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Friction stir spot welding of AA6061-T6 and Cu with preheating: Strength and failure behavior at different test temperatures

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Abstract

In the current study, the influence of test temperatures was investigated on lap shear strength and fracture behavior of dissimilar and similar friction stir spot-welded (FSSW) joints between Cu and AA6061-T6 sheets prepared without and with employing additional heating. Formation and distribution of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) in Cu-AA6061 FSSW joints was further appraised. An increase in maximum lap shear force was observed in Cu-AA6061 and Cu-Cu joints when preheating was employed. Lap shear force decreased with increase in test temperature for Cu-AA6061 joints prepared without preheating; however, for joints prepared employing preheating, the lap strength increased from 25 to 50 °C following a slight drop at 100 °C test temperature. For Cu-Cu joints, lap shear force also increased with test temperature for the range studied in the present work. X-ray diffraction, and energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis illustrates the formation of IMCs in the form of Al2Cu and Al4Cu9 in Cu-AA6061 and oxides in Cu-Cu joints. The interface failure from IMC rich regions in dissimilar joints was observed whereas similar joints failed under plug failure. Intermittently, thick IMC layer was observed in dissimilar Cu-AA6061 joint prepared with preheating. Presence of tearing/rupture from oxide dominated intermetallic region observed in Cu-AA6061 FSSW joints whereas dimples and micro-voids were noted in Cu-Cu joints.

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Acknowledgments

Authors express sincere thanks to Physics and Chemistry Department of IIT Patna for extending their facilities to carry out X-ray diffraction and thermo-gravimetric analysis.

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  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Patna, Patna, Bihar, India

    Ashu Garg & Anirban Bhattacharya

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  1. Ashu Garg
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Correspondence to Ashu Garg.

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Garg, A., Bhattacharya, A. Friction stir spot welding of AA6061-T6 and Cu with preheating: Strength and failure behavior at different test temperatures. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 108, 1613–1629 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-020-05498-1

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