The Effect of Thermo-Mechanical Coupling on Microstructures and Tensile Properties of Al-Li 2198-T8 Alloy via Friction Spot Welding

Al-Li 2198-T8 alloy sheet was processed by friction spot welding (FSpW). The microstructures and tensile properties of FSpW 2198-T8 alloy were studied by means of optical microscopy (OM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and tensile testing. The results show that the grain size of Al-Li 2198-T8 alloy processed by FSpW was refined with the strengthening precipitates dissolved into Al matrix and dislocation density decreased. Hence, the plasticityin thermo-mechanical coupling zone (TMCZ) of FSpW 2198-T8 alloy was improved, while the yield strength (YS) of TMCZ zone was lower than the original material (239 MPa <470 MPa). In addition, the strengthening mechanisms of different zones of FSpW 2198-T8 alloy were estimated.