Friction stir welding SiC discontinuously reinforced aluminum

摘要

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a new solid state process currently being investigated for joining difficult to weld aluminum alloys. The ojbective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of fricition stir welding SiC particulate reinforced 6092 Al. Results demonstrate 1) the FSW process as applied to reinforced aluminum alloys; 2) microstructures of the weld nugget confirming the solid state nature of the process, the homogeneous distribution of particulate, and the absence of a reaction between the reinforcement and base alloy; 3) reduced mechanical properties associated with a heat affected zone, the tensile failure site beyond the weld nugget. and a ductile mode of failure; and 4) hardness results which demonstrate the ability of subsequent aging treatments to fully restore mechanical properties following welding. It may be concluded from this study that fricition stir welding can be used successfully to join SiC reinforced aluminum alloys.