Friction Stir Welding (FSW) of Aged CuCrZr Alloy

Plates
KAUSHAL JHA, SANTOSH KUMAR, K. NACHIKET, K. BHANUMURTHY,
and G.K. DEY

Friction Stir Welding (FSW) of Cu-0.80Cr-0.10Zr (in wt pct) alloy under aged condition was
performed to study the effects of process parameters on microstructure and properties of the
joint. FSW was performed over a wide range of process parameters, like tool-rotation speed
(from 800 to 1200 rpm) and tool-travel speed (from 40 to 100 mm/min), and the resulting
thermal cycles were recorded on both sides (advancing and retreating) of the joint. The joints
were characterized for their microstructure and tensile properties. The welding process resulted
in a sound and defect-free weld joint, over the entire range of the process parameters used in this
study. Microstructure of the stir zone showed fine and equiaxed grains, the scale of which varied
with FSW process parameters. Grain size in the stir zone showed direct correlation with tool
rotation and inverse correlation with tool-travel speed. Tensile strength of the weld joints was
ranging from 225 to 260 MPa, which is substantially lower than that of the parent metal under
aged condition (~ 400 MPa), but superior to that of the parent material under annealed
condition (~ 220 MPa). Lower strength of the FSW joint than that of the parent material under
aged condition can be attributed to dissolution of the precipitates in the stir zone and TMAZ.
These results are presented and discussed in this paper.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-017-4413-2
 The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM International 2017

I. INTRODUCTION and simulation for computation of the resulting thermal

FRICTION stir welding (FSW) is a solid-state
joining process invented by The Welding Institute
(TWI), UK.[1] This process facilitates joining of similar
and dissimilar materials, which are otherwise difficult to
weld by fusion welding techniques.[2–6] This process is
free of pollutants like fumes, fluxes, and slag, and
eliminates many problems associated with the fusion
welding, such as inclusions, porosity, micro- and
macrosegregation, grain coarsening in the fusion zone,
and the HAZ. This process was developed initially for
aluminum alloys; however, it has evolved substantially
over the years and has become suitable for joining of a
large number of materials.[7–16] In addition to the
experimental studies on the different aspects of the
FSW process and the resulting weld joints, substantial
amount of work has been devoted for process modeling
KAUSHAL JHA and G.K. DEY are with the Bhabha Atomic
Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai 400 085, Maharashtra, India and
also with the Homi Bhabha National Institute, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai
400094, Maharashtra, India. Contact e-mail: kaushal@barc.gov.in
SANTOSH KUMAR and K. NACHIKET are with the Bhabha Atomic
Research Centre. K. BHANUMURTHY is with the Indian Institute of
Technology, Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400 076, Maharashtra, India.
Manuscript submitted July 5, 2017.
Article published online November 20, 2017
field and flow field.[17–21]
Copper and its alloys are technologically important
materials primarily because of their high thermal and
electrical conductivities. Very high thermal conductivity
of copper and several of its alloys permits efficient heat
removal. Welding of copper is generally difficult by
conventional fusion welding processes because of its
high thermal diffusivity. Thermal conductivity of copper
is nearly thrice than that of aluminum. Therefore, the
heat-input requirement for melting the metal is very
high. During arc welding, they are also susceptible to
embrittlement of the weld joint. Oxygen gets dissolved in
liquid metal and subsequently segregates at the grain
boundaries during solidification, leading to embrittle-
ment. In precipitation-hardened alloys, oxygen can
combine with the other alloying elements in the melt
pool, and this may compromise the strength of the joint.
These problems associated with welding of copper and
its alloys can be largely overcome by employing FSW.
For this reason, substantial study has been performed
on friction stir welding (FSW) and friction stir process-
ing (FSP) of Cu and its alloys.[22–30]
Lee et al.[22] have reported production of sound weld
joint between Cu plates of 4-mm thickness by FSW at a
tool-rotation speed of 1250 rpm and a tool traverse
speed of 61 mm/min. They have reported that the joint
exhibited 87 pct tensile strength compared with the

METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A VOLUME 49A, JANUARY 2018—223

parent metal and attributed the loss of strength to the
annealing effects. Polar et al.[23] have reported thermal
cycle, microstructural attributes, and tensile properties
of FSW joints between electrolytic tough pitch copper
plates of 3.175-mm thickness. They have reported
equiaxed grains of 15 lm in the stir zone and 30 lm in
the thermomechanically affected zone (TMAZ) com-
pared to ~ 22 lm in the parent metal, resulting from
dynamic recrystallization and grain growth. They
reported a peak temperature of 445 C at 4.7 mm
distance from the tool shoulder. Shen et al.[25] have
reported FSW of Cu at different tool traverse speeds,
ranging from 25 to 200 mm/min, at a fixed tool-rotation
speed of 600 rpm. They have reported progressively
finer microstructure in the stir zone with the increasing
tool traverse speed. Sound weld joints with nearly
similar tensile strengths and elongations were produced
for tool-traverse speeds of up to 150 mm/min, while the
joint made at 200 mm/min tool-traverse speed exhibited
lower tensile strength and elongation, primarily because
of defects in the joint. Sun et al.[26] have reported FSW
of 2-mm-thick copper plates over a wide range of
process parameters like tool-rotation speeds (from 400
to 1200 rpm), tool traverse (from 200 to 800 mm/min)
and applied load (from 1000 to 1500 kg). They have
reported that increasing the load was more effective in
refining the microstructure in the stir zone, than
reducing the tool rotation. They have reported grain
size as low as 3.8 lm in stir zone compared to 20 lm in
the base metal and a joint strength approaching that of
the base metal. Hawang et al.[27] have reported thermal
cycle, microstructure, and tensile properties of the
friction stir-welded joints in 3.1-mm-thick copper plates,
made at two sets of process parameters (800 rpm/30 mm
per min and 900 rpm/50 mm per min). They have
reported peak temperatures ranging from 520 to 530 C,
at ~ 12 mm distance from the tool shoulder. The tensile
strength of the joint was ~ 60 pct of that of the base
metal. Xu et al.[28] have reported that cooling by liquid
CO2 during FSW of copper was very effective in grain
refinement in the stir zone, as it restricted the postweld
annealing effects, leading to a grain size of as low as
1.8 lm. They have reported substantially higher
(~ 100 pct increase) tensile strength for the joint than
that of the parent metal produced at large load and low
welding speed. Xue et al.[29] have produced ultrafine
microstructure (grain size as low as 0.4 lm) in the stir
zone by performing FSP at 400 rpm under water and
using additional water for cooling, to arrest postdefor-
mation annealing processes. Xu et al.[30] have also
applied large load (5 t) FSW at low tool-rotation speed
(20 rpm) and low tool-travel speed (10 mm/min) to
produce a very fine microstructure (grain size ~ 0.5 lm)
with improved strength and ductility, compared to much
coarser microstructure (grain size ~ 17 lm) in the case
of conventional FSW (600 rpm and 100 mm/min).
Thus, the review of the existing literature throws up
substantial study on FSW of commercially pure Cu and
microstructural characterization and evaluation of the
tensile properties of the resulting joints. However,
commercially pure copper has limited capabilities to
handle structural loads, because of their relatively lower
224—VOLUME 49A, JANUARY 2018
strength, fracture toughness, and relatively low melting
point. Addition of nearly 1.0 wt pct chromium (Cr) and
0.1 pct wt pct zirconium (Zr) to copper results in a
heat-treatable alloy CuCrZr, which may be solutionized
and subsequently aged to produce a good combination
of these desirable properties. CuCrZr is an excellent and
unique copper alloy, which offers a good combination of
hardness, mechanical strength, ductility, and electrical
and thermal conductivities. In addition, it has very good
resistance against softening at elevated temperatures.
This alloy is being considered as heat sink material for
fusion reactor components, such as first wall and
diverter.[31–40] Besides strength, fatigue performance is
