Simulation of Friction Stir Processing in 304L Stainless Steel

A major dilemma facing the nuclear industry is repair or replacement of stainless steel reactor components that have been exposed to neutron irradiation. When conventional fusion welding is used for weld repair, the high temperatures and thermal stresses inherent in the process enhance the growth of helium bubbles, causing intergranular cracking in the heat-affected zone (HAZ). Friction stir processing (FSP) has potential as a weld repair technique for irradiated stainless steel, because it operates at much lower temperatures than fusion welding, and is therefore less likely to cause cracking in the HAZ. Numerical simulation of the FSP process in 304L stainless steel was performed using an Eulerian finite element approach. Model input required flow stresses for the large range of strain rates and temperatures inherent in the FSP process. Temperature predictions in three locations adjacent to the stir zone were accurate to within 4% of experimentally measure values. Prediction of recrystallized grain size at a location about 6mm behind the tool center was less accurate, because the empirical model employed for the prediction did not account for grain growth that occurred after deformation in the experiment was halted.