Friction Stir Superplasticity for Unitized Structures
A volume in the Friction Stir Welding and Processing Book Series

Discover how friction stir superplasticity can be used to create thicker unitized structures with several added benefits over conventional superplastic forming methods, such as increased efficiency, lower cost, and reduction of failure

Zongyi Ma (Author), Rajiv S. Mishra (Author)

9780124200067, Elsevier Science

Paperback, published 29 May 2014

108 pages
22.9 x 15.1 x 0.9 cm, 0.31 kg

This book describes the fundamentals and potential applications of ‘friction stir superplasticity for unitized structures’. Conventional superplastic forming of sheets is limited to the thickness of 3 mm because the fine grained starting material is produced by rolling. Friction stir superplasticity has grown rapidly in the last decade because of the effectiveness of microstructural refinement. The thickness of the material remains almost constant, and that allows for forming of thick sheets/plates, which was not possible before. The field has reached a point where designers have opportunities to expand the extent of unitized structures, which are structures in which the traditional primary part and any supporting structures are fabricated as a single unit. With advanced optimization and material considerations, this class of structures can be lighter weight and more efficient, making them less costly, as well as mechanically less complex, reducing areas of possible failure.

1. Introduction2. Friction stir microstructure for superplasticity 3. High-strain-rate superplasticity 4. Low temperature superplasticity 5. Superplasticity of cast alloy – an example6. Superplastic deformation mechanism7. Enhanced deformation kinetics8. Cavitation during superplasticity9. Abnormal grain growth10. Superplastic forming of friction stir processed plates11. Potential of extending superplasticity to thick sections12. Summary 13. References

Subject Areas: Structural engineering [TNC], Materials science [TGM], Metals technology / metallurgy [TDM]