Joining of AA6061 to polyvinyl chloride via hot extrusion

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to join aluminium alloy AA6061 with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sheets using the friction spot technique. Design/methodology/approach The AA6061 specimen was drilled with a semi-conical hole and put over the PVC specimen with a lap configuration. A friction spot technique was used to generate the required heat to melt and extrude the PVC through the aluminium hole. In this study, three process parameters were used: time, plunging depth and rotating speed of the tool. Thermal finite element model was built to analyse the process temperature. Effect of the process parameters on the joint shear strength and temperature was analysed using the design of experiments method. The microstructure investigation of the joint cross section was examined. Findings The input heat melted and extruded the polymer into the aluminium hole with the aid of tool pressure. A mechanical interlock was observed at the interface line between the polymer and aluminium. The scattered aluminium fragments into the molten polymer increased the shear strength of the joint. The hole diameter exhibited the highest effect on the joint strength compared with the other parameters. Specimen of minimum hole diameter recorded the maximum shear strength of 224 MPa. The proposed model gave a good agreement with the experimental data. Originality/value For the first time, the PVC was joined with AA6061 by the hot extrusion using the friction spot technique. The shear strength of joint reached 7.5 times of the base material (PVC).