Experimental Quantification of Tensile Strength & Ductility of Under-Matched Alum. Welds
Abstract
ABSTRACT Recent acquisition programs have increasingly relied on high-strength aluminum alloys as primary structural materials to reduce vessel weight and achieve high operational speeds. This rapid expansion of aluminum from a superstructure material into a primary hull girder material has led to a growing demand for structural analysis methods capable of considering the unique characteristics of these alloys. Of primary concern is the performance of fusion welds in aluminum, which are under-matched in terms of strength to the base metal, and represent localized weak regions of the structure. These weak regions impact all types of structural response - tension, compression, and bending. However, the structures community currently lacks recent, full-scale structural test data for the performance of these alloys, especially in tension. Most of the naval community s recent testing has focused on specific platform validation tasks, and the community currently lacks datasets for structural tool development and validation. This proposal aims to begin to provide this missing data. Tensile tests will be carried out on both simple and complex tension connection specimens in high-strength 5000 and 6000 series alloys. Base and heat-affected material properties will be examined, and the impact of different fusion welds on the strength of specimens quantified. The resulting data set will be documented in an open report, delivered to the Ship Structure Committee for wide dissemination.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 12, 2016
- Source ID
- N000141512691
Entities
People
- Matthew David Collette
Organizations
- Board of Regents of the University of Michigan
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy