考虑多轴应力与共振影响的随机振动疲劳寿命预测

目前工程上计算结构随机疲劳寿命时,仍经常采用基于单轴拉-压疲劳寿命(Stress-Number of cycles,S-N)曲线的应力寿命方法。虽然使用简单方便,但这种方法不仅忽视了单轴S-N曲线且不能准确反映结构在多轴应力状态下的疲劳,还忽略了随机振动中共振对结构疲劳寿命的影响,因此该方法在预测结构在随机振动下的疲劳寿命时与实际寿命往往有较大误差。对此引入三轴因子来反映结构在随机振动下的多轴应力状态,同时推广得到其在频域上的表达式,并在此基础上引入非线性函数,提出了一个新的随机振动疲劳损伤参量——多轴振动因子。新的损伤参量不仅同时考虑了结构随机振动下的多轴应力状态与共振对疲劳寿命的影响,而且该损伤参量形式简单,便于工程应用。利用新的随机振动疲劳损伤参量,得到了适用于随机振动下的多轴S-N曲线,从而建立了一种新的随机振动疲劳寿命预测方法。通过对7075-T6和LY12CZ铝合金缺口试件的随机振动疲劳寿命进行预测,结果表明该方法较准确地预测了两种缺口试件随机振动下的疲劳寿命。     

Effect of friction stir processing on mechanical properties and heat transfer of TIG welded joint of AA6061 and AA7075

Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding is the most commonly used joining process for aluminum alloy for AA6061 and AA7075 which are highly demanded in the aerospace engineering and the automobile sector, but there are some defects occur during TIG welding like micro-crack, coarse grain structure, and porosity. To improve these defects, the TIG welded joint is processed using friction stir processing (FSP). This paper presents the effect of friction stir processing on TIG welding with filler ER4043 and ER 5356 for dissimilar aluminum alloy AA6061 and AA7075. The mechanical characterization, finite element formulation and mathematical equations of heat transfer of TIG + FSP welded joints are investigated using ANSYS Fluent software by adjusting process parameters of FSP. The results show that the maximum compressive residual stress 73 MPa was obtained at the fusion zone (FZ) of the TIG weldment with filler ER4043, whereas minimum compressive residual stress 37 MPa was obtained at stir zone (SZ) of the TIG+FSP with filler 5356. The maximum heat flux 5.33 × 106 W/m2 and temperature 515 ℃ have observed at tool rotation 1600 rpm with a feed rate of 63 mm/min. These results give a satisfactory measure of confidence in the fidelity of the simulation     

Dissimilar friction stir spot welding of AA2024-T3/AA7075-T6 aluminum alloys under different welding parameters and media

This paper studies the friction stir spot welding of AA2024-T3/AA7075-T6 Al alloys in the ambient and underwater environments by clarifying the nugget features,microstructure,fracture and mechanical properties of the joints.The results show that the water-cooling medium exhibits a significant heat absorption capacity in the AA2024-T3/AA7075-T6 welded joint.Nugget features such as stir zone width,circular imprints,average grain sizes,and angular inter-material hooking are reduced by the water-cooling effect in the joints.Narrower whitish(intercalated structures)bands are formed in the under-water joints while Mg2Si and Al2CuMg precipitates are formed in the ambient and the underwater welded joints respectively.An increase in tool rotational speed(600-1400 rpm)and plunge depth(0.1-0.5 mm)increases the tensile-shear force of the welded AA2024-T3/AA7075-T6 joints in both the ambient and underwater environments.The maximum tensile-shear forces of 5900 N and 6700 N were obtained in the ambient and the underwater welds respectively.     

Fabrication and analysis of TIG welding-brazing butt joints of in-situ TiB2/7050 composite and TA2

Lightweight hybrid structures of Al MMCs and titanium alloy dissimilar materials have great prospect in the defence industry application. So, it is necessary to join Al MMCs with Ti metal to achieve this structural design. In this work, in-situ TiB2/7050 composite and TA2 were firstly attempted to join by TIG welding-brazing technique. The result was that the intact welding-brazing butt joint was successfully fabricated. The joint presents dual characteristics, being a brazing on TA2 side and a welding on TiB2/7050 side. At brazing joint side, ER4043 filler metal effectively wets on TA2 under TIG heating condition, and a continuous interfacial reaction layer with 1—3μm is formed at welded metal/TA2 interface. The whole interfacial reaction layers are composed of Ti(AlSi)3 intermetallic compounds (IMCs), but their morphologies at the different regions present obvious distinguishes. The microhardness of the reaction layers is as much as 141—190 HV. At welding joints side, the fusion zone appears the equixaed crystal structure, and the grain sizes are much smaller than those of welded metal, which is attributed to the effect of TiB2 particulates from the melted TiB2/7050 on acceleration formation and inhibiting growth for the new crystal nucleus. The tensile test results show that average tensile strength of the optimal welding-brazing joint is able to achieve 138 MPa. The failure of the tensile joint occurs by quasi-cleavage pattern, and the cracks initiate from the IMCs layer at the groove surface of TA2 and propagate into the welded metal.     

