Effect of friction welding conditions on mechanical properties of A5052 aluminium alloy friction welded joint

AbstractThe present paper describes the mechanical properties of Al–Mg aluminium alloy (A5052) friction welded joints. Two types of A5052 with different tensile properties were used, namely, H112 base metal with 188 MPa tensile strength and H34 with 259 MPa tensile strength. Similar metal specimens were joined using a continuous drive friction welding machine with an electromagnetic clutch to prevent braking deformation. That is, the joints were welded using the 'low heat input' friction welding method developed by the present authors, in which the heat input is lower than in the conventional method. An A5052–H112 joint produced using a friction speed of 27·5 s−1, friction pressure of 30 MPa, friction time of 2·0 s (just after the initial peak torque), and forge pressure of 60 MPa had approximately 95% joint efficiency. It fractured at the welded interface and in the A5052–H112 base metal. To improve the joint efficiency, an A5052–H112 joint was produced at a forge pressure of 75 MPa, which was the same a...