Tue, 17 January, 2023
Two new papers have been published in journals to highlight how the CoreFlowTM process is being investigated for metals and alloys research.
CoreFlowTM is a disruptive solid state, sub-surface machining technique that was developed from friction stir welding (FSW) and friction stir channelling (FSC), allowing subsurface networks of channels to be introduced into two and three-dimensional parts in a single manufacturing step.
The two new papers have been published in Scripta Materialia and MSEA, focussing on magnesium and aluminium alloy.
The first paper, ‘A novel approach for producing Mg-3Al-1Zn-0.2Mn alloy wire with a promising combination of strength and ductility using CoreFlowTM’ shows how Mg-3Al-1Zn-0.2Mn (wt.%, AZ31B) wires were successfully produced from commercial hot-rolled plates in one step using the CoreFlowTM process.
The process saw the wire elongation increased by 58% with equivalent engineering ultimate tensile strength compared to the as-received material. The study showed how this good combination of strength and ductility was attributed to grain refinement with heterogeneity, texture weakening, and homogeneously redistributed second phase particles.
The second paper, ‘Microstructure evolution and tensile behaviour of fine-grained 6082 Al wire with high ultimate strength and high work hardening by friction stir extrusion of bulk Al sheet,’ investigates the development of a fine-grained aluminium (Al) alloy wire with high ultimate tensile strength (316.8 MPa) and high work hardening capability (n = 0.34) using a novel bulk-consolidation friction stir extrusion (FSE) technique enabled by the CoreFlow™ process based on FSE processed 6082-T6 Al sheet.
The paper demonstrates how the wide range of variations in the mechanical properties of CoreFlowed Al wire under different conditions provides significant freedom in tailoring the mechanical properties of alloy wire in applications.
These two studies demonstrate how TWI works alongside universities to support the continued development of work for the benefit of our Members.
You can see both papers at the links, below: