Effect of welding parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties of AA6061-T6 butt welded joints by stationary shoulder friction stir welding

Stationary shoulder friction stir welding (SSFSW) butt welded joints were fabricated successfully for AA6061-T6 sheets with 5.0 mm thickness. The welding experiments were performed using 750–1500 rpm tool rotation speeds and 100–300 mm/min welding speeds. The effects of welding parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties for the obtained welds were discussed and analyzed in detail. It is verified that the defect-free SSFSW welds with fine and smooth surface were obtained for all the selected welding parameters, and the weld transverse sections are obviously different from that of conventional FSW joint. The SSFSW nugget zone (NZ) has “bowl-like” shapes with fairly narrow thermal mechanically affected zone (TMAZ) and heat affected zone (HAZ) and the microstructures of weld region are rather symmetrical and homogeneous. The 750–1500 rpm rotation speeds apparently increase the widths of NZ, TMAZ and HAZ, while the influences of 100–300 mm/min welding speeds on their widths are weak. The softening regions with the average hardness equivalent 60% of the base metal are produced on both advancing side and retreating side. The tensile properties of AA6061-T6 SSFSW joints are almost unaffected by the 750–1500 rpm rotation speeds for given 100 mm/min, while the changing of welding speed from 100–300 mm/min for given 1500 rpm obviously increased the tensile strength of the joint and the maximum value for welding parameter 1500 rpm and 300 mm/min reached 77.3% of the base metal strength. The tensile fracture sites always locate in HAZ either on the advancing side or retreating side of the joints.     

Mechanical properties of friction stir butt‐welded Al‐5086 H32 plate

Al‐5086 H32 plates with a thickness of 3 mm were friction stir butt‐welded using different welding speeds at a tool rotational speed of 1600 rpm. The effect of welding speed on the weld performance of the joints was investigated by conducting optical microscopy, microhardness measurements and mechanical tests (i.e. tensile and bend tests). The effect of heat input during friction stir welding on the microstructure, and thus mechanical properties, of cold‐rolled Al‐ 5086 plates was also determined. The experimental results indicated that the maximum tensile strength of the joints, which is about 75 % that of the base plate, was obtained with a traverse speed of 200 mm/min at the tool rotational speed used, e.g. 1600 rpm, and the maximum bending angle of the joints can reach 180^o. The maximum ductility performance of the joints was, on the other hand, relatively low, e.g. about 20 %. These results are not unexpected due to the loss of the cold‐work strengthening in the weld region as a result of the heat input during welding, and thus the confined plasticity within the stirred zone owing to strength undermatching. Higher joint performances can also be achieved by increasing the penetration depth of the stirring probe in butt‐friction stir welding of Al‐5086 H32 plates.     

工艺参数对AA2524回填式搅拌摩擦点焊接头成形及力学性能的影响

目的 改善2 mm厚AA2524回填式搅拌摩擦点焊（RFSSW）接头的成形和力学性能。方法 采用不同扎入深度和不同转速进行焊接,焊后对接头的孔洞大小、套筒退出线上的裂纹长度和拉剪强度进行对比,获得扎入深度和转速对接头成形和拉剪强度的影响规律。结果 扎入深度为2.6 mm时,接头孔洞较小,断裂载荷较高。随着转速的增加,接头孔洞逐渐减小,套筒退出线的裂纹减少,拉剪强度逐渐升高。扎入深度2.6 mm,焊接时间6 s,转速为2600 r/min时,获得了无孔洞和无退出线裂纹的接头,断裂载荷最大,为9.4 kN。结论 合适的扎深和转速匹配,可以获得成形良好,高断裂载荷的接头。     

SUS304不锈钢点焊与胶焊接头的疲劳强度分析

通过拉剪实验测定1.5mm厚SUS304不锈钢点焊接头、胶焊接头的抗拉强度,并开展疲劳实验,获得不同应力水平下两种接头的疲劳寿命,得到两种接头的载荷-寿命曲线;借助扫描电镜分析接头疲劳失效过程。结果表明:当焊接电流为10.0kA、焊接时间为80ms、电极压力为0.5 MPa时,能获得较好的胶焊接头。在此焊接参数下,点焊接头、未固化胶焊接头和固化胶焊接头的平均失效载荷分别为12 825.5N、10 345.6N、10 022.9N;在疲劳实验载荷-寿命曲线的有限寿命区内,SUS304不锈钢胶焊接头的疲劳强度均大于点焊接头;点焊接头和胶焊接头的疲劳失效形式主要由母材眉状裂纹失效和界面撕裂失效两种形式组成;胶焊接头的疲劳失效过程中,首先是胶层粘接失效,随后疲劳裂纹从板间内表面热影响区边缘萌生,沿板厚与板宽方向扩展直至发生疲劳失效。     