also a major consideration for the applications involving
high heat flux leading to substantial and varied thermal
loading. Such thermal cycles result in substantial fatigue
loading, which must be accommodated by the structure.
Therefore, fabrication and processing technology of
these alloys with both high strength and high conduc-
tivity are in high demand for such high-end applications.
While substantial literature exists on FSW of different
materials, including Cu and its alloys, the literature on
FSW and FSP of CuCrZr is rather scarce.[41] Besides,
the current study, the only reported study involving
FSW of CuCrZr so far, is concerned with wear of the
tool and not with the characteristics of the joint.[41]
Severe thermomechanical cycle associated with FSW
process is likely to substantially alter the microstructure
and therefore, the mechanical properties of this alloy in
the weld region. This is a precipitation-strengthened
alloy and what happens to those precipitates in the stir
zone is an important aspect of the joining of this
material. Considering the technological importance of
this material, FSW of CuCrZr plates was carried out,
and a systematic examination was performed to study
the microstructure and tensile properties of the resulting
joints and to correlate them with the process variables
like tool-rotation and tool-travel speeds. Important
findings of this study have been presented in this paper
and have been discussed in the context of the process
variables and metallurgical attributes of the material.
II. MATERIAL AND METHODS
The CuCrZr alloy plates of 3-mm thickness under
solutionized (980 C, 60 minutes) and aged (450 C,
3 hours) conditions were used in this study. Nominal
composition of this alloy was Cu-0.80Cr-0.10Zr. Under
solutionized and aged conditions, yield strength, ulti-
mate tensile strength, and total elongation of this
material were 310, 400 MPa, and 20 pct, respectively.
A friction stir welding (FSW) machine, jointly
designed and developed by Bhabha Atomic Research
Centre (BARC), Mumbai and M/s ETA Technology,
Bangalore and installed at BARC, Mumbai, was used in
this study (Figure 1(a)). The FSW machine is of 10 t
capacity. The tool can be manipulated in a work
envelope of 700 mm 9 400 mm 9 400 mm to produce
linear, planar, and 3-dimensional weld seams. The
welding machine is equipped with suitable instrumenta-
tion to acquire normal load, torque, and temperature
METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A
(thermocouple-based, 20 channel data-acquisition sys- Welded specimens were visually observed for general
tem) during welding. Temperature of the tool shoulder appearance, and the weld joint cross sections were
at trailing end can be measured in real time using prepared for microstructural analysis using standard
infrared pyrometer. metallographic procedures. The specimens were etched
Full penetration weld joints of 3-mm thickness were using a solution mixture of 25 g FeCl3, 25 ml HCl, and
made in square-butt configuration between plates of 150 100 ml water. Microstructural examination was
mm 9 75 mm 9 3 mm, such that length of the weld
seam was 150 mm. The welding tool was made of
tungsten carbide (Figure 1(b)). It had a shoulder of
20 mm diameter with a taper pin of 2.7 mm length. The
tilt angle with respect to the vertical axis was kept
constant at 1 deg. Initially bead on plate trials were
carried out at various tool-rotation and tool-travel
speed combinations. Dwell time of the tool was also
optimized during bead on plate study. Based on the
experience gained from the bead on plate experiments,
welding was performed over a wide range of tool-rota-
tion speeds (800, 1000 and 1200 rpm)—tool-travel
speeds (40, 60, 80 and 100 mm/min) combinations.
Thermocouples were placed on the either side (advanc-
ing as well as retreating side) of the joint, at 12 mm and
22 mm from the weld centerline, to measure thermal
cycle experience by the material during welding. A
typical setup of welded plates with thermocouples for
temperature measurements is presented in Figure 2. Fig. 2—A typical welding setup showing the plates with thermocou-
ples.

