Joining of Dissimilar Al and Mg Metal Alloys by Friction Stir Welding

Ramandeep Singh Sidhu; Raman Kumar; Ranvijay Kumar; Pankaj Goel; Sehijpal Singh; Danil Yurievich Pimenov; Khaled Giasin; Krzysztof Adamczuk

doi:10.3390/ma15175901

Joining of Dissimilar Al and Mg Metal Alloys by Friction Stir Welding

Materials (Basel). 2022 Aug 26;15(17):5901. doi: 10.3390/ma15175901.

Authors

Ramandeep Singh Sidhu¹, Raman Kumar¹, Ranvijay Kumar², Pankaj Goel³, Sehijpal Singh¹, Danil Yurievich Pimenov⁴, Khaled Giasin⁵, Krzysztof Adamczuk⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Ludhiana 141006, Punjab, India.
² Department of Mechanical Engineering, University Center for Research and Development, Chandigarh University, Ludhiana 140413, Punjab, India.
³ Department of Business Management, Guru Nanak Institute of Management and Technology, Ludhiana 141008, Punjab, India.
⁴ Department of Automated Mechanical Engineering, South Ural State University, Lenin Prosp. 76, 454080 Chelyabinsk, Russia.
⁵ School of Mechanical and Design Engineering, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth PO1 3DJ, UK.
⁶ Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Zielona Gora, 4 Prof. Z. Szafrana Street, 65-516 Zielona Gora, Poland.

Abstract

In engineering applications, such as automobile, marine, aerospace, and railway, lightweight alloys of aluminum (Al) and magnesium (Mg) ensure design fitness for fuel economy, better efficiency, and overall cost reduction. Friction stir welding (FSW) for joining dissimilar materials has been considered better than the conventional fusion welding process because of metallurgical concerns. In this study, dissimilar joints were made between the AA6061 (A), AZ31B (B), and AZ91D (C) combinations based on the varying advancing side (AS) and retreating side (RS). The dissimilar joints prepared by the FSW process were further characterized by tensile testing, impact testing, corrosion testing, fracture, and statistical and cost analysis. The results revealed a maximum tensile strength of 192.39 MPa in AZ91 and AZ31B, maximum yield strength of 134.38 MPa in a combination of AA6061 and AZ91, maximum hardness of 114 Hv in AA6061 and AZ31B, and lowest corrosion rate of 7.03 mV/A in AA6061 and AZ31B. The results of the properties were supported by photomicrographic fracture analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations. Further, the performance of dissimilar joints was statistically analyzed and prioritized for preference by similarity to the ideal solution (TOPSIS) method.

Keywords: aluminum alloy; cost analysis; dissimilar joints; fractography; friction stir welding (FSW); magnesium alloy; mechanical properties; microstructure; potentiodynamic corrosion test.

Grants and funding

K.A. acknowledges the financial support from the Regional Initiative of Excellence program of the Polish Minister of Science and Higher Education in 2019–2022, (project 003/RID/2018/19, funding PLN11,936,596.10.