Experimental investigation of the weldability of high strength aluminium using friction spot welding

Abstract

Friction spot welding is a technique for joining lightweight aluminium and magnesium alloys in the overlap configuration by means of frictional heat and mechanical work and has a high potential for industrial applications. As this is a very recent technique, little information is available regarding the evaluation and optimisation of process parameters for specific material combinations. The process has been used to investigate the weldability of the high strength aluminium alloy EN AW-7475-T761, aiming to produce high quality joints in terms of mechanical performance and microstructure. More specific, the influence of the plunge depth, rotation speed and welding time was investigated. The paper first shortly describes the process and continues with the results of the microhardness, static tensile and optical microscopy tests.