Sharif Digital Repository

The paper addresses the process–microstructure–performance relationships in resistance spot welding of a martensitic advanced high strength steel. Significant softening was observed in the heat affected zone (HAZ) due to allotriomorphic ferrite formation in the inter-critical HAZ and tempering of martensite in sub-critical HAZ (SCHAZ), with the latter plays more important role in mechanical properties of the spot welds. The strain concentration associated with the HAZ softening promotes initiation of pullout failure from the soft SCHAZ. While, the peak load in the interfacial failure mode is governed by the fusion zone size, that of the pullout mode is significantly affected by the HAZ... 

This paper investigates the metallurgical and mechanical response of 2304 duplex stainless steel-as an interesting candidate for automotive body-in-white applications-to resistance spot welding. The results showed the high cooling rate associated with the resistance spot welding process suppressed the postsolidification ferrite-austenite transformation leading to improper ferrite-austenite phase balance with a reduced volume fraction of austenite and consequent precipitation of chromium-rich nitrides. The effects of welding current, as the key parameter determining the weld heat input, on the austenite volume fraction and precipitation are discussed. The minimum fusion zone hardness... 

Magnesium alloys provide critical opportunities for energy and lightweight-materials challenges. The alloy design approach based on utilizing the second phase strengthening mechanism plays an essential role in producing low-density high strength Mg-based alloys. However, the second phase in the microstructure (e.g., Mg17Al12 phase in Mg–Al–Zn alloys) can deleteriously affect the weldability of the metallic materials by promoting the liquation and liquation cracking during fusion welding. The lack of sufficient weldability of Mg-based alloys is a crucial barrier to their potential use in safety-critical applications. In this paper, it is shown that the severe plastic deformation induced by... 

AZ91 alloy, the most widely used Mg casting alloy, exhibits low strength/ductility and weak energy absorption, which is a function of its large grain size and the presence of a coarse and continuous network of β-Mg17Al12 intermetallic compounds. This work demonstrated that friction stir processing (FSP) enables enhancement of strength and energy absorption capability of AZ91 alloy. The influence of FSP treatment on various potential strengthening mechanisms, including grain boundary, solid solution, and sub-micron particle strengthening mechanisms, was studied. It is identified that the grain boundary strengthening plays a significant contribution to the strength of the FSP treated AZ91. FSP... 

Liquation in the partially melted zone (PMZ) is the critical weldability issue of cast AZ91 magnesium alloy. Friction stir processing (FSP) is used as a local pre-weld treatment to create a local liquation-resistant microstructure in cast AZ91 alloy during arc welding. The effects of tool rotational speed during pre-weld FSP on the liquation-related microstructural features (i.e. grain structure, size and volume fraction of eutectic β-Mg17Al12) and the liquation characteristics of the fusion-welded AZ91 (i.e. PMZ size and grain boundary liquid film thickness) were investigated. The pre-weld FSP treatment of the cast AZ91 significantly improved the tensile strength and ductility of the welds... 

During oil and gas well drilling, the filtration control of bentonite water-based drilling fluids (BT-WBDFs), as an environmentally friendly fluid, is crucial to avoid formation damage and swelling shale problems. One of the most critical problems is undesirable changes in the rheology and filtration properties of the BT-WBDFs because of salt contamination. Herein, the potential of using both graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets and a graphene oxide-polyacrylamide (GO-PAM) nanocomposite is evaluated for controlling the filtration properties, especially in a salty medium. First, GO nanosheets were functionalized, and then the GO-PAM nanocomposite was synthesized using the solution polymerization... 

In this study, the potential of using a polyacrylamide-silica nanocomposite (PAM-S) to control the filtration properties of bentonite water-based drilling muds under different salinity conditions was evaluated. Static filtration tests under low-pressure/low-temperature (LPLT) conditions accompanied by rheological measurements have been carried out to analyze the role of silica nanoparticles (NPs) and nanocomposites (NCs) in the base fluid properties. Moreover, high-pressure/high-temperature (HPHT) static filtration was also investigated to evaluate the thermal stability of PAM-S. Afterward, dynamic filtration has been conducted in a filtration cell equipped with an agitating system with a... 

Aluminum matrix surface composites (AMSCs) reinforced by various content of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) nanoparticles and graphite (Gr) microparticles were fabricated by four passes of friction stir processing (FSP). Processing of composites reinforced by Gr particles did not lead to the sound and well-mixed composites due to a decline in the maximum experienced temperature during the process resulting from the low friction coefficient of graphite particles. Combination of graphite and zirconia particles resulted in a more homogenous dispersion of particles in the stir zone (SZ) due to a higher frictional heat generation and a lower tendency for agglomeration of nanoparticles as compared to... 

This paper investigates the effect of liquation in the partially melted zone (PMZ) on the stress–strain behaviour of the AA7075 arc fusion welds. It is identified that the presence of micro-sized Cu-rich second phases in the initial microstructure of the AA7075 is responsible for constitutional liquation in the PMZ. Although the liquation cracking can be avoided using the proper selection of filler metal, it is demonstrated that the formation of brittle Al2Cu-type intermetallic-containing eutectic structure resulting from non-equilibrium solidification of the liquated grain boundaries can induce a severe loss of ductility in the PMZ. This calls for proper strategies to minimise the grain... 

