TWI

Weld zone simulation and ballistic testing were employed to determine the effect of friction stir welding on the ballistic performance in the HAZ, thermomechanically affected zone and nugget, under direct impact, of AA 7010-T7651 high-strength aluminium alloy plate of 30 mm in thickness for light-weight armoured vehicle applications. Welding was carried out at a rotational speed of 400 rpm and travel speed of 60 mm/min. Friction stir processing was used to enable testing of a plate with nugget microstructure, and equivalent isothermal heat treatments were employed to replicate different levels of hardness loss in the HAZ. Ballistic testing with AP NATO rounds was undertaken to establish the V50 limit for each simulated weld zone. Failure modes were examined to study the relation between microstructural damage and the ballistic limit.

7th International Symposium, 20-22 May 2008, Poster Session, Paper 12