Cladding of Carbon Steel with Stainless Steel Using Friction Stir Welding: Effect of Process Parameters on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate friction stir welding (FSW) to join A304 austenitic stainless steel and low carbon steel A283 Gr. C in-lap configuration to clad the carbon steel with highly corrosion-resistant stainless steel. Thus, a wide range of FSW parameters were investigated such as FSW tool rotation rate from 200 to 400 rpm, tool traverse speed from 25 to 75 mm/min, and vertical forces of 20 to 32 KN. The FSW parameters combination of high welding rotation rate (400 rpm) and high vertical forces (32 KN) results in rejected joints in terms of surface appearance and clear surface defects. On the other hand, rotation rates of 200 and 300 rpm with different welding speeds and vertical forces resulted in some sound joints that were further investigated for microstructure and mechanical properties. The sound lap joints were examined via optical microstructure, SEM, and EDS investigations. For the mechanical properties, both tensile shear testing and hardness testing were used. The transverse macrographs showed intermixing between the two dissimilar materials with an almost irregular interface. The hardness profile in both materials showed a significant increase across the different regions from the Base Material (BM) to the nugget zone, with a maximum value of 260 Hv in the stainless steel and 245 Hv in the carbon steel. This increase is mainly attributed to the grain refining in the weld region due to the dynamic recrystallization and transformations upon the thermomechanical cycle. The tensile shear load of the joints varied from 20 to 27 KN for the FSWed joints, with the highest joint tensile shear load of 27 KN for that produced at 300 rpm tool rotation and 25 mm/min welding speed.

Modeling and Experimental Investigation of the Impact of the Hemispherical Tool on Heat Generation and Tensile Properties of Dissimilar Friction Stir Welded AA5083 and AA7075 Al Alloys

“…The defect was formed on the advancing side where the 5083 alloy was placed. In [47], it was concluded that defects will exist in welded joints if a higher-strength alloy is placed on the advancing side, which disagrees with the results obtained in the present work. On the other hand, since the material on the advancing side of the weld is flowing in the same direction as the tool, this can cause the material to become more fragmented and less cohesive, making it more susceptible to defect formation.…”

“…The pace at which heat is generated and dissipated plays a crucial role in determining the extent of the temperature increase and subsequent structural modifications in the weld zone and its surrounding materials. This leads to the creation of a supersaturated solid solution within the heat-affected zones and an averaging condition in the surrounding material [47,48]. The observed changes in hardness values along the cross-section of the dissimilar joints can be attributed mostly to the structural modifications that occur.…”

Digital Twin Virtual Welding Approach of Robotic Friction Stir Welding Based on Co-Simulation of FEA Model and Robotic Model

“…As a solid-state joining process, FSW possesses a low welding temperature and minimal residual stress, and it has been widely used in fields such as aviation, automotive, railway, maritime, and more [3,4]. Especially in the field of dissimilar metal welding, such as aluminum-magnesium, aluminum-copper, carbon steel-stainless steel, etc., FSW technology demonstrates irreplaceable advantages [5,6]. The development of FSW technology has progressed rapidly with significant contributions from many scholars.…”

Finite Element Analysis and Experimental Study of Manufacturing Thin-Walled Five-Branched AISI 304 Stainless Steel Tubes with Different Diameters Using a Hydroforming Process

“…Other studies conducted FE simulations to assess the effects of weld geometry, mechanical properties, and tube end conditions on failure location. They provided a comprehensive overview of factors affecting outputs [ 41 , 42 ]. Koc et al [ 43 , 44 ] presented an early summary of instability models, including an analytical model for predicting forming limits and parameters in THF using thin-walled tube theory.…”