Material Flow and Oxide Particle Distributions in Friction-Stir Welded F/M-ODS Sheets

It is well known that uniform nano-oxide dispersoids act as pinning points to obstruct dislocation and grain boundary motion in ODS(Oxide dispersion strengthened) steel. However, these advantages will disappear while the material is subjected to the high temperature of conventional fusion welding. There is only limited literature available on the joining of ODS steels. Friction stir welding (FSW) is considered to be the best welding technique for welding ODS steels as the technique helps in retaining the homogeneous nano-oxide particles distributions in matrix. FSW is a solid.state, hot.shear joining process in which a rotating tool with a shoulder and terminating in a threaded pin, moves along the butting surfaces of two rigidly clamped plates placed on a backing plate. Heat generated by friction at the shoulder and to a lesser extent at the pin surface, softens the material being welded. Severe plastic deformation and flow of this plasticised metal occurs as the tool is translated along the welding direction. Material is transported from the front of the tool to the trailing edge where it is forged into a joint. Friction stir welding appears to be a very promising technique for the welding of FMS and ODS steels. This study found that, during FSW, the forward movement of the tool pin results in loose contact between the tool pin and the receding material on the advancing side