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Friction Stir Weld Failure Mechanisms in Aluminum-Armor Structures Under Ballistic Impact Loading Conditions

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Abstract

A critical assessment is carried out of the microstructural changes in respect of the associated reductions in material mechanical properties and of the attendant ballistic-impact failure mechanisms in prototypical friction stir welding (FSW) joints found in armor structures made of high-performance aluminum alloys (including solution-strengthened and age-hardenable aluminum alloy grades). It is argued that due to the large width of FSW joints found in thick aluminum-armor weldments, the overall ballistic performance of the armor is controlled by the ballistic limits of its weld zones (e.g., heat-affected zone, the thermomechanically affected zone, the nugget, etc.). Thus, in order to assess the overall ballistic survivability of an armor weldment, one must predict/identify welding-induced changes in the material microstructure and properties, and the operative failure mechanisms in different regions of the weld. Toward this end, a procedure is proposed in the present study which combines the results of the FSW process modeling, basic physical-metallurgy principles concerning microstructure/property relations, and the fracture mechanics concepts related to the key blast/ballistic-impact failure modes. The utility of this procedure is demonstrated using the case of a solid-solution strengthened and cold-worked aluminum alloy armor FSW-weld test structure.

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Acknowledgments

The material presented in this article is based on the study supported by two Army Research Office sponsored grants (W911NF-11-1-0207 and W911NF-09-1-0513) and two U.S. Army/Clemson University Cooperative Agreements (W911NF-04-2-0024 and W911NF-06-2-0042).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Clemson University, 241 Engineering Innovation Building, Clemson, SC, 29634-0921, USA

    M. Grujicic, B. Pandurangan & A. Arakere

  2. Army Research Laboratory—Survivability Materials Branch, Aberdeen, Proving Ground, MD, 21005-5069, USA

    C-F. Yen & B. A. Cheeseman

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  1. M. Grujicic
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  2. B. Pandurangan
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Correspondence to M. Grujicic.

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Grujicic, M., Pandurangan, B., Arakere, A. et al. Friction Stir Weld Failure Mechanisms in Aluminum-Armor Structures Under Ballistic Impact Loading Conditions. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 22, 30–40 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-012-0239-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-012-0239-7

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