Microstructure,mechanical and corrosion behavior of high strength AA7075aluminium alloy friction stir welds-Effect of post weld heat treatment

High strength aluminium alloy AA7075(Al-Zn-Mg-Cu) is a precipitate hardenable alloy widely used in the aerospace,defense,marine and automobile industries.Use of the heat treatable aluminium alloys in all these sectors is ever-increasing owing to their excellent strength-toweight ratio and reasonably good corrosion resistance.The shortage in corrosion resistance,however,usually poses negative concern about their reliability and lifetime when they service in the variable marine environments.These alloys also exhibit low weldability due to poor solidification microstructure,porosity in fusion zone and lose their mechanical properties when they are welded by fusion welding techniques.Friction stir welding(FSW) is a reliable technique to retain the properties of the alloy as the joining takes place in the solid state.The welds are susceptible to corrosion due to the microstructural changes in the weld nugget during FSW.In this work,the effect of post weld treatments,viz.,peak aging(T6) and retrogression reaging(RRA),on the microstructure,mechanical properties and pitting corrosion has been studied.Friction stir welding of 8 mm-thick AA7075 alloy was carried out.The microstructural changes of base metal and nugget zone of friction stir welds were studied using optical microscopy,scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.Tensile and hardness test of base metal and welds has been carried out.Pitting corrosion resistance was determined through dynamic polarization test.It was observed that the hardness and strength of weld were observed to be comparatively high in peak aged(T6) condition but the welds showed poor corrosion resistance.The resistance to pitting corrosion was improved and the mechanical properties were maintained by RRA treatment.The resistance to pitting corrosion was improved in RRA condition with the minimum loss of weld strength.     

Consequence of reinforced SiC particles and post process artificial ageing on microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir processed AA7075

Friction stir processing and post process artificial ageing was successfully carried out on AA7075 with and without reinforcement of SiC particles producing defect free processed zone with uniform distribution of filler material. Effect of SiC particle reinforcement and artificial ageing times on the microstructural modifications was characterized using optical and electron microscopy, electron backscattered diffraction and X-Ray diffraction. Hardness, impact and wear tests were carried out to investigate mechanical behaviour before and after processing. Reinforcement of SiC particles during FSP and subsequent age hardening treatment brought about nearly twofold increase in hardness and impact toughness values by the combined effect of grain refinement, Zener pinning, dispersion strengthening and precipitation hardening. Significant improvement in wear resistance in terms of wear loss was also observed after processing compared to the reference material AA7075-T6. Fractured surface of post FSP age hardened AA7075 alloy exhibited features of ductile fracture during Charpy impact test.     

Formation of adiabatic shearing band for high-strength Ti-5553 alloy: A dramatic thermoplastic microstructural evolution

By using split Hopkinson pressure bar, optical microscopy and electronic microscopy, we investigate the influence of initial microstructures on the adiabatic shear behavior of high-strength Ti–5Al–5V–5Mo–3Cr (Ti-5553) alloy with lamellar microstructure and bimodal microstructure. Lamellar alloy tends to form adiabatic shearing band (ASB) at low compression strain, while bimodal alloy is considerably ASB-resistant. Comparing with the initial microstructure of Ti-5553 alloy, we find that the microstructure of the ASB changes dramatically. Adiabatic shear of lamellar Ti-5553 alloy not only results in the formation of recrystallized β nano-grains within the ASB, but also leads to the chemical redistribution of the alloying elements such as Al, V, Cr and Mo. As a result, the alloying elements distribute evenly in the ASB. In contrast, the dramatic adiabatic shear of bimodal alloy might give rise to the complete lamination of the globular primary α grain and the equiaxial prior β grain, which is accompanied by the dynamic recrystallization of α lamellae and β lamellae. As a result, ASB of bimodal alloy is composed of α/β nano-multilayers. Chemical redistribution does not occur in ASB of bimodal alloy. Bimodal Ti-5553 alloy should be a promising candidate for high performance armors with high mass efficiency due to the processes high dynamic flow stress and excellent ASB-resistance.     