Fig. 1—(a) The Welding Setup and (b) The tool used in these experiments (dimensions shown are in mm).

METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A VOLUME 49A, JANUARY 2018—225

performed using an optical microscope and a scanning
electron microscope. Specimens were prepared from
different regions—stir zone and the parent metal for
detailed microstructural analysis using a transmission
electron microscope (TEM). Transmission electron
microscopy was performed using JEOL microscope
(model: 2000FX).
Cross-weld tensile test specimens with 25-mm gage
length were made keeping the welded region in the
center of the specimen. Tensile tests were performed as
per ASTM E8 standard to determine tensile properties
of the joint. Tensile tests were performed at a strain rate
of 1.33 9 10 4 per second. Load vs cross-head displace-
ment curves were converted into engineering stress–
strain curves based on the original cross section and
gage length of the tensile test specimen.
III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
A. Visual Appearance and Weld Macrograph
During initial trials, voids forming trench-like defects
along the weld length were observed for some length in
the beginning, which disappeared in the final part of the
welds. These voids were present in advancing side. This
behavior suggested inadequate material flow resulting
from insufficient heating of the material in the begin-
ning. These defects were eliminated by increasing the
dwell time of the tool at the beginning of the experi-
ments. Copper, being highly conductive by nature,
transfers and dissipates heat rapidly. Hence, when the
weld progresses, the plate gets preheated, and a good
weld is obtained. Sound weld joints could be produced
over the entire range of the process parameters used in
this study. A typical setup of welded plate of CuCrZr
alloy is presented in Figure 2. Fibrous flash is seen on
the either side of the tool shoulder. This fibrous flash is
evidence of the flow and severe plastic deformation of
the material during FSW. During FSW, the rotating
tool forces the material to flow along and around the
pin, and this change in the direction of flow results in
severe plastic deformation of the material.
The macrographs of the weld, produced at 1200 rpm
and 60 mm/min welding speeds, at the cross section are
presented in Figure 3. This is a representative macro-
graph of friction stir-welded Cu-0.8Cr-0.1Zr plates. This
macrograph showed three distinct regions, the unaf-
fected parent metal, thermomechanically affected zone
(TMAZ), and the stir zone (SZ). TMAZ, which is the
interface between the parent metal and the stir zone, was
not symmetrical on the either side of the joint. This is
because the two sides are not symmetric in terms of
material flow and heat generation. In the advancing
side, the velocity fields of the material both due to tool
rotation and tool travel add up, and as a result, this
leads to higher flow velocity. In the retreating side, the
velocity field of the material due to tool rotation
subtracts from the velocity field of the material due to
tool travel, and, as a result, this leads to lower flow
velocity. Therefore, heat generation is greater in the
advancing side than that in the retreating side.
226—VOLUME 49A, JANUARY 2018
B. Weld Thermal Cycle
Weld thermal cycles recorded at 12 and 22 mm
distances from the weld centerline (which is at 2 and 12
mm distance from the tool shoulder diameter) at the
mid-length along the weld seam, for weld joint made at
800 rpm tool-rotation and 40 mm/min tool-traverse
speeds are presented in Figure 4. Similar tempera-
ture–time profiles were recorded during all the welding
experiments, carried out under different parameters of
tool-rotation and tool-travel conditions used in this
study. It can be seen that the temperature at 2 mm
distance from the tool shoulder increased as the tool
approached toward the measurement location and
reached a peak when the tool was closest to the
thermocouple, and decreased subsequently. This was
expected as these thermocouples are measuring the heat
flowing out of the stir zone and as heat is being
generated in the stir zone by the rotating and traversing
tool; therefore, the temperature had to peak at a time
when the tool was closest to it. The peak temperature at
2 mm from the tool shoulder rose to a peak temperature
of ~ 750 C. The peak temperature at 12 mm distance
from the tool shoulder was ~ 510 C. While there is no
study with which these temperature measurements can
be compared one to one, these results are in conformity
with those reported by Hawang et al. recorded under a
welding condition that is closest to that used in the
present study.[27] The temperature at 12 mm location
reached its peak with a time lag compared to that at 2
mm. This is because the heat is generated in the weld
region and flows outward; therefore, the peak temper-
ature is recorded with a time lag as the distance of
location increased from the weld region.
As the closest location for the temperature measure-
ment was outside of the stir zone, it can be safely
inferred that the peak temperature in the stir zone was
still higher. Even if a linear temperature profile is
assumed between 2 and 12 mm locations, the peak
temperature inside the stir zone becomes more than
800 C, which is ~ 0.8 Tm. This is definitely a conser-
vative assumption; still this temperature is too high for a
material with melting temperature (Tm) of ~ 1090 C.
Such high temperatures in the stir zone and TMAZ are
expected to dissolve the precipitates, responsible for
strengthening of the parent material, and to cause
dynamic as well as postweld recrystallization and grain
growth in the SZ and TMAZ, which was severely
plasticized by the rotating and traversing actions of the
tool shoulder and the tool probe. The peak temperature
at equivalent locations was marginally higher in the
advancing side than that in the retreating side. Similar
weld thermal cycles were reported in the literature
during FSW of different materials.
Effect of tool-travel speed on the weld thermal cycle
could be captured very nicely through these measure-
ments. Temperature–time profiles at 2 mm distance
from tool shoulder diameter during FSW of CuCrZr
plates made at different travel speeds at tool-rotation
speed of 800 rpm are presented in Figure 5. The
temperature–time plots for different welding speeds,
have been shifted on the time scale to align the peak
METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A
Fig. 3—A representative macrograph of the welded cross section showing different regions across the joint.

Fig. 4—Weld thermal cycles at 2 mm and 12 mm from the tool shoulder on either side the weld joint, showing temperature variation experi-
enced by the material during FSW at 800 rpm tool-rotation and 40 mm/min tool-travel speeds.

