Improvements in the process efficiency and bond strength when friction surfacing stainless steel onto aluminium substrates

Abstract

Friction surfaced specimens produced by the application of inductive heating and utilising a flash-reducing tool were compared with those obtained through the classical approach. It was found that the use of inductive heating resulted in an increased consumption of the coating material; however, the push-off strength could be more than doubled when compared with the classical process with high shear strength values of up to 111 MPa. The application of the flash-reducing tool reduced the flash to less than 0.05% of the material deposited as a coating and manifested itself in the form of small chips. High push-off strength values of up to 135 MPa were observed, accompanied by an increased coating thickness, coating width and bonding area. Temperature measurements with thermocouples taken during the coating process showed that the melting temperature of the aluminium substrate was reached at the substrate–coating interface. Mixed mode failure was evident at the fractured surfaces of the push-off test specimens and mechanical interlocking appears to be a main bonding mechanism. The presence of cavities were shown to have a detrimental effect on the bonding integrity, but could be reduced in size and number by the application of the flash-reducing tool.