一种新型防护结构对爆炸冲击波衰减特性的研究

运用大型有限元软件LS—DYNA,在相同爆炸冲击波作用下,对洞库口部普通钢板防护门和有泡沫铝夹层的钢板防护门两种防护结构的隔爆性能进行了数值模拟和对比分析,结果表明:有泡沫铝夹层的钢板防护门对爆炸冲击波有着良好的衰减特性。同时表明该新型防护结构对洞库口部抗爆炸冲击波设计有着很高的参考价值。     

Effect of particle gradation of aluminum on the explosion field pressure and temperature of RDX-based explosives in vacuum and air atmosphere

To optimize the energy output and improve the energy utilization efficiency of an aluminized explosive, an explosion device was developed and used to investigate the detonation pressure and temperature of R1 (Al6) aluminum powder and the aluminum powder particle gradation of R2 (Al6+Al13), R3 (Al6+Al24) and R4 (Al6+Al flake) in a confined space. By using gas chromatography, quantitative analysis and calculations were carried out to analyze the gaseous detonation products. Finally, the reaction ratios of the aluminum powder and the explosion reaction equations were calculated. The results show that in a confined space, the quasi-static pressures and equilibrium temperature of the aluminum powder in air are higher than in vacuum. In vacuum, the quasi-static pressures and equilibrium temperatures of the samples in descending order are R1>R3>R4>R2 and R3>R4>R1>R2, respectively. In air, the quasi-static pressures and equilibrium temperatures of the samples in descending order are R1>R2>R4>R3 and R1>R4>R2>R3, respectively. R4 (Al6+Al flake) and R3 (Al6+Al24) have relatively higher temperatures after detonation, which shows that the particle gradation method can enhance the reaction energy output of aluminum during the initial reaction stage of the explosion and increase the reaction ratio by 10.6% and 8.0%, respectively. In air, the reaction ratio of Al6 aluminum powder can reach as high as 78.16%, and the reaction ratio is slightly reduced after particle gradation. Finally, the reaction equations of the explosives in vacuum and in air were calculated by quantitative analysis of the explosion products, which provides a powerful basis for the study of RDX-based explosive reactions.     

活塞环表面CrTiAlN复合涂层的抗高温腐蚀性能研究

采用多弧离子镀技术,利用Cr靶和TiAl靶,在活塞环材料65 Mn钢基体上制备了CrTiAlN复合涂层,并对电镀Cr、CrN和CrTiAlN复合涂层在800℃下的抗高温腐蚀性能进行了比较分析,用扫描电镜、能谱仪和X射线衍射仪观察分析了样品表面高温腐蚀氧化膜。结果表明:CrTiAlN复合涂层具有优异的抗高温腐蚀性能,在800℃时仍具有良好的抗高温腐蚀性能,其氧化机理是O向涂层内部扩散氧化,在高温腐蚀过程中,CrTiAlN涂层中的Cr发生了选择性氧化,优先形成了Cr2O3,CrTiAlN涂层氧化层区域的结构由外至里组成顺序为Cr2O3、Al2O3+TiO2、(Cr,Ti,Al)N。涂层外层的Cr2O3氧化物有利于阻碍氧元素向涂层内部扩散,能够降低涂层的高温腐蚀速度。     

A three-stage model for the perforation of finite metallic plates by long rods at high velocities

A three-stage theoretical model is presented herein to predict the perforation of a thick metallic plate struck normally by a long rod at high velocities. The model is suggested on the basis of the assumption that the perforation of a thick metallic plate by a long rod can be divided into three stages: (1) initial penetration; (2) plug formation and (3) plug slipping and separation. Various analytical equations are derived which can be employed to predict the ballistic limit, residual velocity and residual length of the long rod. It is demonstrated that the present model predictions are in good agreement with available experimental results for the perforation of finite steel targets struck normally by steel as well as tungsten alloy long rods at high velocities. It is also demonstrated that the dynamic maximum shear stress of a plate material has strong effect on plug formation and plug thickness which, in turn, exerts considerable influence on the residual velocities and lengths of a long rod at impact velocities just above the ballistic limit.     

917低磁钢与铝合金爆炸焊接复合实验研究

采用异种金属爆炸焊接复合技术 ,研制了 91 7低磁钢与LF5、LF2 1、LF1 1等铝合金的爆炸焊接复合板 ,并对该铝—钢复合板力学性能进行了实验研究 ,对复合界面进行了金相分析 .实验结果表明 ,该铝—钢复合板复合界面物理结合良好 ,其抗剪和抗弯强度满足实船使用要求