temperatures, for getting a better feel of the relative
heating and cooling rates at different welding speeds. It
can be seen that there is no significant difference in the
peak temperature with changing tool-travel speed.
However, there is a clear trend observed in the heating
and cooling rates. These rates were higher for higher
tool-travel speed. Although these measurements are not
from the stir zone, these thermocouples are effectively
measuring the heat flowing out from the stir zone, and
therefore, reasonable inferences can be drawn from
these temperature–time plots, about the heat generated
in the stir zone, and the heating and cooling rates
experienced by the material in the stir zone. From this
observation, it can be inferred that lesser heat was
generated at higher tool-travel speed. This was expected
as the time of interaction between the tool and the plate
being joined, which is responsible for heat generation, is
smaller at higher travel speed. This also implies that the
kinetic strength of the weld thermal cycle to cause
dynamic recrystallization and grain growth was more
for the weld joints produced at lower tool-traverse
speed. This is expected to produce a relatively coarser
recrystallized microstructure in the SZ of the weld joints
made at lower tool traverse speed and vice-versa.
The weld thermal cycles recorded at 2 mm distance
from the tool shoulder for the weld joints made at 60
mm/min tool-travel speed and different tool-rotation
speeds are presented in Figure 6. Similar profiles were
recorded at other tool-travel speeds. There is hardly any
difference in the peak temperatures for the thermal
cycles recorded at tool-rotation speeds of 800, 1000, and
1200 rpm. Except for marginally higher heating and
cooling legs for tool-rotation speed of 1200 rpm, there is
hardly any significant difference in the weld thermal
cycles recorded at 2 mm from the tool shoulder, for the
tool-rotation speeds ranging from 800 to 1200 rpm used
in this study. As the temperature rise on this location is
due to the heat flowing out of the stir zone, it can be
inferred that increasing the tool-rotation speed beyond
800 rpm could not generate significantly higher heat in
the stir zone. This goes contrary to the generally
accepted fact that tool rotation has a much stronger
positive effect on the heat generation during FSW. It is
reasonable to assume that the strong positive correlation
between the heat generated during FSW and the tool
rotation has to taper-off and get plateaued beyond
certain rpm for a particular material. This is because the
material gets too softened and plasticized beyond certain

METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A VOLUME 49A, JANUARY 2018—227