Effect of friction stir welding process parameters on Mg-AZ31B/Al-AA6061 joints

In the present study, dissimilar alloys such as Mg-AZ31B and Al-AA6061 were joined by friction stir welding using different rotational (560, 710, 860 and 1010?rpm) and transverse speeds (16 and 25?mm/min). Metallographic studies (by optical, scanning electron microscope, SEM, and energy dispersive spectrometer, EDS) revealed that the speed parameters mainly influenced the microstructure growth mechanism, which further affects the mechanical properties and corrosion behavior. The combined dynamic action of rotational to transverse speed recrystallized and plasticized the material and produced an alternative lamellar shear band of Al and Mg in the stir zone (SZ). Peak temperature and high rotational speed formed an oxide on the top region and also caused liquation and intermetallic (IMCs) formation. Tensile strength and hardness increased as per the Hall–Petch (fine grains) effect. Higher impact energy was found at moderate rotational and low transverse speeds due to the presence of more soft Al patches. Tensile fractographs showed a river-like pattern, which indicated the brittle nature of the joints. High rotational and high transverse speed illustrated higher tensile strength, while better corrosion resistance was observed in high rotational and low transverse speed.     

Feasibility study of friction spot welding of dissimilar single-lap joint between poly(methyl methacrylate) and poly(methyl methacrylate)-SiO2 nanocomposite

In this work, the feasibility of friction spot welding (FSpW) of a commercial poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) GS grade and a PMMA 6 N/2 wt% silica (SiO₂) nanocomposite was investigated. Single-lap joints welded at rotational speeds of 1000, 2000 and 3000 rpm were produced. The analysis of the joint microstructure and material flow pattern indicated that joints could be produced using all of the tested welding conditions. However, the joint produced at 1000 rpm displayed sharp weld lines (weak links), indicating insufficient heat input, while the welds produced at 3000 rpm displayed excessive plastic deformation (bulging of the bottom plate), volumetric defects and a lack of material mixing in the welded area, associated with higher heat input. The weld produced at a rotational speed of 2000 rpm resulted in improved material mixing, which was indicated by the absence of weld lines and volumetric defects due to the more correct heat input. This welding condition was selected for further mechanical testing. Lap shear testing of PMMA GS/PMMA 6 N/2 wt% SiO₂ nanocomposite single lap joints welded at 2000 rpm resulted in an average ultimate lap shear strength of 3.9 ± 0.05 MPa. These weld strength values are equal to or better than those obtained using state-of-the-art welding techniques for PMMA materials, thereby demonstrating the potential of friction spot welding for thermoplastic nanocomposites.     

The optimisation of process parameters for friction stir spot-welded AA3003-H12 aluminium alloy using a Taguchi orthogonal array

The aim of the present work is to optimise the welding parameters for friction stir spot welded non-heat-treatable AA3003-H12 aluminium alloy sheets using a Taguchi orthogonal array. The welding parameters, such as the tool rotational speed, tool plunge depth and dwell time, were determined according to the Taguchi orthogonal table L9 using a randomised approach. The optimum welding parameters for the peak tensile shear load of the joints were predicted, and the individual importance of each parameter on the tensile shear load of the friction stir spot weld was evaluated by examining the signal-to-noise ratio and analysis of variance (ANOVA) results. The optimum levels of the plunge depth, dwell time and tool rotational speed were found to be 4.8 mm, 2 s and 1500 rpm, respectively. The ANOVA results indicated that the tool plunge depth has the higher statistical effect with 69.26% on the tensile shear load, followed by the dwell time and rotational speed. The tensile shear load of the friction stir spot welding (FSSW) joints increased with increasing plunge depth. Additionally, examination of the weld cross-sections, microhardness tests and fracture characterisation of the selected friction spot welded joints were conducted to understand the better performance of the joints. All the fractures of the joints during tensile testing occurred at stir zone (SZ), where the bonded section was minimum. The tensile shear load and tensile deformation of the FSSW joints increased linearly with increasing the bonded size. The finer grain size in the SZ led to the higher hardness, which resulted in higher fracture strength. When the tensile shear load of the joints increased approximately 3-fold, the failure energy absorption of the joints increased approximately 15-fold.     

