Effect of pin geometry on material flow characteristics of friction stir welded dissimilar AA6061/AA2014 alloys

ABSTRACT

Structural materials with high strength-to-weight ratio are the candidate materials for future automotive applications. In this attempt, thick dissimilar AA6061/AA2014 alloys were welded by friction stir welding. This experiment aims at investigating the effect of polygonal hybrid pin profiles on structure–property relationship. The effect of tilt angle and tool offset on material flow at nugget zone was also investigated. The weld joint characterisation was done by optical microscopy, SEM and XRD to reveal the microstructure and constituent elements in the weldment. The weld profile produced by polygonal pin exhibits equiaxed fine grains at nugget zone. The characteristic study of tensile strength, micro-hardness and flexural strength was carried out. Optimum weld condition was found at a tool rotational speed of 900 rpm, weld speed of 20 mm/min, tilt angle of 1°, tool offset of 1.5 mm and with hybrid square pin profile.

Graphical abstract

KEYWORDS:

• Friction stir welding
• dissimilar Al- alloys
• process parameters
• mechanical properties
• microstructure

Acknoweldgment

Authors wish to thank the Management and Dean VIT Chennai for their support to carry out this work. Authors also thankful to the management of Vignana Bharathi Institute of Technology (VBIT) – Hyd and DST- FIST for their support to publish this work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from public funding agencies.

Notes on contributors

R. Venkateswara Rao

R. Venkateswara Rao is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Sai Spurthi Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, India. Currently a PhD student at school of Mechanical and Building Sciences, VIT University, Chennai, India. His current research interests are metal joining and characterization.

M. Senthil Kumar

M. Senthil Kumar has completed his B.E (Mechanical Engineering) in 1994 at Madurai Kamaraj University, M.E. (Production Engineering) in 1997 at Annamalai University, Chidambaram and his Ph.D. at Anna University, Chennai in 2015. He is working as an Associate Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering, VIT University, Chennai, India. His current research interest is on composites and thin films. He has filed 1 patent and published 45 papers in international journal, national journal, international conference and national conference.