tool-rotation speed and temperature, to offer any
meaningful resistance against the rotating and traveling
tool in order to generate any incremental heat. The
evidence for plateauing of heat generation at higher tool
rotation was observed in our concurrent work on
numerical modeling of FSW of CuCrZr.[42] However,
in that study, the onset of plateauing predicted by the
computed results was shifted toward further higher rpm.
In the current study itself, the peak temperatures in the
stir zone are estimated to be more than 800 C for the
lowest tool-rotation speed (800 rpm) used in this study.
This temperature corresponds to 0.8 Tm, at which the
stir zone is too soft and is unlikely to offer any
significant resistance to the rotating and traversing tool.
However, the marginally higher heat generation in the
stir zone at higher rpm could not be hidden from view
by these measurements as these were made at a distance
from the stir zone, and copper being highly conductive
material by nature, some error is expected to be
associated with the thermocouple measurements. Mar-
ginally higher heating and cooling legs of the thermal
cycle do suggest marginally higher heat generation at
higher rpm.
C. Cross-weld Microstructure
Representative micrographs at different length scales,
from different regions across friction stir-welded
CuCrZr plate (at 1000 rpm and 100 mm/min) are
presented in Figures 7(a) through (h). Similar varia-
tions in cross-weld microstructure were observed under
all the other conditions employed in this study.
Microstructure of the parent metal (Figure 7(a))
showed coarse equiaxed grains resulting from anneal-
ing at substantially high temperature (980 C, 60 min-
utes) prior to aging (at 450 C for 3 hours).
Microstructure of the parent metal at further higher
resolution (Figure 7(b)) showed spherical precipitates
(~ 500 nm) and also rectangular etch pits around these
precipitates. These precipitates were identified as Cr by
EDS and are present because Cr content of this alloy is
substantially more than the solubility limit of Cr in
Cu.[31] Chromium was also observed in other mor-
phologies like rod. TEM images recorded from the
parent metal region (Figure 7(c)) showed uniform
distribution of fine cuboidal precipitates with very high
number density. These precipitates are reported to
result from aging process and are responsible for
precipitation hardening of this alloy.[31]
Interface between the stir zone and the parent metal,
in the vicinity of the tool shoulder, is shown in
Figure 7(d). Flow lines resulting from severe plastic
flow of the material can be seen very clearly, in this
micrograph. This onion ring-like structure is a typical
characteristic of FSW joint.
Micrograph from this region at higher resolution
(Figure 7(e)) shows dynamically recrystallized grains
within the flow bands. Interface between the stir zone
and the parent metal at the mid-thickness level is shown
in Figure 7(f). This shows elongated grains resulting
from plastic flow of the material under the influence of
the rotating tool.
228—VOLUME 49A, JANUARY 2018
Micrograph from the stir zone (Figure 7(g)) shows
fine equiaxed grains of ~ 1 lm size, which resulted from
recrystallization in severely stirred material under the
influence of the heat generated by this stirring process. A
couple of large spherical Cr precipitates are also present
in the stir zone; however, their size is smaller. This hints
at shearing and defragmentation of large spherical Cr
precipitates into finer ones. TEM images recorded from
the stir zone (Figure 7(h)) confirm recrystallization
process in this zone, resulting in the formation of fine
subgrains by rearrangement of dislocations into
small-angle boundaries. Compared with the parent
metal, no rectangular precipitates were observed in the
stir zone micrographs.
The variation in the microstructure of the material
across the friction stir-welded joint is typical and was
observed for all the welding parameters used in this
study. However, the welding parameters showed con-
siderable effect on the microstructure in the stir zone, as
discussed in the following sections.
D. Weld Nugget Microstructure and Tool-Travel Speed
Microstructure in the nugget zone produced at
different tool-travel speeds, ranging from 40 to 100
mm/min and at a fixed tool-rotation speed of 1000 rpm,
is presented in Figures 8(a) through 8(d). A clear trend
is seen in these micrographs, and the same trend was
present in the nugget zone microstructures produced at
other tool-rotation speeds (800 and 1200 rpm) as well.
The weld nugget produced at lowest tool-travel speed of
40 mm/min showed equiaxed grains of ~ 5 lm size. As
the welding speed increased, grain size in the nugget
decreased progressively. The weld nugget produced at
the highest welding speed (100 mm/min), used in this
study, showed very fine microstructure consisting of
high aspect ratio crystallites (length < 1 lm and width
~ 0.2 lm), indicating incomplete recrystallization.
To understand this, we need to look into the
mechanisms for grain refinement in the stir zone. The
mechanisms for grain refinement in the stir zone have
been dealt with extensively in the literature.[23,28–30]
Polar et al.[23] explained the grain refinement by dynamic
recrystallization of the heavily churned stir zone. On the
other hand Xu et al.[28,30] stated that in addition to
dynamic recrystallization of the severely plasticized stir
zone, post deformation annealing processes also play an
important role in determining the final grain size in the
stir zone. He demonstrated this by restricting the post
deformation thermal effects using liquid CO2 to produce
ultrafine grains.[28] The variation in the grain size of the
stir zone with tool-travel speed can be explained by
lower residence time for the heavily churned material,
above recrystallization temperature, at higher tool-tra-
vel speed, and this is supported by the weld thermal
cycles recorded for different tool-travel speed (Figure 5).
As the material is severely deformed in the stir zone, it
was expected to recrystallize provided, it got sufficient
time over recrystallization temperature (0.5 Tm), which
happens to be ~ 400 C in this case. Residence time of
the material above 400 C is ~ 100 seconds for tool-
travel speed of 40 mm/min, whereas it is only 34 seconds
METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A
Fig. 5—Weld thermal cycles at 2 mm away from the tool shoulder for FSW joints made at 800 rpm and different welding (tool-travel) speeds.
Faster heating and cooling of the material with the increasing welding speed is evident from this figure.

Fig. 6—Weld thermal cycles recorded at 2 mm distance at tool shoulder and at mid-length of the weld seam during FSW of CuCrZr plate at 60
mm/min tool travel showing no significant difference in heat generation with changing tool rotation.

for the travel speed of 100 mm/min. Again this is at 2 temperature–time plots associated with welding, it can
mm away from the tool shoulder and not in the stir be inferred that the stir zone was above recrystallization
zone; however, going by the characteristics of temperature for much longer time at slower welding

METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A VOLUME 49A, JANUARY 2018—229

Fig. 7—(a) Large equiaxed grains in the parent metal. (b) High-resolution micrograph showing Cr precipitates. (c) TEM micrograph from the
parent metal region showing fine precipitates responsible for strengthening. (d) Flow lines at the Stir Zone—PM interface in the shoulder region.
(e) Microstructure in the region showing flow lines. (f) Deformed grains at the Stir Zone—PM interface in the mid-thickness region. (g)
Microstructure in the nugget region showing fine recrystallized grains. (h) TEM image from stir zone showing fine recrystallized grains.

230—VOLUME 49A, JANUARY 2018 METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A

Fig. 8—SE micrographs showing effect of tool travel on microstructure in the nugget zone of friction stir-welded joints made at tool-rotation
speed of 1000 rpm and at (a) 40 mm/min, (b) 60 mm/min, (c) 80 mm/min, and (d) 100 mm/min. Progressively larger grains are seen at reduced
tool-travel speed because of longer time available for recrystallization.