Effects of tool rotational and welding speed on microstructure and mechanical properties of bobbin-tool friction-stir welded Mg AZ31

The effects of rotational and welding speeds on the microstructure and mechanical properties of bobbin-tool friction stir welded (BT-FSW) Mg AZ31 were investigated. The results indicated that the thermo-mechanically affected zone (TMAZ) consisted of equiaxed grains, which were inconsistent with the deformed, rotated and elongated grains found in the TMAZs of bobbin-tool friction stir welded Al alloys and friction stir welded Al and Mg alloys. The average grain size increased as the ratio of the rotational speed to welding speed increased. Excellent welds with no degradation in hardness were produced using a low heat input. Mechanical tests revealed that the ultimate tensile strengths gradually increased with increasing welding speed while keeping the rotational speed constant. The rotational and welding speeds had only slight influences on the yield stress and fracture elongation.     

Microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of non-combustive Mg–9Al–Zn–Ca magnesium alloy friction stir welded joints

Non-combustive Mg–9Al–Zn–Ca magnesium alloy was friction stir welded with rotation speeds ranging from 500 to 1250 rpm at a constant welding speed of 200 mm/min. Defect-free joints were successfully produced at rotation speeds of 750 and 1000 rpm. The as-received hot extruded material consisted of equiaxed α-Mg grains with β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂ and Al₂Ca compounds distributed along the grain boundaries. Friction stir welding produced much refined α-Mg grains accompanied by the dissolution of the eutectic β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phase, while Al₂Ca phase was dispersed homogeneously into the Mg matrix. An increase in rotation speed increased the α-Mg grain size but not significantly, while microstructure in the heat affected zone was almost not changed compared with the base material. The hardness tests showed uniform distributed and slightly increased harness in the stir zone. Results of transverse tensile tests indicated that the defect-free joints fractured at the base material, while longitudinal tensile tests showed that the strength of the defect-free welds was improved due to microstructural refinement and uniform distribution of intermetallic compounds.     

Process optimisation and mechanical properties of friction stir lap welds of 7075-T6 stringers on 2024-T3 skin

This paper focuses on the results of process optimisation and mechanical tests that were used to ascertain the feasibility of using friction stir welding (FSW) to join stringers to skin. The effects of process parameters on weld quality of 1.5-mm 7075-T6 stringers lap-joined on 2.3-mm 2024-T3 skins were investigated. Advancing and retreating side locations on the joint configuration were alternated to determine optimal design arrangements. The effects of travel and rotation speeds on weld quality and defect generation were also investigated. Weld quality was assessed by optical microscopy and bending tests. It was found that: (i) the increase of the welding speed or the decrease of the rotational speed resulted in a reduction of the hooking size and top plate thinning but did not eliminated them, (ii) double pass welds by overlapping the advancing sides improved significantly the weld quality by overriding the hooking defect, and (iii) change of the rotational direction for a counter clockwise with a left-threaded probe eliminated the top sheet thinning defect. Subsequently, FSW lap joints were produced using optimum conditions and underwent extensive mechanical testing program. Several assembly configurations including discontinuous and continuous welds as well as single and double pass welds were produced. The results obtained for cyclic fatigue performance of FSW panels are compared with riveted lap joints of identical geometry. S–N curves, bending behaviour, failure locations and defect characterisation are also discussed. It was found that: (i) the tensile strength of FSW joints approached that of the base material but with a significant reduction in the fatigue life, (ii) the probe plunge and removal locations served as the key crack nucleation sites in specimens with discontinuous welds, and (iii) double pass welds with overlapping advancing sides showed outstanding fatigue life and very good tensile properties. The present work provided some valuable insight into both the fabrication and application of FSW on stringer/skin lap joints.     

A novel approach to develop aluminum matrix nano-composite employing friction stir welding technique

The main object of the present study is to investigate the effect of nano-sized SiC particle on the mechanical properties of the friction stir welding (FSW) joints. Prior to FSW, nano-sized SiC particles were incorporated into the joint line. A combination of three rotational speeds and three traveling speeds were applied. Microstructural evaluation using optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a banded structure consisting of particle-rich and particle-free regions in stir zone (SZ). The joints fabricated with rotational speed of 1250 rpm and traveling speeds of 40 and 50 mm/min, exhibited the highest mechanical properties. Owing to the presence of SiC nano-particles, at 1250 rpm and 40 mm/min, ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and percentage of elongation were improved by 31% and 76.1%, respectively. Significant increase in UTS and percentage of elongation were attributed to the pinning effect and increased nucleation sites associated with SiC nano-particles. Moreover, reinforcement particles resulted in breaking of primary grains. On the other hand, at 1250 rpm and 40 mm/min, SiC-included specimen showed superior ductility to SiC-free specimen. The fracture morphologies were in good agreement with corresponding ductility results.     

