Using neutrons at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, researchers from The Ohio State University are studying residual stress caused by friction stir welding (FSW) to reveal how to strengthen armor steel welds, like those used in military vehicles. Their findings were published in the Journal of Materials Processing Technology.

“We are trying to develop a new way to join armor steel that produces joints with better ballistic and blast performance,” said Antonio Ramirez, a professor of materials science and engineering at OSU. “In the end, we want to be able to make structures that perform better.”

The team’s results will help fine-tune welding parameters to create a roadmap for engineering better armor systems.