Fig. 9—SE micrographs of the stir zone for FSW joints made at tool-travel speed 40 mm/min and (a) at 800 rpm and (b) at 1200 rpm (micro-
graph at 1000 rpm is shown in Fig. 8(a)) showing progressively larger grains at higher tool rotation at a fixed tool-travel speed.

speed than that in case of higher welding speeds. This
explains the variation in the extent of recrystallization
and growth in the stir zone resulting from welding at
different tool-travel speeds.
Another very interesting observation is that the grain
size in the stir zone of CuCrZr alloy is much finer than
that in case of ETP copper or commercially pure copper
as reported in the literature.[21–30] Many innovative
procedures like lower tool rotation, fast cooling with
water or even liquid CO2, and application of large load
with ultralow tool-rotation and low tool-traverse speed
combinations have been used to produce stir zone with
~ 1 lm and sometimes 0.5 lm grain size.[28–30] Stir zone
with grain size of this scale of microstructure and even
finer than that (Figures 8(c) and 8(d)) was produced in
the present study, without any special procedure while
performing FSW. This has something to do with the
chemistry of the material and its influence on the
recrystallization and grain growth behavior. These
aspects need further dedicated and detailed investigation.

METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A VOLUME 49A, JANUARY 2018—231

E. Weld Nugget Microstructure and Tool Rotation
Microstructure in the stir zone produced at a fixed
tool-travel speed of 40 mm/min and different tool-rota-
tion speeds of 800, 1000, and 1200 rpm are shown in
Figures 9(a), 8(a), and 9(b), respectively. It can be seen
that the extent of grain growth showed a positive
correlation with tool rotation, i.e., coarser microstruc-
ture was observed in the stir zone made at higher tool
rotation. The extent of grain growth is appreciably more
Fig. 10—A typical fractograph of FSW joint showing ductile frac-
ture in the weld region.
Fig. 11—Representative tensile test curves for the parent metal (under annealed and aged conditions) and the FSW joints (cross-weld configura-
tion) made under different tool-rotation and tool-travel speeds.
232—VOLUME 49A, JANUARY 2018
at 1200 rpm (grain size ~ 20 lm) than that at 800 and
1000 rpm (grain size ~ 3 to 4 lm). One may suspect that
greater grain growth at higher rpm is because of greater
heat generated at higher tool rotation. However, the
measured thermal cycle does not seem to suggest so. The
thermal cycles recorded at a fixed tool-travel speed and
different tool rotations (Figure 6) show that there is no
appreciable difference in the heat generated in the stir
zone, as a result of increased tool rotation. Therefore,
thermal effects alone cannot explain the appreciably
higher grain growth observed at higher tool rotation.
One possible explanation is the greater homogeniza-
tion of the stirred material at higher rpm. At a fixed
tool-travel speed and higher tool rotation, the net
material addition behind the traversing tool per rpm
will be progressively smaller taking into consideration of
continuity and as also suggested by Reynolds.[18] For
example, at the tool-travel speed of 40 mm/min, the net
stirred material added behind the tool will be 50 lm per
revolution, while it will be 33 lm per revolution in case
of 1200 rpm from continuity considerations. Besides,
size of the stirred zone will be greater at higher rpm. As
a combined effect of these two factors, the stirred zone
will be microchemically more homogeneous at higher
tool rotation. This material is heterogeneous because of
the presence of precipitates and Cr particles. These
precipitates if not dissolved completely are likely to
hinder grain growth by pinning the grain boundaries
resulting from recrystallization. Therefore, greater
homogenization in the stir zone by dissolution of
METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A
precipitates and Cr particles at higher tool rotation is ultimate tensile strength of the weld joint is lower than the
likely to facilitate recrystallization and grain growth. yield strength of the parent metal, only a fraction of the gage
length contributed to the total elongation. Therefore, an
optically comparable elongation of the weld joint implies
F. Cross-weld Tensile Strength
much superior ductility for the weld region or the stir zone.
Tensile specimen for all the welding conditions frac- As the extents of the weld region were different under
tured in ductile manner (Figure 10), in the weld region, different welding conditions, there was substantial scatter in
clearly indicating that the weld was weaker than the the total elongation as well. However, the weld region
parent metal. Engineering stress–strain curves of the covered ~ 50 pct of the gage length, and therefore, it can be
cross-weld tensile specimen extracted from the friction said that elongation of the weld region was much higher
stir-welded plates, produced under two extreme condi- than that of the total elongation of the weld joint as
tions of tool-rotation and tool-travel speed combinations measured using the entire gage length of the cross-weld
corresponding to the lowest and the highest heat inputs tensile specimen.. Based on these results, it can be inferred
