The effect of material arrangement on mechanical properties in Friction Stir Welded dissimilar A5052/A5J32 aluminum alloys

Abstract

The joining of dissimilar A5052 and A5J32 alloy sheets with thicknesses of 1.5mm and 1.6mm, respectively, was carried out using the Friction Stir Welding (FSW) technique. The tool rotated at a speed in a range of 1000 rpm to 1500 rpm with a welding speed ranging from 100 mm/min to 400 mm/min. The hardness and tensile properties of the friction stir welded A5052/A5J32 joint were investigated according to the fixing location. In the case where the A5J32 aluminum alloy was fixed on the retreating side, defect-free welds were obtained under all welding conditions. However, in the case where the A5052 aluminum alloy was fixed on the retreating side, some welding defects were observed at the joint under certain welding conditions with a lower heat input. However, the welding defects had no effect on the mechanical properties. A good correlation between the hardness distribution and the welding zones was observed. The experimental results showed that the tensile properties differed depending on the fixing location of the materials and were also affected by the welding conditions.