CDRX modelling in friction stir welding of AA7075-T6 aluminum alloy: Analytical approaches

Friction stir welding (FSW) is an energy efficient and environmentally “friendly” (no fumes, noise, or sparks) welding process, during which the workpiece are welded together in a solid-state joining process at a temperature below the melting point of the workpiece material under a combination of extruding and forging. Significant microstructural evolution takes place during FSW: in particular continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX) phenomena result in a highly refined grain structure in the weld nugget and strongly affect the final joint resistance. In the paper two different analytical models aimed to the determination of the average grain size due to continuous dynamic recrystallization phenomena in FSW processes of AA7075-T6 aluminum alloys have been implemented in a 3D FEM model and numerical analyses of the welding processes have been performed to verify their effectiveness.