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Cross section of the macrograph (a), SEM micrograph of grains and distribution of intermetallic particles in FSLW 1 (b) top (c) bottom and FSLW 2 (d) top (e) bottom. 

Cross section of the macrograph (a), SEM micrograph of grains and distribution of intermetallic particles in FSLW 1 (b) top (c) bottom and FSLW 2 (d) top (e) bottom. 

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The corrosion behavior at different positions (top and bottom) of the weld nugget zone along the thickness plates in AA6061-T6 aluminum alloys welded by friction stir lap welding, under the conditions of 1000 rpm-60 mm/min and 900 rpm-40 mm/min in a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution, was investigated by Tafel polarization at ambient temperature. The morphology...

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... friction-stir lap welding (FSLW) process and joint design used in this research are depicted in the schematic in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1, the dimensions of each overlapping plate were up to 220 mm in length and 140 mm in width, allowing them to be longitudinally overlap welded parallel to the plate's rolling direction using an automatic CNC machine. The overlap along the linear direction of the plate was 50 mm wide. A welding fixture was designed to tightly clamp the lapped parent alloy to be welded on the worktable. A supporting plate of identical thickness was placed underneath the upper plate to help align and stabilize the plates to be welded. A single FSLW pass was performed along the longitudinal centerline of the overlap. The chosen tool parameters used for welding in this work are given in Table 2, and the welding conditions are listed in Table 3. To improve the weld joining, the tool was tilted 3 degrees from the plate's normal direction toward the trailing side of the tool during welding. Additionally, a clockwise rotational direction was ...
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... friction-stir lap welding (FSLW) process and joint design used in this research are depicted in the schematic in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1, the dimensions of each overlapping plate were up to 220 mm in length and 140 mm in width, allowing them to be longitudinally overlap welded parallel to the plate's rolling direction using an automatic CNC machine. The overlap along the linear direction of the plate was 50 mm wide. A welding fixture was designed to tightly clamp the lapped parent alloy to be welded on the worktable. A supporting plate of identical thickness was placed underneath the upper plate to help align and stabilize the plates to be welded. A single FSLW pass was performed along the longitudinal centerline of the overlap. The chosen tool parameters used for welding in this work are given in Table 2, and the welding conditions are listed in Table 3. To improve the weld joining, the tool was tilted 3 degrees from the plate's normal direction toward the trailing side of the tool during welding. Additionally, a clockwise rotational direction was ...
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... compare the corrosion behavior of the test samples, Tafel polarization curves were plotted using a PARSTAT 2273 equipped with the Power Suite software according to the ASM standard 15 in a 3.5 wt% aerated NaCl aqueous solution (pH = 5.5) at ambient temperature. Prior to placing the test samples in the open glass vessel containing the test solution for use as a corrosion cell, they were embedded in cold-setting resins in order to expose only a single surface to the test solution, and these were connected electrically with a copper wire after being set in a polyethylene tube. Immediately prior to each experiment, the surface of the sample was dipped in concentrated HNO 3 for 30 s. The electrochemical measurement consisted of a standard three electrode setup with the sample as the working electrode, including both the top and bottom regions of the nugget (0.3 cm 2 ), a saturated calomel electrode SCE (0.242 V vs. SHE) as the reference electrode, and a graphite rod as the counter electrode. The Tafel polarization curves were recorded in the potential range of -0.25 mV to +0.75 mV with respect to the OCP at a scan rate of 1 mVs -1 after allowing a steady-state potential to develop for 30 min. The corrosion potentials (E corr ) and corrosion current densities (I corr ) were calculated using Tafel extrapolation methods. All the experiments in this study were repeated at least twice to ensure reproducibility. Figure 1 depicts the backscattered electron micrographs of the grains and distribution of intermetallic particles at different WNZ positions for FSLW 1 as 1000 rpm-60 mm/min and FSLW 2 as 900 rpm-40 mm/min. The EDS analyses of the intermetallic particles are summarized in Table 3. Two types of intermetallic particles, including the Fe-rich and the Si-rich particles are observed as transparent and dark particles, respectively. Indeed, for FSW under different values of ω (rpm) and ʋ (mm/min), the temperature and material flow patterns have been studied by numerous researchers. Fratini and Buffa 16 reported that with increasing ω (rpm) and decreasing ʋ (mm/min), the quality of the welding will be enhanced due to the increase in stirring effects. Furthermore, according to Arbegast and Hartley 17 , both the tool rotational speed (ω, rpm) and the welding speed (ʋ, mm/min) display a significant effect on the thermal input and mechanical properties. Ren et al. 18 demonstrated that it is difficult to quantitatively estimate the thermal input (Heat Index, HI) and mechanical properties due to the change in both rotation speed (ω) and welding speed (ʋ). Based on experimental thermal observation, a Heat Index (HI) parameter has been used to represent the thermal input during FSW, which is defined as [19][20][21] ...
