The Effect of Rotary Friction Welding Conditions on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Ti6Al4V Titanium Alloy Welds

Abstract

The main task that the article introduces is the experimental study of how the geometry of contact surfaces affects the quality and mechanical properties of a rotary friction weld (RFW), as well as the findings of whether the RFW technology is suitable for the titanium alloy Ti6Al4V. The experiments were carried out for specimens with a diameter of 10 mm and were performed at 900 RPM. Three types of geometry were proposed for the RFW process: flat on flat, flat on 37.5° and flat on 45°. Based on these results, the best tested flat geometry was selected from the perspective of quality and economic efficiency. The welded joints were subjected to microstructural analysis, tensile testing, microhardness testing, and fractography, as well as spectral analysis of the fracture surface and EDS map analysis of oxygen. The flat geometry of the contact surface resulted in the least saturation with interstitial elements from the atmosphere. Fracturing in the RFW zone led to a brittle fracture with a certain proportion of plastic deformation. A pure ductile fracture occurred in specimens fractured in the HAZ region, where the difference in UTS values compared to specimens fractured by a brittle fracture mechanism was not significant. The average UTS value was 478 MPa.