Some microstructural characterisations in a friction stir welded oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steel alloy

The goal of this study is to characterize microstructure of a friction stir welded oxide dispersion strengthened alloy. The welded material is constituted by two sheets of an yttria-dispersion-strengthened PM 2000 ferritic steel. Different areas of the friction stir welded product were analyzed using field emission gun secondary electron microscopy (FEG-SEM) and electron microprobe whereas nanoindentation was used to evaluate mechanical properties. The observed microstructural evolution, including distribution of the yttria dispersoids, after friction stir welding process is discussed and a correlation between the microstructure and the results of nanoindentation tests is established.