Wear Behavior of Hard Alloy Tools in the Friction Stir Welding of AC4A+30vol.SiCp Aluminum Matrix Composite

摘要

Tool wear is a key issue for the friction stir welding (FSW) of aluminum matrix composites (AMCs), especially when the volume fraction of reinforcing particles is relatively high. The study of tool wear behavior is beneficial for the optimization of tool design and for the improvement of joint quality. In the present study, a cast AMC composed of an Al-Si matrix and 30vol.% SiC particles is used as the base material, and two types of FSW tools, one threaded and the other smooth, are both made of the WC-Co hard alloy. Experimental results indicate that the radial wear of the pin is most severe for either of the tools, and the radial wear for the threaded tool is much greater than that for while smooth tool. The maximum-wear location changes with the travel distance of the tool, but the changing direction for the threaded tool is opposite that for the smooth tool. In other words, the threaded tool has a shorter service life than the smooth tool.