Effect of Forced Air Cooling on the Microstructures, Tensile Strength, and Hardness Distribution of Dissimilar Friction Stir Welded AA5A06-AA6061 Joints

Guangjian Peng; Qi Yan; Jiangjiang Hu; Peijian Chen; Zhitong Chen; Taihua Zhang

doi:10.3390/met9030304

Metals (Mar 2019)

Effect of Forced Air Cooling on the Microstructures, Tensile Strength, and Hardness Distribution of Dissimilar Friction Stir Welded AA5A06-AA6061 Joints

Guangjian Peng,
Qi Yan,
Jiangjiang Hu,
Peijian Chen,
Zhitong Chen,
Taihua Zhang

Affiliations

Guangjian Peng: College of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
Qi Yan: College of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
Jiangjiang Hu: College of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
Peijian Chen: State Key Laboratory for Geomechanics and Deep Underground Engineering, School of Mechanics and Civil Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Zhitong Chen: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
Taihua Zhang: Institute of Solid Mechanics, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/met9030304
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 9, no. 3
p. 304

Abstract

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Friction stir welding (FSW) is a promising welding method for welding dissimilar materials without using welding flux. In the present work, 5A06-H112 and 6061-T651 aluminium alloys were successfully welded by friction stir welding with forced air cooling (FAC) and natural cooling (NC). Nanoindentation tests and microstructure characterisations revealed that forced air cooling, which can accelerate the cooling process and suppress the coarsening of grains and the dissolution of precipitate phases, contributes to strengthening and narrowing the weakest area of the joint. The tensile strength of joints with FAC were commonly improved by 10% compared to those with NC. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the fracture surface elucidated that FSW with FAC tended to increase the number and reduce the size of the dimples. These results demonstrated the advantages of FSW with FAC in welding heat-sensitive materials and provide fresh insight into welding industries.

Published in Metals

ISSN: 2075-4701 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Technology: Mining engineering. Metallurgy
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/metals

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