The Effect of Tool Rotation Speed and Copper and Brass Addition in Foil Form on Tensile Properties of Friction Stir Welded Similar and Dissimilar Aluminium Alloy Weldments

Abstract

Nowadays, aluminium and aluminium alloys are most widely used in many applications in which the combination of high strength and low weight is attractive. Friction Stir Welding (FSW) process is an efficient and cost-effective method for welding aluminium and aluminium alloys. FSW is a solid-state welding process in which the material is not melted during the process. Being a solid state process it overcomes many welding defects that usually happens with conventional fusion welding techniques which were initially used for low melting materials. Though this process is initially developed for low melting materials but now the process is widely used for a variety of other materials. In this present experimental investigation, initially, butt joining of similar aluminium alloy AA6351 with AA6351 and dissimilar aluminium alloy AA6351 with AA5083 of 5 mm thickness were carried out by FSW and compared tensile properties. To study the influence of another element such as copper and brass on both combinations have been carried out. FSW has been done by inserting 0.1 mm thickness of copper and brass foil separately in butt joint position for both similar and dissimilar aluminium alloy combinations by changing the rotational speed of the tool. Tensile properties studied for all these combinations and results were compared using with and without foil of copper and brass material.