Effect of Rotation Rate on Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of FSW Mg-Zn-Y-Zr Alloy Joints

Friction stir welding (FSW) of Mg-Zn-Y-Zr plates with 6 mm in thickness was successfully carried out under a wide range of rotation rates of 600-1200 r/min with a constant traverse speed of 100 mm/min. After FSW, the coarse grains in the parent material (PM) were changed into fine equiaxed recrystallized grains at the nugget zone (NZ). Furthermore, the coarse Mg-Zn-Y particles (W-phase) were broken up and dispersed homogenously into the Mg matrix. With increasing rotation rates, the size of the W-phase particles at the NZ significantly decreased, but the recrystallized grain size tended to increase. The hardness values of the NZs for all the FSW joints were higher than those of the PM, and the lowest hardness values were detected in the heat affected zone (HAZ). The fracture occurred in the thermo-mechanical affected zone (TMAZ) on the advancing side for all the FSW joints in the tensile test, due to the incompatibility of the plastic deformation between the NZ and TMAZ caused by remarkably different orientation of grains and W-phase particles. The strength of FSW joint reaches 90% of that of its PM.