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Microstructure characterization and mechanical behavior of dissimilar friction stir welded Al/Cu couple with different joint configurations

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Abstract

In the present study, a new tooth-shaped joint configuration (TJC) was adopted to bond Al/Cu dissimilar metals via friction stir welding. TJC is a special joint design to tailor the content of base materials in the weld, aiming to enhance material mixing and flow. For comparison, routine butting joint configuration (BJC) was also conducted under the same process condition. The optimal welding parameters were determined by the trials, including rotational speed 1500 rpm, welding speed 30 mm/min, and plunge depth −0.2 mm. Cross-section microstructure of the joint and interface evolution were investigated utilizing scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectrum (EDS). X-ray diffraction (XRD) was applied to characterize the phase composition. Microstructure analysis indicated TJC yielded the defect-free weld and the stir zone could be regarded as the mix of Al matrix and dense particles, which formed the composite structure. Commonly, ultra-thin diffusion layer was developed through the Al/Cu interface for both the joints and EDS results confirmed that the interface is composed of two sublayers for each joint. Then, Cu2Al and Cu9Al4 with low activated energy were formed due to the chemical affinity between Al and Cu. Joint performance was evaluated via tensile test and failure load of the joint fabricated via TJC reached to 9.6 kN, while the corresponding value was 7.9 kN under BJC, suggesting TJC could enhance the joint quality effectively. Besides, fracture mode was transformed from ductility to brittleness under TJC and BJC separately. Fractographic features of the broken specimens were addressed and discussed carefully.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA), Yudao Street 29, Nanjing, 210016, People’s Republic of China

    Wei Zhang, Yifu Shen, Yinfei Yan, Rui Guo, Wei Guan & Guolin Guo

  2. School of Automotive and Engineering, Changshu Institute of Technology, Hushan Road 99, Changshu, 215500, People’s Republic of China

    Guolin Guo

Authors
  1. Wei Zhang
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  2. Yifu Shen
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  3. Yinfei Yan
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  4. Rui Guo
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  5. Wei Guan
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  6. Guolin Guo
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Correspondence to Yifu Shen.

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Zhang, W., Shen, Y., Yan, Y. et al. Microstructure characterization and mechanical behavior of dissimilar friction stir welded Al/Cu couple with different joint configurations. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 94, 1021–1030 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-017-0961-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-017-0961-2

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