Computational design of novel cermet tool material for friction stir welding (FSW) of high-strength materials

The economic and processing advantages of using FSW in industrial applications has been well established for welding of low melting point, Al and Mg alloys. However, tool material development has been the major limitation over the last decade for the application of FSW/FSP on high strength materials such as Ni-based alloys which is of great interest to the aerospace industry. The weld temperature for these materials can exceed 1000⁰C and thereby, a desirable tool material needs to be strong enough to sustain wear and deformation forces at elevated temperatures for long periods of time while being cost-effective for commercial use. QuesTek has applied its ICME-based processing-structure-property models to design novel cermet materials with different hard phases and high entropy alloys (HEA) as the binder phase. The designed alloys are prototyped via spark plasma sintering (SPS) of blended powder compacts. Experimental investigations relevant to the processing, microstructure and mechanical properties of the composite material to showcase its performance will be discussed.