Effect of a Zinc Interlayer on a Cu/Al Lap Joint in Ultrasound-Assisted Friction Stir Welding

This study proposes a welding process, ultrasound-assisted friction stir welding of dissimilar Al/Cu metals. Zinc foil is melted using the heat generated by a pinless stirring tool, and the molten intermediate layer is stirred by ultrasonic cavitation to achieve an effective connection. The metallurgical reaction behavior of the joint under the action of the sound field was studied, and the effects of different microstructures on the joint performance were analyzed. Specifically, the following observations were reported in this study: (1) When ultrasound assistance was used, the cavitation effect changed the brittle intermetallic compounds of Al2Cu from a continuous distribution to a block distribution, and the mechanical properties of the joint were greatly improved; (2) the effects of the thickness of the zinc were also determined. The results showed that the highest shear tensile force was obtained when the thickness of the zinc foil was 0.2 mm. When the thickness was 0.3 mm, the ultrasound effect was weakened. The copper-side interface generated a zigzag-shaped Al4.2Cu3.2Zn0.7 layer with a thickness of 3.4 μm and had a continuous distribution. Increasing the thickness of the zinc to 0.5 mm, however, drastically decreased the mechanical properties of the joint due to incomplete melting of the zinc layer.