Thermal-Mechanical and Microstructural Simulation of Rotary Friction Welding Processes by Using Finite Element Method

Area of Science:

• Materials Science and Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Computational Materials Science

Background:

• Rotary friction welding is vital for joining components in advanced industries.
• Experimental measurement of thermomechanical and microstructural parameters is challenging and costly.
• Superalloys like Inconel 718 are critical in high-performance applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To simulate the thermomechanical and microstructural evolution during rotary friction welding of Inconel 718 tubes using the finite element method.
• To reduce the cost and complexity associated with experimental analysis.
• To establish a correlation between thermomechanical and microstructural parameters.

Main Methods:

• Finite element method (FEM) for thermomechanical and microstructural simulation.
• Johnson-Avrami model implemented via FORTRAN subroutine for microstructural analysis.
• Verification of simulation results against experimental data.

Main Results:

• Numerical simulations accurately predicted temperature, strain, strain rate, dynamic recrystallization, and grain size distribution.
• Calculated recrystallization zone thickness (480-850 μm) closely matched experimental values (500-800 μm).
• Predicted grain size (2.07-2.15 μm) aligned with experimental measurements (1.9-2.2 μm).

Conclusions:

• FEM simulation is a cost-effective and reliable tool for analyzing rotary friction welding of Inconel 718.
• The study demonstrates predictable microstructure evolution correlated with thermomechanical changes.
• The developed model provides insights into optimizing welding parameters for desired material properties.