Friction Stir Welding of very thin plates

Abstract

The results obtained in present research, relative to friction stir welding of 1 mm thick plates of aluminium, copper, copper-zinc and zinc alloys, prove that the application of the process in the joining of very thin plates is feasible and desirable. In fact, independently of the base material, the welds produced presented very good morphological characteristics and significant grain refinement in the nugget. Tensile and hardness tests proved that all the welds were at least in even-match relative to the base material properties. Based on the AA 5182 aluminium alloy results it was also possible to conclude that augmenting the welding speed, which improves process productivity, increases grain refinement in the nugget, improving the mechanical properties of the welds.