to the weld, respectively, i.e., (800 rpm/100 mm per qualitatively that the weld region exhibited a very good
minute and 1200 rpm/40 mm per minute), are presented combination of strength and ductility.
in Figure 11. Engineering stress–strain curves for the
parent material under aged and annealed conditions are
also superimposed for easy and comparative visualiza-
tion. Annealed and aged specimens were also tested at IV. SUMMARY
the same strain rate. It can be seen that compared with
Friction stir welding of Cu-0.8Cr-0.1Zr plates, under
the parent material under aged condition (yield strength
aged condition, was performed, and the joints were
~ 310 MPa and ultimate tensile strength ~ 400 MPa), the
characterized for the microstructure and the tensile
friction stir-welded joints showed ultimate tensile
properties. On the basis of this study, following conclu-
strength of 245 ± 5 MPa. These values suggest appre-
sions can be made.
ciably lower strength (~ 60 pct) of the weld joint com-
Sound and defect-free joints were produced by FSW
pared with the parent metal. However, it is important to
of Cu-0.8Cr-0.1Zr in the tool-rotation speeds ranging
mention that the parent metal was under aged condition,
from 800 to 1200 rpm and tool-travel speeds ranging
and therefore, this comparison is not fair. The lower
from 40 to 100 mm/min.
strength of the weld joint compared with the parent
There was no significant difference in the peak
material is because of dissolution of the strengthening
temperatures recorded at different tool-rotation and
precipitates in the stir zone. A proper comparison will be
tool-travel speeds in the range of process parameters
with the parent material under annealed condition, as the
used in this study. However, the linear heat generation
stir zone and the TMAZ have annealed microstructures.
was greater at lower tool-travel speed. Heating and
Compared with the annealed condition of the parent
cooling rates of the material in the vicinity of the joint
material (yield strength ~ 100 MPa and ultimate tensile
showed positive correlation with tool-travel speed and
strength ~ 220 MPa), the FSW joints showed higher
no correlation with tool rotation, in the range of process
ultimate tensile strength (up nearly 10 pct). Even though
parameters used in this study.
there are no literature data on FSW of CuCrZr, these
Stir zone microstructure showed fine recrystallized
results are consistent with the existing literature on FSW
structure, with varying degrees of recrystallization and
of Cu plates, which reported joint strengths ranging from
grain growth. Extents of recrystallization and grain
60 to 90 pct.[22, 27] The improvement in the strength of
growth showed direct correlation with tool rotation and
the FSW joints compared with the parent material under
inverse correlation with tool-travel speed. Stir zone
annealed condition can be attributed to the highly refined
microstructure did not show the precipitates responsible
microstructure in the stir zone. These findings also throw
for strengthening of this material under aged condition.
up two possibilities for further improving the strength of
The weld joints showed substantially lower (~ 60 pct)
the FSW joints: (1) Post-FSW aging and (2) FSW under
tensile strength compared with the parent metal under
annealed condition followed by aging.
aged condition, and comparable or superior ductility.
As the tensile tests of the weld joints were performed in
Loss of strength of the weld joint can be attributed to
transverse configuration, quantitative estimates of the yield
the dissolution of the precipitates, responsible for
strength and ductility of the weld region cannot be made
strengthening of the material under aged condition.
from these tests.[43] However, some qualitative assessment
of the ductility of the weld region could be made in this case
because of vast differences in the strength of the weld region
and the parent metal. Total elongation of the weld joints, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
which is a composite attribute of the weld region and the
parent metal, is comparable with the parent material under The authors would like to offer sincere thanks to
aged condition and nearly only 50 pct the parent material Mr. U.D. Malshe and Dr. R.N. Singh of Bhabha
under annealed condition. However, this is only optically Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai for their
true. This is because the tests were performed in the support during the course of this work. The authors
cross-weld configuration, with the weld region covering are thankful to Mr. K.N. Mahule, former Head, the
only a fraction of the total gage length. The weld region is Engineering Design & Development Division of
much softer compared with the parent material, and as the BARC for providing support during design of the

METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A VOLUME 49A, JANUARY 2018—233

FSW equipment. The authors would also like to thank
Mr. R.K. Mittal of the Engineering Design & Devel-
opment Division (ED&DD) of BARC and his team
and Mr. B.C. Jamsandekar of ED&DD, BARC for
their support during the commissioning of the FSW
machine and also for conducting these experiments.
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METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A