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This article describes the effect of friction welding conditions and aging treatment on the mechanical properties of type 7075-T6 aluminium alloy (A7075) friction welded joints. A7075 was joined by using a continuous drive friction welding machine with an electromagnetic clutch in order to prevent braking deformation during as rotation speed decreases. That is, it was welded by using the ‘Low Heat Input Friction Welding Method’ (LHI method) developed by the authors, in which heat input is lower than in the conventional method. The maximum joint efficiency at a friction pressure of 30 MPa was approximately 25%, and that at 90 MPa was approximately 64%. These joints were made without forge pressure. The low joint efficiency was due to the existence of non-joined regions at the welded interfaces. However, the welded joint had approximately 82% joint efficiency when the friction time was 0·5 s at a friction pressure of 90 MPa with a forge pressure of 180 MPa. The welded joint softened at the welded interface and its adjacent region. It had approximately 90% joint efficiency after aging for 730 days at room temperature (natural aging). It also had approximately 95% joint efficiency after aging for 48 h at 393 K (120°C), and had no softened region at the welded interface. The heat input of the welded joint with the LHI method could be decreased to approximately 50% of that with the conventional method. The LHI method has several advantages for A7075 friction welding; less heat input than with the conventional method, and light post-weld processing (machining, etc.) because the flash can be minimised.

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This paper describes the joining phenomena and joint strength of friction welded joints between pure aluminium (P-Al) and low carbon steel friction welds. When the joint was made at a friction pressure of 30 MPa with a friction speed of 27?5 s 21 , the upsetting (deformation) occurred at the P-Al base metal. P-Al transferred to the half radius region of the weld interface on the low carbon steel side, and then it transferred toward the entire weld interface. When the joint was made at a friction time of 0?9 s, i.e. just after the initial peak of the friction torque, it had y93% joint efficiency and fractured on the P-Al side. This joint had no intermetallic compound at the weld interface. Then, the joint efficiency slightly decreased with increasing friction time. The joint had a small amount of intermetallic compound at the peripheral region of the weld interface when it was made at a friction time of 2?0 s. When the joint was made at a friction time of 0?9 s, the joint efficiency decreased with increasing forge pressure, and all joints were fractured at the P-Al side. Although the joint by forge pressure of 90 MPa had hardly softened region, it had y83% joint efficiency. To clarify the fact of decreasing joint efficiency, the tensile strength of the P-Al base metal at room temperature was investigated, and the tensile test was carried out after various compression stresses and temperatures. The tensile strength of the P-Al base metal has decreased with increasing compression stress at any temperature. Hence, the fact that the joint did not achieve 100% joint efficiency was due to the decrease in the tensile strength of the P-Al base metal by the Bauschinger effect. To obtain higher joint efficiency and fracture on the P-Al side, the joint should be made without higher forge pressure, and with the friction time at which the friction torque reaches the initial peak.

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