Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Friction Crush Welded 1145 Aluminum Sheets with Flanged Edges

Abstract

The past two decades have witnessed prompt advances in aluminum alloy welding methods. Friction crush welding (FCW) has been recommended to be one of the key solutions to join these particular alloys with a range of plate thickness. This study aims to contribute to this welding technique by conducting several experiments to investigate the effect using three traverse speeds (120, 140, and 160 mm/min); and two rotational speeds (1400 and 1500 rpm) on the produces joint. These parameters were considered in a welding 1145 Aluminum sheets with 1mm thickness. The produced joints were evaluated using optical micrographs, micro-hardness, SEM, and tensile tests properties. The results showed that the best joint has 41 MPa tensile strength, 24 HV micro- hardness, and the best microstructure were obtained at 1400 rpm rotational speed and160 mm/min traverse speed.

Keywords:
(1145)Aluminum; Friction crush welding; Mechanical properties; Microstructure