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On the Role of Tool Tilt Angle on Friction Stir Welding of Aluminum Matrix Composites

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Abstract

The current study investigates the influence of tool tilt angle (TTA) on the mechanical strength of friction stir welded aluminum matrix composite (AMC). Aerospace-grade AA6092/ 17.5 SiCp- T6 plates of 6 mm thickness have been welded at different TTA of 1̊, 2̊ and 3̊ with fixed tool rotational speed of 1000 rpm and tool traverse speed of 1 mm/s. A conical pin-shaped tool of H13 tool steel having a hardness of 56 HRC has been used with a tool dimension of 16 mm shoulder dia., 6 mm pin root dia., and 4 mm tool tip dia. In order to study the microhardness, tensile strength, fracture toughness and fracture behavior of the joint the weld bead appearance, macrostructure and microstructure have been investigated. Results show that with an increase in TTA, the excessive flashing has been occurred in the weld bead and also affects the ratio of shoulder influenced region and pin influenced region in the macrostructure. The presence of detrimental Al2O3 has been found inside the weld at TTA of 3̊. It has found that the mechanical property of the joint increases as TTA increases from 1̊ to 2̊ and thereafter it decreases. The fractographic analysis shows a mixed-mode of failure for all the samples except for the TTA of 3̊ where it shows brittle failure. Overall the study suggests the implication of 1̊ to 2̊ TTA to get a sound weld of this particular type of AMC.

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Acknowledgments

The authors humbly thank MHRD, GOI for providing the funds in terms of Ph.D. scholarship for carryout the study. The author gratefully acknowledges the support of the DWA ALUMINUM COMPOSITES USA for providing the required material from Chatsworth, California, USA. The author also acknowledges ACMS and MSE department IIT Kanpur and the strength of material lab, mechanical engineering department IIT Guwahati for the smooth conduct of the testing.

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  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Agartala, Barjala, Jirania, Tripura (W), Pin-799046, India

    Uttam Acharya, Barnik Saha Roy & Subhash Chandra Saha

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  1. Uttam Acharya
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Acharya, U., Roy, B.S. & Saha, S.C. On the Role of Tool Tilt Angle on Friction Stir Welding of Aluminum Matrix Composites. Silicon 13, 79–89 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-020-00405-5

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