Ultrasonic Measurements of Residual Stresses Caused by Severe Thermomechanical Deformation during FSW

In engineering processes, residual stresses can be intense once high plastic deformation and temperature gradient are involved. This is exactly the case for friction stir welding (FSW) in which both rotational and translational movements of the tool induce extreme temperature gradient and plastic deformation. In this research, the extents of longitudinal and transverse residual stresses are measured within the AA7075-T6 plates welded through FSW process using ultrasonic method. According to the obtained results, it can be found that the residual stress is of the tensile type adjacent to the welding line whereas it is of the compressive type far from the welding line. Another observation is that the longitudinal residual stresses are considerably greater than the transverse residual stresses. Furthermore, with the aim of investigating the effects of rotation and traverse velocities of the tool on residual stress, experiments are carried out at three different rotation and traverse velocities. Based on the acquired results, it is observed that upon increasing the rotation and traverse velocities, the longitudinal and transverse residual stresses decrease and increase, respectively.