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The Effect of Tool Design on the Friction Stir Welding of Thick Aluminum Alloy AA6082-T651 Extruded Flats

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Abstract

Fifteen-millimeter-thick aluminum alloy AA6082-T651 extruded flats were friction-stir-welded by using three different types of tool pin profiles, i.e., (1) conical with only left-hand threads (CL), (2) conical with both left-hand and right-hand threads (CLR), and (3) conical cam-tri-flute with left-hand threads (CTFL) up to a height of 6 mm from the pin tip. The microstructures and the mechanical properties across the weld thickness were characterized. Tunneling defect was found at the weld-bottom for the CL tool pin profile and at the weld-top for the CLR pin profile. The reasons behind the formation of such defects have been analyzed and discussed. On the other hand, a defect-free joint was obtained with the CTFL pin profile. Tensile test samples were machined from top, middle, and bottom sections of the welds, and tensile strengths were measured for all the sections to determine the joint efficiencies. Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were employed to identify and study the morphology of the coarse phase particles present in the base material and in different regions of the welds. These results were correlated with the microhardness contours plotted across the weld cross section.

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Acknowledgments

One of the authors (AKM) is grateful to the financial support of Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), and one of the authors (ANS) is grateful to the support and encouragement of Prof. M. E. Khan, Head, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Prof. Z.A. Khan, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Jamia Millia Islamia for this work.

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  1. A. K. Mukhopadhyay

    Present address: Hindalco Innovation Center, Hindalco Industries Limited, Navi Mumbai, 410208, India

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, 110025, India

    D. Bajaj, A. N. Siddiquee & N. Ali

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When the work was carried out, one of the authors (AKM) was with Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Hyderabad.

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Bajaj, D., Siddiquee, A.N., Mukhopadhyay, A.K. et al. The Effect of Tool Design on the Friction Stir Welding of Thick Aluminum Alloy AA6082-T651 Extruded Flats. Metallogr. Microstruct. Anal. 9, 841–855 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13632-020-00696-5

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