Application of the fiber contained fluids has been extensively increased in many industries. In the petroleum industry, fibrous fluids are utilized for different applications. For instance, they have been applied in drilling operations for hole cleaning and cutting removal. In this article, the results of the studies performed on the application of Hydrated Basil Seeds (HBS) as the herbal eco-friendly fiber on hole cleaning and filtration control were presented. In order to investigate the application of HBS on hole cleaning, Polyacrylamide (PA) was added to the pure water to provide the base fluid and HBS at different concentrations were suspended in the base fluid and the effect of HBS on... 

This paper aims at understanding the role of liquation and solidification phenomena on the tensile properties of arc welded cast AZ91 magnesium alloy. Owing to its refined microstructure, the fusion zone exhibited improved ductility/strength compared to the base metal. It is demonstrated that the partially melted zone (PMZ) which is characterised by constitutional liquation of eutectic β-Mg17Al12 phase is the weakest link in the weldment. The reduced strength and ductility associated with the liquation phenomena are due to the increased volume fraction and thickness of the eutectic β-Mg17Al12 in the PMZ as well as the formation of liquation micro-cracks in a network of brittle intermetallic... 

The effect of a plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) pre-treatment on joining of AA 5052 aluminium alloy and polypropylene by friction stir spot welding (FSSW) is investigated using lap tensile shear tests. Two surface conditions of the AA 5052 alloy are compared, one with a PEO pre-treatment in a silicate-based electrolyte, another without any pre-treatment. The resultant specimens are examined by high resolution scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and attenuated total reflectance-infrared spectroscopy. The PEO treatment generated a thermally-insulating, porous ceramic coating, which has a highly porous, rough surface that is favourable for incorporating polypropylene... 

The failure analysis of a ruptured superheater tube after 20. years service in the oil-fueled boiler, as the typical problems in power plants, was investigated. A thin-lipped rupture at failed region was observed in superheater tube. By measuring the tube's wall thicknesses far from failed region, non-uniformity was seen. The suggested main root cause of failure was fireside corrosion of the tube during the service. Because of low grade of used fuel, sodium, sulfur, and vanadium elements were observed at the outer surface, which caused continuously scale formation and reduction of wall thickness, by metal consumption. In addition, it seems that it has been worsened by occurrence of long-term... 

In this work, friction stir soldering (FSS) as a new approach for fabrication of copper/copper lap joints was introduced. This process is principally based on the friction stir processing (FSP) that can be performed using FSP tools with and without pin on the top sheet. In the present study, Pb-Sn foil was used as a solder which would be melted and then extruded in the area between the copper sheets during FSS process. This process was carried out using tools with and without pin at various rotation speeds of 1200, 1400, and 1600 rpm and traverse speed of 32 mm/min. Also, the same joint was fabricated using furnace soldering to compare the mechanical properties obtained with FSS and furnace... 

In this study, the artificial neural network (ANN) and the Taguchi method are employed to optimize the radial force and strain inhomogeneity in radial forging process. The finite element analysis of the process verified by the microhardness test (to confirm the predicted strain distribution) and the experimental forging load published by the previous researcher are used to predict the strain distribution in the final product and the radial force. At first, a combination of process parameters are selected by orthogonal array for numerical experimenting by Taguchi method and then simulated by FEM. Then the optimum conditions are predicted via the Taguchi method. After that, by using the FEM... 

In this work, the feasibility of friction stir lap welding an aluminium alloy (Al-5083) to the aluminium clad steel sheet was studied. The welded joints were characterised by various methods including shear-tensile test and optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated that sound and defect free joints were obtained. The fracture loads of the samples reached up to 94% compared with that of the steel base metal. Moreover, the joint strength linearly increased with the decrease in thickness of the aluminium layer roll bonded on the steel sheet. It was also shown that welding rotation and travel speed variation did not considerably impact the fracture loads in the... 

Al-1100/St-12 aluminum clad steel sheets were produced using roll bonding process at different reductions in thickness and with various supplemental annealing treatments. Experiments were conducted by applying the Taguchi method to obtain optimum condition for maximizing the joint strength. The joint strengths of the bi-layer sheets were evaluated by peel test. The Al/Fe intermetallic phases at the joint interface and the peeled surfaces were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and Vickers microhardness test were performed to characterize the intermetallic compounds. The results indicate that at the optimum condition of 0.50 reduction in... 

In-situ aluminum matrix composites were fabricated by 1-3 passes of friction stir process (FSP) using iron (Fe) particles with initial size of 10. μm. Although the initial reinforcing particles were relatively large in size and also agglomerated particles were formed in the obtained composites, all of the processed specimens fractured from the base metal during transverse tensile test. Longitudinal tensile tests revealed that the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the composites was up to 43% higher than that of the base metal; however, the strain to fracture of the composites reached to about 0.2. Al-Fe intermetallic compounds (IMCs) formed at the interface of the aluminum matrix and Fe... 

The oxidation behavior of three types of stainless steels, namely AISI 321, AISI 316, and AISI 409, was compared. In all stainless steels, oxide layers were formed and their masses and thicknesses increased with oxidation time. Among them, AISI 409 ferritic stainless steel demonstrated higher oxidation rate. According to the kinetical oxidation behavior of them at elevated temperatures, the oxidation mechanism was determined. Among them, the AISI 409 ferritic stainless steel showed the lowest and AISI 321 austenitic stainless steel demonstrated the highest oxidation resistance. Based on the experimental results, it was suggested that the kinetic of oxide growth in stainless steels was...