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Microstructure and mechanical properties of probeless friction stir extrusion joined joints of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy to Q235 steel

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Abstract

In order to avoid intermetallic compounds (IMCs), reduce tool wear, and obtain the spot joints of aluminum alloy to steel sheets without keyhole defects, a novel method called probeless friction stir extrusion joining (P-FSEJ) is proposed in this study. The P-FSEJed joints form mechanical bonding between aluminum alloy and steel by friction extrusion without IMCs and keyhole defects. The influences of rotation speed and threaded hole diameter on the joints’ microstructures, tensile-shear strength, elongation at break, and energy absorption are investigated. Results show that the P-FSEJ method can achieve mechanical bonding between aluminum alloy and steel without IMCs. The average grain size in thermo-mechanically affected zone (TMAZ) increase with the increasing rotation speed and fine grain can be obtained by increase threaded hole diameter. Furthermore, the influence of the rotation speed on the mechanical properties of the joints with different threaded hole diameters is approximately the same; i.e., the maximum tensile-shear load increases and then decreases with the increase of the rotation speed, while the elongation at fracture is the opposite. The findings also reveal that the higher the rotation speed and the larger the threaded hole diameter is, the higher the energy absorption of the joint is. Finally, the two obtained typical fracture failure modes of P-FSEJed joints are rivet shear fracture and rivet pullout-shear fracture under tensile-shear loading. Overall, the P-FSEJed joints exhibiting rivet pull-shear fracture usually have higher strength and energy absorption than others, thus providing a technical reference for peer researchers.

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The authors confirm that the supporting data in this journal is presented within the manuscripts itself and will make raw data presented in this study available upon request to the corresponding author (Peng Zhang).

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Funding

This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China for General Program (Grant No. 51675414) and the Joint Funds of the Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province (Grant No. 2019JLP-06).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China

    Peng Zhang, Shengdun Zhao, Jiaying Zhang, Liangyu Fei & Peng Dong

  2. College of Mechanical Engineering, Xi’an University of Science and Technology, Xi’an, 710054, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China

    Peng Zhang & Chuanwei Zhang

  3. Research and Development Center, Xi’an Wuhua Juneng Blasting Equipment Co., Ltd., Xi’an, 710061, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China

    Zheng Chen

  4. Department of Mechanical Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Baoding, 071003, Hebei, People’s Republic of China

    Peng Dong

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  1. Peng Zhang
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All authors were involved in the detailed analysis and discussions presented in this paper. Shengdun Zhao and Chuanwei Zhang contributed to the research concept. Peng Zhang and Zheng Chen made important contributions to the analysis and preparation of the manuscript, conducted data analysis, and wrote the manuscript. Jiaying Zhang, Liangyu Fei, and Peng Dong had a constructive discussion and helped with the analysis.

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Correspondence to Peng Zhang.

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Zhang, P., Zhao, S., Zhang, C. et al. Microstructure and mechanical properties of probeless friction stir extrusion joined joints of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy to Q235 steel. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 119, 3029–3043 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-021-08363-x

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