Exploring the influence of pin geometry on metallurgical and mechanical characteristics of dissimilar aluminum TIG welds via friction stir processing

Abstract

This study explored the effect of friction stir processing (FSP) on tungsten inert gas (TIG)-welded AA6061-T6 and AA7075-T6 joints by utilizing three different tool pin geometries, namely simple cylinder (SC), threaded cylinder with triflat faces (THF), and simple square (SS). The metallurgical aspects of unprocessed and processed weld regions were analyzed and correlated with the ultimate tensile strength, impact toughness, and microhardness properties. Results revealed that the post-FSP with a THF pin transformed the coarse dendritic structures (AGS of 34.55 µm) of the TIG weld into equiaxed fine structures (AGS of 3.51 µm) and increased the UTS, impact toughness, and microhardness by 71.51%, 95.40%, and 72.46%, respectively. The joint processed with the THF pin resulted in the highest ultimate tensile strength of 279 MPa, impact toughness of 15.02 J, and microhardness of 116.13 HV in the nugget region compared to the other two pin geometries. The highest joint properties of THF pin were attributed to the formation of fine grain structures in the nugget region, high effective strain and heat generation, improved material flow, and the decimation of intermetallic precipitates with their uniform dispersion in the nugget region. The tensile fractured surface of the TIG weldment had noticeable macro voids and coarse dimples with some rough cleavage facet in the fusion region, resulting in a brittle mode of failure. However, the tensile fractured surface of TIG + FSP weldments showed ductile failure due to the presence of fine and deep dimples with tear ridges without any void.