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Comparative Analysis of Microstructure Evolution and Mechanical Properties of Dissimilar Welded Joints of AA7075/AA6061 via Friction Stir Welding, Tungsten Inert Gas Welding, and Tungsten Inert Gas + Friction Stir Processing

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Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the detailed microstructure and mechanical characteristics of welded butt joints in dissimilar AA7075/AA6061. Three different welding methods were employed for the comparison: TIG (tungsten inert gas), FSW (friction stir welding) and TIG + FSP (FSP over TIG). Aluminum plates were welded using TIG along the rolling direction. The joint produced by FSW was created using a tool rotating at 931 rpm and a transverse speed of 40 mm/min. To characterize the microstructure evolution of the welded joints, we utilized optical microscopy (OM) and FE-SEM (field emission scanning electron microscopy) along with EBSD (electron backscattered diffraction). Additionally, FE-SEM with high magnification examined the fracture surface of tensile-tested specimens. The results of the study revealed valuable insights into the mechanical properties and microstructure evolution of the three welding methods. It was found that TIG + FSP exhibited superior mechanical strength (233 MPa). In contrast, TIG and FSW methods showed ultimate tensile strength of 195 MPa and 158 MPa, respectively. NZ maximum hardness in the nugget zone (128 HV) was found through TIG + FSP as compared to TIG (108 HV) and FSW (121 HV). This outcome can be attributed to refined grain (smallest grain 7.2 µm) structure with defect-free bonding achieved through TIG + FSP. The TEM analysis revealed valuable insights into the precipitate’s size. It revealed that the FSWed and TIG + FSPed samples show fine precipitates. Meanwhile, in the TIG welded sample, the coarse precipitates. The hybrid TIG + FSP approach leads to promising techniques for various industry applications.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, 247667, India

    Rajeev Rana & D. B. Karunakar

  2. Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, 247667, India

    Anish Karmakar

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, COER University, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, 247667, India

    Thomas Mathew

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Rana, R., Karunakar, D.B., Karmakar, A. et al. Comparative Analysis of Microstructure Evolution and Mechanical Properties of Dissimilar Welded Joints of AA7075/AA6061 via Friction Stir Welding, Tungsten Inert Gas Welding, and Tungsten Inert Gas + Friction Stir Processing. J. of Materi Eng and Perform (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-024-09442-2

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