Characterisation of joint properties through spatial mapping of cracks in fatigue specimens, extracted from the linearly friction welded steel coupon

Linear friction welding (LFW) is widely used for the fabrication of high-value components in the aero-industry. The versatility of use and high integrity of joints produced by LFW, suggest that this technology could contribute greatly to sustainable engineering of the future. For example, in near-net-shape manufacturing, LFW is predicted to offer a substantial reduction in material waste and processing time, in addition to offering the capability of bonding material pairs currently difficult to fusion weld. LFW of steel components is seldom researched in published literature, with little information available on fatigue strength and fracture behaviour of such joints. This may hamper the confidence needed to popularise LFW in wider industry. Thusly, authors conducted a discovery-oriented fatigue study, followed by metallography and micro-hardness tests, conducted on a 100Cr steel LFW coupon and corresponding batch of parent material. The weld coupon was dissected into a set of fatigue specimens, to allow mapping of the joint's internal properties through individual fatigue estimates and fracture morphology of each specimen in the set. A prototype fatigue machine was constructed, designed to deliver independent displacement and force controlled bending or torsional loadings, representing complex realworld conditions more accurately than common, uniaxial tests. The hour-glass shape of fatigue specimens allowed for targeting strictly the weld region, inducing fracture at the weakest material section, which was found to lay far outside the immediate contact interface. Referencing distances from fracture points to the theoretical weld interface plane in each fatigue trial, resulted in discovery of a macroscopic pattern. Interpolated to a crack initiation plane, this pattern is proposed to reflect the heat-affected zone, across the greater LFW coupon. Authors also studied crack paths and suggest a link between fracture direction, residual stresses in joint and angular orientation of the crack initiation plane in respect to the theoretical weld interface.

Automated summary

LFW technology offers versatile use and high integrity joints, potentially contributing to sustainable engineering in the future. However, limited research on LFW of steel components and lack of information on fatigue strength and fracture behavior may hinder its wider industrial adoption.