13 Zentrale Universitätseinrichtungen
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://elib.uni-stuttgart.de/handle/11682/14
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Item Open Access Effect of weld length on strength, fatigue behaviour and microstructure of intersecting stitch-friction stir welded AA 6016-T4 sheets(2023) Walz, Dominik; Göbel, Robin; Werz, Martin; Weihe, StefanFriction stir welding is a promising joining process for boosting lightweight construction in the industrial and automotive sector by enabling the weldability of high-strength aluminum alloys. However, the high process forces usually result in large and heavy equipment for this joining method, which conflicts with flexible application. In order to circumvent this issue, a friction stir welding gun has been developed which is capable of producing short stitch welds-either stand-alone as an alternative to spot welds or merging into each other appearing like a conventional friction stir weld. In this study, the influence of the stitch seam length on the strength properties of intersecting friction stir welds is investigated, and the weld is characterized. For this purpose, EN AW-6016 T4 sheets were welded in butt joint configuration with varying stitch lengths between 2 and 15 mm. Both the static and dynamic strength properties were investigated, and hardness and temperature measurements were carried out. The results show a scalability of the tensile strength as well as the fatigue strength over the stitch seam length, while the substitute proof strength is not affected. Hereby, the tensile strength reached up 80% of the base materials tensile strength with the chosen parameter setup. Likewise, the stitch weld length influences the hardness characteristics of the welds in the transition area.Item Open Access Theoretical-numerical investigation of a new approach to reconstruct the temperature field in PBF-LB/M using multispectral process monitoring(2024) May, Lisa; Werz, MartinThe monitoring of additive manufacturing processes such as powder bed fusion enables the detection of several process quantities important to the quality of the built part. In this context, radiation-based monitoring techniques have been used to obtain information about the melt pool and the general temperature distribution on the surface of the powder bed. High temporal and spatial resolution have been achieved at the cost of large storage requirements. This contribution aims to offer an alternative strategy of gaining information about the powder bed’s temperature field with sufficient resolution but with an economical amount of data. The investigated measurement setup uses a spectrometer to detect the spectral radiation intensities emitted by an area enclosing the melt pool and part of its surroundings. An analytical description of this process is presented, which shows that the measured spectral entities can be reconstructed by the Ritz method. It is also shown that the corresponding weighting factors can be physically interpreted as subdomains of constant temperature within the measurement area. Two different test cases are numerically analyzed, showing that the methodology allows for an approximation of the melt pool size while further assumptions remain necessary to reconstruct the actual temperature distribution.Item Open Access Investigation of tool degradation during friction stir welding of hybrid aluminum-steel sheets in a combined butt and overlap joint(2024) Göbel, Robin; Schwertel, Stefanie; Weihe, Stefan; Werz, MartinFriction stir welding, as a solid-state welding technique, is especially suitable for effectively joining high-strength aluminum alloys, as well as for multi-material welds. This research investigates the friction stir welding of thin aluminum and steel sheets, an essential process in the production of hybrid tailor-welded blanks employed in deep drawing applications. Despite its proven advantages, the welding process exhibits variable outcomes concerning formability and joint strength when utilizing an H13 welding tool. To better understand these inconsistencies, multiple welds were performed in this study, joining 1 mm thick steel to 2 mm thick aluminum sheets, with a cumulative length of 7.65 m. The accumulation of material on the welding tool was documented through 3D scanning and weighing. The integrity of the resulting weld seam was analyzed through metallographic sections and X-ray imaging. It was found that the adhering material built up continuously around the tool pin over several welds totaling between 1.5 m and 2.5 m before ultimately detaching. This accretion of material notably affected the welding process, resulting in increased intermixing of steel particles within the aluminum matrix. This research provides detailed insights into the dynamics of friction stir welding in multi-material welds, particularly in the context of tool material interaction and its impact on weld quality.Item Open Access Residual stress formation mechanisms in laser powder bed fusion : a numerical evaluation(2023) Kaess, Moritz; Werz, Martin; Weihe, StefanAdditive manufacturing methods, such as the laser powder bed fusion, do not need any special tool or casting mold. This enables the fast realization of complex and individual geometries with integrated functions. However, the local heat input during the manufacturing process often leads to residual stresses and distortion. This in turn causes poor quality, scrap parts or can even terminate a job prematurely if the powder recoating mechanism collides with a distorted part during the process. This study investigates the generation mechanisms of residual stresses and distortion during laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) of stainless steel 316L in order to reduce these effects and thus contribute to improved process safety and efficiency. Therefore, numerical investigations with a finite element model on the scale of a few melt tracks and layers serve to develop a detailed understanding of the mechanisms during production. The work includes an investigation of the build plate temperature, the laser power and speed and the layer thickness. The results show a strong dependency on the build plate preheating and energy per unit length. A higher build plate temperature and a reduction of the energy per unit length both lead to lower residual stresses.Item Open Access Feasibility study on laser powder bed fusion of ferritic steel in high vacuum atmosphere(2025) Fritz, Steffen; Sewalski, Sven; Weihe, Stefan; Werz, MartinThe boiling point of metals is dependent on the ambient pressure. Therefore, in laser-based fusion welding and additive manufacturing processes, the resulting process regime, ranging from heat conduction welding to the keyhole mode, is also influenced by the process pressure. While laser welding deliberately uses reduced process pressures to achieve the keyhole mode with a lower laser power input as well as a more stable