Effect of microstructure and precipitate formation on mechanical and corrosion behavior of friction stir processed AA6061 alloy using different cooling media

Abstract

The present work studies the effect of microstructure and precipitate formation on mechanical and corrosion characteristics of friction stir processed AA6061 alloy using different cooling technologies (cryogenic and water cooling). The results revealed that recrystallized fine grains formed in all friction stir processing samples (grain size within a range of 2–6 µm) as a result of dynamic recovery and recrystallization, while samples processed in cooling-assisted friction stir processing resulted in better grain refinement in the stir zone than in air-cooled friction stir processing. Three kinds of precipitates (Fe-based needle-shaped precipitates, Si-based round-shaped precipitates, and chain of small round-shaped Si-based precipitates) were identified in base material and friction stir processing samples. Compared to air-cooled friction stir processing, in cooling-assisted friction stir processing, the hardness and tensile strength increased but remained lower than for the base alloy due to the presence of high density Fe-based needle-shaped precipitates. The ductility after friction stir processing greatly improved due to thermal softening and dissolution of precipitates. The corrosion results demonstrated that the corrosion resistance greatly enhanced after friction stir processing due to uniform distribution of grain structure and discontinuous chain of small round-shaped Si-based precipitates in stir zone. Moreover, cooling-assisted friction stir processing resulted in improved corrosion resistance compared to air-cooled friction stir processing due to the formation of fine precipitates.