The mechanical and thick section bending behavior of friction stir processed aluminum plate

Friction stir processing (FSP) 2519-T87 aluminum plate results in enhanced ductility, 25% strain at fracture. However, the yield strength in the FSP zone drops to 175 MPa from ∼400 MPa. Actively cooling the plate during FSP increases the yield strength to 185 MPa and decreases ductility to 20% strain at fracture. Thick bending of a plate of the alloy was demonstrated after the surface was subjected to FSP.