Friction stir welding of thick plates of aluminum alloy matrix composite with a high volume fraction of ceramic reinforcement

The microstructure and mechanical properties of joints conducted by friction stir welding, FSW, at different rotational speeds in thick plates of a composite material with a high volume fraction of reinforcement, namely 2124Al/25vol%SiC_p, are studied. Original particle-free regions vanish during the stirring process, leading to a homogeneous particle distribution. Occasional breakage of some large particles occurs. Tunnel defects appear at low rpm, and disappear at high rotational speeds. The size of the thermo mechanically affected zone, TMAZ, increases with increasing rpm. Ductility of the welds in the range of 10–15% is achieved in compression tests whereas a rather brittle behavior is obtained in tension. A strength difference, SD, effect between compression and tensile test is obtained. This accounts for the little detrimental effect of the FSW process on the matrix–reinforcement interface. The SD effect is attributed to the presence of a microscopic residual stress.     

Structure, properties and fracture of friction stir welds in a high-temperature Al-8.5Fe-1.3V–1.7Si alloy (AA-8009)

Friction stir welds produced in a rapidly-solidified, powder metallurgy Al-8.5Fe-1.3 V-1.7 Si (wt.%) alloy were characterized in order to investigate the effects of deformation during welding on the weld zone microstructure, hardness, tensile properties, and fracture behavior. A weld produced using a tool rotational speed of 1200 rpm and a traversing rate of 4.3 mm/s exhibited a repetitive pattern of dispersoid-depleted bands that were attributed to the intense deformation that occurred in the vicinity of the tool. The significant softening associated with these regions, and the presence of occasional, irregularly-shaped voids near the boundary between the base metal and the weld zone on the advancing side of the weld, promoted a weld tensile strength of 60–70% of the base metal. The application of a lower tool rotational speed of 428 rpm and a lower traversing rate of 1.9 mm/s promoted fewer bands and a more uniform dispersoid distribution throughout the weld zone, and an absence of defects along the weld zone/base metal interface. Tensile strength of these welds approached 90% of the base metal. Fracture of the transverse-weld oriented tensile specimens for both weld types consistently occurred near the boundary between the weld zone and the base metal on the advancing side of the weld zone, with tensile specimen ductilities appreciably lower than that of the base metal.     

Effect of welding parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir spot welded 5052 aluminum alloy

Friction stir spot welding (FSSW) is a newly-developed solid state joining technology. In this study, two types of FSSW, normal FSSW and walking FSSW, are applied to join the 5052-H112 aluminum alloy sheets with 1 mm thickness and then the effect of the rotational speed and dwell time on microstructure and mechanical properties is discussed. The lower sheet material underneath the hook didn’t flow into the upper sheet due to the concave surface in the shoulder and groove in the anvil. The hardness profile of the welds exhibited a W-shaped appearance and the minimum hardness was measured in the HAZ. The results of tensile/shear tests and cross-tension tests indicate that the joint strength decreases with increasing rotational speed, while it’s not affected significantly by dwell time. At the rotational speed of 1541 rpm, the tensile/shear strength and cross-tension strength reached the maximum of 2847.7 N and 902.1 N corresponding to the dwell time of 5 s and 15 s. Two different fracture modes were observed under both tensile/shear and cross-tension loadings: shear fracture and tensile/shear mixed fracture under tensile/shear loadings, and nugget debonding and pull-out under cross-tension loadings. The performance of the welds plays a predominant role in determining the type of fracture modes. In addition, the adoption of walking FSSW brings unremarkable improvements in weld strength.     

Dissimilar friction stir welding between magnesium and aluminum alloys

Dissimilar friction stir welding between magnesium and aluminum alloy plates with thicknesses of 2 mm was performed. The tool for welding was rotated at speeds ranging from 800 to 1600 rpm under a constant traverse speed of 300 mm/min. For tool rotation speeds of 1000, 1200, and 1400 rpm, defect-free welds were successfully obtained and the surface morphology of the welds became smoother as the tool rotation speed was increased. The relatively simple bonded interface was clearly evident and had a zigzag pattern. A mixed microstructure of magnesium and aluminum alloys was formed near the bonded interface. The maximum tensile strength of about 132 MPa was obtained at the tool rotation speed of 1000 rpm. However, there were not noteworthy changes in the tensile strength as a function of the tool rotation speed. The elongation was 2% or less, regardless of the tool rotation speed.     

