Process responses and resultant joint properties of friction stir welding of dissimilar 5083 and 6061aluminum alloys

The effects of combinations of dissimilar aluminum alloys during Friction stir welding (FSW) on the process response and resultant joint properties are experimentally investigated using two dissimilar automotive structural aluminum alloys. Depending on the materials on the advancing and retreating sides of the tool travel direction during FSW, four different material combinations are considered. FSW joints without macroscopic defects are successfully fabricated for the four different material combinations. The optical microscopy results show that the macroscopic material mixing behaviors of the two dissimilar material combinations during FSW are somewhat different from each other, even though the process responses during joining are not much different. The results of the quasi-static tensile tests and EBSD analysis demonstrate that the mechanical behaviors and orientation changes of the joint during tensile deformation are affected by the material locations with respect to the tool travel direction during FSW.