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Friction stir welding (FSW) has been used for joining AZ31B magnesium alloy and Al 6061-T6 aluminum alloy sheets. In this regard, the current work aims to study the mechanical, microstructural and fracture properties of dissimilar FSW welds obtained by evolving the tool rotation and translation speeds. The dissimilar welds microstructure and mechanical properties are evaluated and correlated with the FSW parameters to obtain the optimum weld conditions. The results showed that placing aluminum on the advancing side of the weld resulted in better quality welds.

Defect-free joints were friction stir welded (FSW) from AZ31 Mg alloy sheets by employing optimum welding parameters for the tool geometry used. Microstructure, texture and mechanical response of the welded joints were studied to identify susceptibility of crack initiation in the different weld zones and to understand the overall fracture behavior of these welds.

Investigated in this paper is the mechanical and microstructural response of specimens cut from rolled AA 6061-T6 alloy subjected to uniaxial loading at different temperatures (25, 100, 200, and 300 °C) and strain rates (10^–4, 10⁻³, 10⁻², 10⁻¹ s⁻¹). It was found that the material exhibits a strain rate and temperature dependent behavior. Microstructure observations reveal grains elongated in the loading direction with the average grain size being independent of loading conditions.

Two PhD positions are available at Department of Petroleum Engineering, Texas A&M University in the area of characterization and micromechanical modeling of organic-rich shales. Candidates should have a BS or MS degree in  civil engineering, mechanical engineering, petroleum engineering, material science or other related areas. Candidates with both experimental and modeling background are highly preferred.