Impact of ultrasonic vibration power and tool pin profile on mechanical and microstructural behaviour of friction stir welded dissimilar aluminium alloy joints

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of ultrasonic vibration (UV) and tool pin profile on mechanical properties and microstructural behaviour of AA7075-T651 and AA6061-T6 joints was analysed.Design/methodology/approachThe joints were fabricated using three different tool pin profiles such as cylindrical, square and triangle. For each tool pin profile, two different UV powers of 1.5 kW and 2 kW were used.FindingsOn both the advancing and retreating sides of the weld, the thermo-mechanically affected zone has the lowest microhardness. In all joints, the tensile fracture locations match to the minimum hardness values. Field emission scanning electron microscope fractography of tensile tested specimens reveals heterogeneous modes of brittle, shear and ductile fracture. Three-point bending analysis was performed to determine the ductility and soundness of the weld joint. The acoustic softening effect of UV, as well as the static and dynamic ratio of tool pin profile, plays an important role in determining the material flow and mechanical behaviour of the joint.Practical implicationsDissimilar aluminium joining fascinates many applications like aircraft, aerospace, automobiles, ship building and electronics, where fusion welding is a very intricate process because of the deviation in its physical and chemical properties.Originality/valueFrom this study investigation, it is found that the square pin profiled tool with 2 kW UV power produces metallurgical defect-free and mechanically sound weld with maximum tensile strength, hardness and bending load of 297 MPa, 151HV and 3.82 kN, respectively.