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... the welding process, the electro spark wire- electrode cutting machine was used to remove sample cross sections from the welded plate's perpendicular to the welding direction for microstructural examination and corrosion studies. As a result, the samples were cut along the welding direction to separate the weld nugget zone (WNZ) from the welded joints. Then, the WNZ was sliced into two zones (top and bottom) along the thickness of the plates, as shown in Figure 1a. The samples were used in the flat configuration after careful preparation by applying Table 1. Nominal composition of parent alloy used in the welding test (in ...
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... to Figure 1, the average grain size in the bottom WNZ half of FSLW 1 and FSLW 2 is slightly larger than that in the top half, showing an indistinct recrystallized structure. It is apparent that, as shown in Figure 1, the sizes of the intermetallic particles in the bottom halves of the WNZ in FSLW 1 and FSLW 2 are larger than in the top halves, but the distribution of intermetallic particles in the top half of the WNZ is greater than that at the bottom for both welding conditions. This can be attributed to the generation of different heat profiles in the FSLW 1 and FSLW 2, showing microstructure inhomogeneity in the weld nugget zones. Due to the higher pressure on the upper plate, established as the result of friction in the upper plate shoulder rather than the bottom plate, the average grain size in the top half of the nugget was smaller than that in the bottom half for both welding conditions. In addition, Hariri et al. 22 proved that by increasing the (ω 2 /ʋ) ratio, the maximum friction heat generation (i.e., Heat index) in the WNZ increases, generating coarse recrystallized grains in the weld nugget zone. Therefore, the average grain size in the weld nugget zone of FSLW 2 was larger than that of FSLW 1. In this manner, it was also observed that the average grain size in the top half of the WNZ decreased compared to that of the bottom half in the FSLW 2 with respect to the FSLW 1. Furthermore, in the FSLW 1, as a result of the higher rotation speed, excess plastic flow material was created, resulting in turbulence arising in the plastic flow field. Thus, the average grain size decreased in the FSLW 1 rather than in the FSLW 2 for both halves of the weld nugget zones. It is clear that the plastic deformation was reduced along the thickness of plates. Therefore, the intermetallic particles in the top half of the WNZ experience greater mechanical stirring and crushing mechanics, resulting in smaller particles than in the bottom (Figure 1). Additionally, it can be seen from Figure 1 that for the FSLW 2, the intermetallic particles rich in Fe and Si underwent an abnormal growth because of the localized high temperature, and as a result, they were separately distributed in the Al matrix on the top and bottom of the weld nugget ...
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... to Figure 1, the average grain size in the bottom WNZ half of FSLW 1 and FSLW 2 is slightly larger than that in the top half, showing an indistinct recrystallized structure. It is apparent that, as shown in Figure 1, the sizes of the intermetallic particles in the bottom halves of the WNZ in FSLW 1 and FSLW 2 are larger than in the top halves, but the distribution of intermetallic particles in the top half of the WNZ is greater than that at the bottom for both welding conditions. This can be attributed to the generation of different heat profiles in the FSLW 1 and FSLW 2, showing microstructure inhomogeneity in the weld nugget zones. Due to the higher pressure on the upper plate, established as the result of friction in the upper plate shoulder rather than the bottom plate, the average grain size in the top half of the nugget was smaller than that in the bottom half for both welding conditions. In addition, Hariri et al. 22 proved that by increasing the (ω 2 /ʋ) ratio, the maximum friction heat generation (i.e., Heat index) in the WNZ increases, generating coarse recrystallized grains in the weld nugget zone. Therefore, the average grain size in the weld nugget zone of FSLW 2 was larger than that of FSLW 1. In this manner, it was also observed that the average grain size in the top half of the WNZ decreased compared to that of the bottom half in the FSLW 2 with respect to the FSLW 1. Furthermore, in the FSLW 1, as a result of the higher rotation speed, excess plastic flow material was created, resulting in turbulence arising in the plastic flow field. Thus, the average grain size decreased in the FSLW 1 rather than in the FSLW 2 for both halves of the weld nugget zones. It is clear that the plastic deformation was reduced along the thickness of plates. Therefore, the intermetallic particles in the top half of the WNZ experience greater mechanical stirring and crushing mechanics, resulting in smaller particles than in the bottom (Figure 1). Additionally, it can be seen from Figure 1 that for the FSLW 2, the intermetallic particles rich in Fe and Si underwent an abnormal growth because of the localized high temperature, and as a result, they were separately distributed in the Al matrix on the top and bottom of the weld nugget ...