Friction stir welding of dissimilar metal joints

Friction stir welding is a solid‐state welding technology, which is suitable for joining dissimilar metals such as aluminium and copper. Because the solidus temperature is typically not exceeded, the formation of intermetallic phases can be reduced when compared to fusion welding processes. In friction stir welding, the intermetallic layer thickness, which determines the seam properties, is influenced by the welding temperature and is formed in correspondence with the Arrhenius law. It is typically in the range of a few hundred nanometers thick. In turn, the process temperature is determined by the process parameters, primarily the rotational speed and the feed rate of the machine tool. In this study, a temperature‐controlled friction stir welding process has been applied to lap joints of aluminium and copper. Welding experiments with various welding speeds and probe lengths were performed in order to assess the effect of the temperature‐time profile near the welding interface. The joints were investigated by tensile shear tests as well as optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.     

Effect of tool rotational speed and pin profile on microstructure and tensile strength of dissimilar friction stir welded AA5083-H111 and AA6351-T6 aluminum alloys

The relatively new welding process friction stir welding (FSW) was applied in this research work to join 6 mm thick dissimilar aluminum alloys AA5083-H111 and AA6351-T6. The effect of tool rotational speed and pin profile on the microstructure and tensile strength of the joints were studied. Dissimilar joints were made using three different tool rotational speeds of 600 rpm, 950 rpm and 1300 rpm and five different tool pin profiles of straight square (SS), straight hexagon (SH), straight octagon (SO), tapered square (TS), and tapered octagon (TO). Three different regions namely unmixed region, mechanically mixed region and mixed flow region were observed in the weld zone. The tool rotational speed and pin profile considerably influenced the microstructure and tensile strength of the joints. The joint which was fabricated using tool rotational speed of 950 rpm and straight square pin profile yielded highest tensile strength of 273 MPa. The two process parameters affected the joint strength due to variations in material flow behavior, loss of cold work in the HAZ of AA5083 side, dissolution and over aging of precipitates of AA6351 side and formation of macroscopic defects in the weld zone.     

Mechanical properties of friction stir butt welds of high nitrogen-containing austenitic stainless steel

In this study, the friction stir butt welding of 2-mm-thick high nitrogen-containing stainless steel (HNS; Ni-free austenitic stainless steel containing 1 mass% nitrogen) plates was performed using a load-controlled friction stir welding (FSW) machine with a Si₃N₄-based tool at various welding speeds, i.e., 50 mm/min, 100 mm/min, 200 mm/min and 300 mm/min, and a constant tool rotating speed of 400 rpm. To determine the optimum welding conditions to create reliable HNS FSW joints, the effect of the heat input on the mechanical properties of the HNS FSW joints was studied. The mechanical properties were evaluated by the Vickers hardness test and the tensile strength test. Full-penetrated and defect-free butt welded joints were successfully produced, under all the applied welding conditions. The stir zones consisted of very fine grained structures and showed an increase in the Vickers hardness. These joints also showed a higher tensile strength and yield strength than the base metal. In particular, the FSW welds obtained at a welding speed of 100 mm/min, which showed the best mechanical properties, had a relatively higher Vickers hardness, which indicates a good relationship between the welding parameter (heat input) and the hardness profile due to the microstructure refinements. It was estimated that these welding conditions were optimal, and under these conditions both grain growth and α-phase formation were prevented.     

Effect of rotation speed on microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti–6Al–4V friction stir welded joints

The effect of tool rotation speed on microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir welded joints was investigated for Ti–6Al–4V titanium alloy. Joints were produced by employing rotation speeds ranging from 400 to 600 rpm at a constant welding speed of 75 mm/min. It was found that rotation speed had a significant impact on microstructure and mechanical properties of the joints. A bimodal microstructure or a full lamellar microstructure could be developed in the weld zone depending on the rotation speeds used, while the microstructure in the heat affected zone was almost not influenced by rotation speed. The hardness in the weld zone was lower than that in the base material, and decreased with increasing rotation speed. Results of transverse tensile test indicated that all the joints exhibited lower tensile strength than the base material and the tensile strength of the joints decreased with increasing rotation speed.     

Microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of friction stir welded joints of Ti–6Al–4V titanium alloy

The α + β titanium alloy, Ti–6Al–4V, was friction stir welded at a constant tool rotation speed of 400 rpm. Defect-free welds were successfully obtained with welding speeds ranging from 25 to 100 mm/min. The base material was mill annealed with an initial microstructure composed of elongated primary α and transformed β. A bimodal microstructure was developed in the stir zone during friction stir welding, while microstructure in the heat affected zone was almost not changed compared with that in the base material. An increase in welding speed increased the size of primary α in the stir zone. The weld exhibited lower hardness than the base material and the lowest hardness was found in the stir zone. Results of transverse tensile test indicated that all the joints had lower strength and elongation than the base material, and all the joints were fractured in the stir zone.