Abstract
CT-130 Special Inertia Friction Welding Machine is used to weld a large size (156 mm diameter) of brass/steel by radial friction welding. Optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), and Vickers microhardness measurements are used to analyze the welding joint. The results show a refined grain zone near the welding interface at the brass side, which is closely related to the smaller stacking fault energy of copper. Both of Fe and Cu do diffuse to each other at the welding interface, but the diffusion density and distance are different. The microhardness distributions can be divided into four characteristic regions. The microhardness of the refined grain zone is larger than that of the base metal of brass about 20 HV, which is closely related to the fine grain strengthening, while the microhardness of the thermo-mechanical affected zone (TMAZ) is higher than that of steel base metal; it is the effect of the upper bainite and martensite formed in TMAZ.