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... to Figure 1, the average grain size in the bottom WNZ half of FSLW 1 and FSLW 2 is slightly larger than that in the top half, showing an indistinct recrystallized structure. It is apparent that, as shown in Figure 1, the sizes of the intermetallic particles in the bottom halves of the WNZ in FSLW 1 and FSLW 2 are larger than in the top halves, but the distribution of intermetallic particles in the top half of the WNZ is greater than that at the bottom for both welding conditions. This can be attributed to the generation of different heat profiles in the FSLW 1 and FSLW 2, showing microstructure inhomogeneity in the weld nugget zones. Due to the higher pressure on the upper plate, established as the result of friction in the upper plate shoulder rather than the bottom plate, the average grain size in the top half of the nugget was smaller than that in the bottom half for both welding conditions. In addition, Hariri et al. 22 proved that by increasing the (ω 2 /ʋ) ratio, the maximum friction heat generation (i.e., Heat index) in the WNZ increases, generating coarse recrystallized grains in the weld nugget zone. Therefore, the average grain size in the weld nugget zone of FSLW 2 was larger than that of FSLW 1. In this manner, it was also observed that the average grain size in the top half of the WNZ decreased compared to that of the bottom half in the FSLW 2 with respect to the FSLW 1. Furthermore, in the FSLW 1, as a result of the higher rotation speed, excess plastic flow material was created, resulting in turbulence arising in the plastic flow field. Thus, the average grain size decreased in the FSLW 1 rather than in the FSLW 2 for both halves of the weld nugget zones. It is clear that the plastic deformation was reduced along the thickness of plates. Therefore, the intermetallic particles in the top half of the WNZ experience greater mechanical stirring and crushing mechanics, resulting in smaller particles than in the bottom (Figure 1). Additionally, it can be seen from Figure 1 that for the FSLW 2, the intermetallic particles rich in Fe and Si underwent an abnormal growth because of the localized high temperature, and as a result, they were separately distributed in the Al matrix on the top and bottom of the weld nugget ...
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... to Figure 1, the average grain size in the bottom WNZ half of FSLW 1 and FSLW 2 is slightly larger than that in the top half, showing an indistinct recrystallized structure. It is apparent that, as shown in Figure 1, the sizes of the intermetallic particles in the bottom halves of the WNZ in FSLW 1 and FSLW 2 are larger than in the top halves, but the distribution of intermetallic particles in the top half of the WNZ is greater than that at the bottom for both welding conditions. This can be attributed to the generation of different heat profiles in the FSLW 1 and FSLW 2, showing microstructure inhomogeneity in the weld nugget zones. Due to the higher pressure on the upper plate, established as the result of friction in the upper plate shoulder rather than the bottom plate, the average grain size in the top half of the nugget was smaller than that in the bottom half for both welding conditions. In addition, Hariri et al. 22 proved that by increasing the (ω 2 /ʋ) ratio, the maximum friction heat generation (i.e., Heat index) in the WNZ increases, generating coarse recrystallized grains in the weld nugget zone. Therefore, the average grain size in the weld nugget zone of FSLW 2 was larger than that of FSLW 1. In this manner, it was also observed that the average grain size in the top half of the WNZ decreased compared to that of the bottom half in the FSLW 2 with respect to the FSLW 1. Furthermore, in the FSLW 1, as a result of the higher rotation speed, excess plastic flow material was created, resulting in turbulence arising in the plastic flow field. Thus, the average grain size decreased in the FSLW 1 rather than in the FSLW 2 for both halves of the weld nugget zones. It is clear that the plastic deformation was reduced along the thickness of plates. Therefore, the intermetallic particles in the top half of the WNZ experience greater mechanical stirring and crushing mechanics, resulting in smaller particles than in the bottom (Figure 1). Additionally, it can be seen from Figure 1 that for the FSLW 2, the intermetallic particles rich in Fe and Si underwent an abnormal growth because of the localized high temperature, and as a result, they were separately distributed in the Al matrix on the top and bottom of the weld nugget ...
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... is clear that both increasing ω and decreasing ʋ (increasing the (ω 2 /ʋ) ratio) result in an increase in the FSW Heat Index. Accordingly, and based on the principles of grain growth, the grain size of the structure is increased at faster ʋ (Figure 1). According to Table 2, the HI in the FSLW 2 is higher than that in the FSLW 1; thus, the average grain size in the WNZ of FSLW 1 is smaller than that of FSLW 2, resulting in FSLW1 having a finer grain structure than FSLW 2. Furthermore, the quantity of the coarse intermetallic particles and their distributions are promoted with the increased Heat Index (HI) in FSLW 2 rather than FSLW 1 (Figure ...
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... is clear that both increasing ω and decreasing ʋ (increasing the (ω 2 /ʋ) ratio) result in an increase in the FSW Heat Index. Accordingly, and based on the principles of grain growth, the grain size of the structure is increased at faster ʋ (Figure 1). According to Table 2, the HI in the FSLW 2 is higher than that in the FSLW 1; thus, the average grain size in the WNZ of FSLW 1 is smaller than that of FSLW 2, resulting in FSLW1 having a finer grain structure than FSLW 2. Furthermore, the quantity of the coarse intermetallic particles and their distributions are promoted with the increased Heat Index (HI) in FSLW 2 rather than FSLW 1 (Figure ...
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... some of the more complicated multi-pass processes compared to the FSW (e.g., equal channel angular pressing), the influence of texture variation (in addition to the grain size) on corrosion behavior should be considered 22,23 . However, during FSW, the extensive shear plastic deformation is the primary phenomenon, leading to a dynamic recrystallized fine grain microstructure in the WNZ 8,24 . Meanwhile, due to the rapid heat transfer and the reduction in plastic deformation along the thickness of the plates, the grain size in the top half of the WNZ is smaller than that in the bottom half for FSLW 1 and FSLW 2 (Figure ...

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