Feasibility study of the friction surfacing process

Friction surfacing is a solid state cladding process based on the plastic deformation of a translating and rotating metallic consumable rod pressed against a stationary substrate. It is mostly used on mild and stainless steel and on aluminium. Thanks to the solid state nature of the process, it allows to join dissimilar metal combinations, e.g. aluminium to steel or to ceramics or several combinations of non-ferrous metals. Moreover, a continuous and fine-grained deposition is formed. Most research has been focussed on the feasibility of certain material combinations and on correlating the deposited layer quality to input parameters. In this work, a methodical approach to evaluate clad layers and to assess their properties is discussed. This approach consists of a visual assessment, a macrographic examination and a performance analysis and has shown to be apt to compare the clad layer quality.