Evaluation of wear and corrosion properties of FSWed aluminum alloy plates of AA2020-T4 with heat treatment under different aging periods

Abstract

Abstract Aluminum alloy AA2020 has a greater demand for the high strength-to-weight ratio used in applications like aerospace, naval, and automotive applications because heat treatment produces high strength. Friction stir welding (FSW) is widely employed in forming butt joints of AA2020-T4 using a square profile tool. In this work, the wear characteristics and the corrosion behavior with and without age-hardened treatment are studied and compared. In this work, the wear characteristics and the corrosion behavior with and without age-hardened treatment (after a 1-hour solution treatment of AA2020 alloy at 505°C, quenched in water at ambient temperature) are studied and compared. Age-hardened models with a high aging duration (16–20 h) at 177°C showed a reduction in wear resistance for low spindle speed in contrast to the as-FSWed joints. In the corrosion medium, long aging time heat-treated FSWed joints showed high passivity in a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. Intergranular and pitting types of corroded surfaces in as-FSWed joints were spotted. 20 h of age-hardened FSWed joints achieved the minimal corrosion rate (CR) and is suggested for moderate wear resistance and good CR. The speed appears to have a greater impact on wear rate than the weld speed and applied load. It is also worth noting that the CR increases by 5% with the increasing spindle speed and falls by 4% with the increasing weld speed.