TEMPERATURE AND PLASTIC STRAIN EVALUATION DURING FRICTION STIR REPAIR OF CORROSION DEFECTS IN Al2024

This paper presents a novel technique for repairing corrosion in aluminium plates, leveraging the principles of friction stir technology. The process employs a rotational speed of 1000 rpm and a traversal speed of 50 mm/min. The method involves applying a filling material to areas affected by pitting corrosion. A rotating tool generates frictional heat between the tool shoulder, filling material, and workpiece for a dwell time of several seconds, ensuring the softening of the material. As the tool traverses the corroded zone, the material is plastically deformed and deposited onto the damaged area. Additionally, a finite element simulation using a coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian approach predicts temperature distribution and mechanical deformation during the repair process for AA2024 aluminium plates, with all stages (plunging, dwelling, and mixing) simulated using ABAQUS/Explicit software. The results demonstrated that the repair method effectively filled all pitted areas on the corroded plate, achieving an excellent surface condition. The model accurately predicted the temperature distribution and the maximum temperature during the repair process, with the highest temperatures, up to 453°C (90% of the melting point of aluminium 2024), occurring directly under the tool shoulder. Additionally, the analysis revealed a maximum concentration of plastic strain in the same region, highlighting the localized impact of the repair technique.