keyhole, there are no positive findings on the laser powder bed fusion process (PBF-LB/M) under vacuum conditions so far. Furthermore, the literature suggests that the process window is significantly reduced, particularly in the high vacuum regime. However, this work demonstrates that components made of the ferritic steel 22NiMoCr3-7 can be successfully manufactured at low process pressures of 2 × 10-2 mbarusing a double-scanning strategy. The strategy consists of a first scan with a defocused laser beam, where the powder is preheated and partially sintered, followed by a second scan with a slightly defocused laser beam, in which the material within a single layer is completely melted. To test this manufacturing strategy, 16 test cubes were manufactured to determine the achievable relative densities and tensile specimens were produced to assess the mechanical properties. Metallographic analysis of the test cubes revealed that relative densities of up to 98.48 ± 1.43% were achieved in the test series with 16 different process parameters. The tensile strength determined ranged from 722 to 724 MPa. Additionally, a benchmark part with complex geometric features was successfully manufactured in a high vacuum atmosphere without the need for a complex parameterization of individual part zones in the scanning strategy.Item Open Access Investigation of the thermo-mechanical modeling of the manufacturing of large-scale wire arc additive manufacturing components with an outlook towards industrial applications(2025) Fritschle, Tim; Kaess, Moritz; Weihe, Stefan; Werz, MartinThe simulation of additive manufacturing processes, such as Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), is becoming increasingly important to predict material and component properties in advance of the real-life manufacturing. In contrast to prior work focusing on the simulation of simplified WAAM parts, this paper presents an investigation into the thermo-mechanical finite element (FE) simulation of the manufacturing of large-scale WAAM components. The investigation focuses on various problems within the individual steps of the FE workflow wherein ABAQUS influences the modeling of large-scale components. The investigations are founded upon a thermo-mechanically coupled FE model in ABAQUS 2020. For this purpose, several thermo-mechanical simulation models are set up with the target of investigating the meshing, element activation and variation of process parameters. Appropriate discretization of WAAM components is found to be a major problem when setting up a simulation. The meshing of the component is limited by the element type and size and the meshing routines used. Also, differences in the axes of motion for the simulation and the real process cause the simulation to differ from reality. High element start temperatures are found to be beneficial for simulation stability and performance. An integrated parameter variation was made possible with the modeling techniques used.Item Open Access Development and evaluation of a robot guided friction stir welding gun(2025) Walz, Dominik; Sommer, Korbinian; Werz, Martin; Weihe, StefanFriction stir welding (FSW) generally involves considerable process forces that require the use of heavy and cost-intensive machines like heavy-duty robots with massive clamping and anvil structures, which limits the flexibility of the application. To address this challenge, the Steppwelder FSW gun was developed at the MPA University of Stuttgart. This innovative welding gun enables the production of short stitch welds that can function as stand-alone alternatives to spot welds or merge seamlessly into continuous welds. The C-shaped frame design enables a closed flux of force within the gun, making it suitable for the attachment to industry standard robots used in automotive body construction processes such as clinching, riveting, or resistance spot welding (RSW). This paper presents the overall design of the welding gun, featuring a spindle and a C-frame optimized for FSW, and examines two design iterations with a focus on their stiffness characteristics. The first design, version 1.5, is an early prototype developed to demonstrate the feasibility of the process. The second version 2.0 incorporates enhancements aimed at increasing stiffness and projection while reducing the installation space to prepare it for broader application. Both frame designs are modeled as digital twins (DT) in the ABAQUS simulation software, incorporating a force-time profile of up to 14 kN based on physical models. The elastic deformation behavior and precise deflection values were then qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed at defined measuring points. These DTs were validated and calibrated by using digital image correlation on their physical counterparts under applied force. The optimized design of the welding gun offers a robust system capable of delivering consistent and reliable results for friction stir stitch welding, addressing the growing demand for flexible joining solutions in lightweight materials and mega-casting applications.Item Open Access Influence and potential of additive manufactured reference geometries for ultrasonic testing(2025) Keuler, Stefan; Jüngert, Anne; Werz, Martin; Weihe, StefanThis study researches and discusses the impact of different manufacturing-induced effects of additive manufacturing (AM), such as anisotropy on sound propagation and attenuation, on the production of test specimens for ultrasonic testing (UT). It was shown that a linear, alternating hatching pattern led to strong anisotropy in sound velocity and attenuation, with a deviation in sound velocity and gain of over 840 m/s and 9 dB, depending on the measuring direction. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the build direction exhibits distinct acoustic properties. The influence of surface roughness on both the reflector and coupling surfaces was analyzed. It was demonstrated that post-processing of the reflector surface is not necessary, as varying roughness levels did not significantly change the signal amplitude. However, for high frequencies, pre-treatment of the coupling surface can improve sound transmission up to 6 dB at 20 MHz. Finally, the reflection properties of flat bottom holes (FBH) in reference blocks produced by AM and electrical discharge machining (EDM) were compared. The equivalent reflector size (ERS) of the FBH, which refers to the size of an idealized defect with the same ultrasonic reflection behavior as the measured defect, was determined using the distance gain size (DGS) method-a method that uses the relationship between reflector size, scanning depth, and echo amplitude to evaluate defects. The findings suggest that printed FBHs achieve an improved match between the ERS and the actual manufactured reflector size with a deviation of less than 13%, thereby demonstrating the potential for producing standardized test blocks through additive manufacturing.