Influence of tool rotational speed on the evolution of microstructure and mechanical properties of precipitation-hardened Aluminium 6061 butt joint during friction stir welding

The present investigation intends to interpret the effect of tool rotational speed on the mechanical properties and microstructural evolution in Aluminium 6061-T6 alloy during friction stir welding. A higher value of tool rotation produces more hardness at the nugget zone, which is attributed to the higher intensity of reprecipitation at higher rpm, revealed by transmission electron microscopy. The nugget zone is revealed as a nearly precipitate-free region, while the thermo-mechanically affected zone contains coarse precipitates, deformed and dynamically recovered grains with a few recrystallized grains. Significant reduction in grain size in the stirred zone is also a key finding. The observations depict the dependence of microstructure, and thus mechanical behaviour on tool rotational speed. A specific combination of process parameters has been determined from experiments, which corresponds to the maximum joint efficiency.

Experimental investigation and optimization of mechanical properties on combination of higher and lower strength of aluminum alloys

Friction stir welding is a high potential technology for joining similar and dissimilar aluminum materials, utilized extensively in aerospace and automotive industrial applications to eradicate the problems like hot cracking, porosity, element loss, etc. due to the fusion welding process. This Research addresses the joining of two dissimilar materials of AA 5754 – H32 and AA 8090T6511 – Al-Li and their mechanical properties analysis with the effects of friction stir welding process parameters like tool rotational speed, welding speed and axial load on weld nugget zone formation quality. The significant roles of different tool pin profiles are also emphasized. A mathematical modeling equation was formed by using regression analysis to optimize the process parameter and found the best tool pin profile for defect-free weld nugget zone and higher tensile and hardness properties. This research also portrays the contribution of various pin profiles and each process parameter on the ultimate tensile strength by response surface methodology. The results indicate that the defect-free weld joints are observed with 1800 r/min of rotational speed, welding speed of 15 mm min−1 and 8.5 kN of axial load with hexagonal pin profile.

The Evolution of the Nugget Zone for Dissimilar AA6061/AA7075 Joints Fabricated via Multiple-Pass Friction Stir Welding

AA6061 and AA7075 aluminum alloys were successfully joined by using single-pass and multiple-pass friction stir welding techniques after which the effects on the nugget zone evolution from a second overlapping pass and its welding direction, were investigated. In comparison to single-pass friction stir welding, the application of a second overlapping pass prolonged the dynamic recrystallization time, and the grains of the nugget zone became finer with increased high angle grain boundaries. Moreover, reversing the welding direction of the second overlapping pass enhanced the vertical flow of materials, increasing the strain of the friction stir welding in the nugget zone. As a result, the efficiency of the grain refinement and mixture of dissimilar materials during the second overlapping pass were significantly elevated. The tensile strength of the nugget zone was improved after the second overlapping pass due to both the grain refinement and mechanical interlocking of the AA6061/AA7075 alloys. The nugget zone, which was fabricated via the multiple-pass friction stir welding technique using an opposite welding direction, exhibited a 23% increase in yield strength as compared to the sample using the single-pass friction stir welding technique.

The Effect of Plug Rotation Speed on Micro-Structure of Nugget Zone of Friction Plug Repair Welding Joint for 6082 Aluminum Alloy

This paper carried out the friction plug repair welding of 6082 aluminum alloy keyhole defects by using the method of friction heating between shaft shoulder and base material. In addition, a well-formed friction plug welding joint was obtained at different plug rotation speeds. In order to study the influence mechanism of plug rotation speeds on the microstructure of the weld nugget zone, EBSD technology was used to analyze the grain morphology, grain size and grain boundary characteristics of the weld nugget zone under different rotation speeds of the plug rod. The results show that in the nugget zone, the grain was fine and equated crystals refinement, and there was a preferred orientation. The deformation texture components in the welded nugget zone increased with the plug rotation speed from 1600 to 2000 rpm. However, the grain size first decreased and then increased, while the components in the High-Angle Boundary first increased and then decreased.

Effect of Stirring Pin Rotation Speed on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of 2A14-T4 Alloy T-Joints Produced by Stationary Shoulder Friction Stir Welding

In this study, 2A14-T4 Al-alloy T-joints were prepared via stationary shoulder friction stir welding (SSFSW) technology where the stirring pin’s rotation speed was set as different values. In combination with the numerical simulation results, the macro-forming, microstructure, and mechanical properties of the joints under different welding conditions were analyzed. The results show that the thermal cycle curves in the SSFSW process are featured by a steep climb and slow decreasing variation trends. As the stirring pin’s rotation speed increased, the grooves on the weld surface became more obvious. The base and rib plates exhibit W- or N-shaped hardness distribution patterns. The hardness of the weld nugget zone (WNZ) was high but was lower than that of the base material. The second weld’s annealing effect contributed to the precipitation and coarsening of the precipitated phase in the first weld nugget zone (WNZ1). The hardness of the heat affect zone (HAZ) in the vicinity of the thermo-mechanically affected zone (TMAZ) dropped to the minimum. As the stirring pin's rotation speed increased, the tensile strengths of the base and rib plates first increased and then dropped. The base and rib plates exhibited ductile and brittle/ductile fracture patterns, respectively.

Experimental investigation on friction stir welding of dissimilar aluminium alloys

In current research work, dissimilar aluminium alloys such as AA5083, AA6081, AA6082, and AA7039 are butt joined by employing friction stir welding (FSW). The present study explores the effect of material positions of aluminium alloys (i.e., advancing side (AS) and retreating side (RS)) on the mechanical and metallurgical properties of FS welded dissimilar aluminium joints. The performance characteristics of the present study are analyzed in terms of mechanical and metallurgical properties. It is concluded that maximum strength is obtained for all the joints in which higher strength aluminium alloy is placed on the AS ((i.e., 386 MPa for AA7039-AA5083, 343 MPa for AA7039-AA6082, 320 MPa for AA5083-AA6082, and 225 MPa for AA6082-Aa6061). Furthermore, two types of macrostructures (i.e., banded and an onion ring) are observed at the nugget zone (NZ) of all the welded joints during metallurgical analysis. Besides this, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis at NZ of FSW joints is also carried out to find out the chemical composition at NZ. It is observed that the key element of AS material is high er in weight percent as compared to RS at NZ. Moreover, tensile fractured surface locations are also analyzed to understand the process better. It is witnessed that most joints are fractured at heat affected zone (HAZ) on the lower strength material side.