Microstructural, Thermal and Corrosion Characterization of Friction Stir Welded Magnesium Alloys

Abstract

The requirement for structural materials with demanding properties is always a major concern among automotive researchers. Magnesium alloys possess the required properties. In this work magnesium alloys, AZ31B and AZ91B were joined by friction stir welding. The influence of process parameters on the weld properties has been studied. The process parameters were tool rotational speed, welding speed, tilt angle. Three different combinations AZ31B-AZ91B, AZ31B-AZ31B and AZ91B-AZ91B were friction stir welded. Non-destructive tests have been performed on the welded joints as the primary analysis. After mechanical testing, optical microscopic examination comprising of macrostructure analysis, microstructure analysis and SEM analysis were carried out on selected specimens and the results are formulated. The corrosion behavior of Mg alloys has been tested using a salt spray test. The thermal behavior was studied using thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis. The joints were friction stir welded with maximum efficiency where grain refinement was observed in the weld microstructure of dissimilar alloys and the elongated grains was recrystallized. This paper primarily focuses on the microstructural aspects, corrosion performances and TG/DTA analysis.