Investigation of mechanical, metallurgical and corrosion characteristics of friction stir welded dissimilar AA 5052-H32 and AA 6061-T6 joints

ABSTRACT Welding is used for fabricating various components to increase the application of aluminum alloys. When compared to fusion welding, friction stir welding (FSW) is used to join non-ferrous and ferrous with similar and dissimilar materials with fewer defects. In the present work, FSW was carried out between 5 mm thick plates of solid solution-strengthened AA 5052-H32 and precipitate-strengthened AA 6061-T6 alloys. The plates were welded at tool rotational speeds (TRS) of 800, 950, and 1100 rpm. Furthermore, a salt spray test was conducted on both base metals and FSW joints. The scanning electron microscope was accustomed to examining the microstructure of the base metals and different zones. Mechanical characterization was performed to determine the welds’ strength and hardness. The phase examination was then performed on the weld nugget zone using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). To determine the mode of failure, the tensile fracture surfaces of the welded samples were inspected. The study found that the joint prepared at 950 rpm yielded maximum tensile strength of 174.3 MPa, % elongation of 13.8% and a higher hardness of 72 HV related to other joints. The corrosion test results exposed an enhancement in corrosion resistance of maximum tensile strength obtained from the welded joint