Characterization of friction stir consolidated recycled billet by uniaxial compression tests with miniaturized cylindrical specimen

Friction stir consolidation (FSC) is a solid-state recycling method that directly converts machining scraps into semifinished billets. This process has been proven to be a more energy efficient and environmentally friendly technique compared to remelting based conventional recycling methods. During FSC, machining chips are transformed into a solid billet by the stirring action and friction heat of the rotating tool. Due to process mechanics, especially temperature gradient and strain rate, billets have shown different hardness values and grain size distribution across their sections. Therefore, in this research, miniaturized upsetting samples are extracted from the FSC billet. The purpose of minimizing the sample size is to get the local properties of a particular position. The intensive characterization was performed with future goals to find a more accurate numerical modelling and ultimately assign FSC billet to a potential industrial application.