Mechanical and Microstructural Behaviour of Dissimilar Aluminum Alloys Joined by Friction Stir Welding

In this study, joining of dissimilar aluminum alloys 5059-H111 and 7075-1651 was carried out using friction stir welding. The joint has been investigated in terms of microstructure, hardness and mechanical properties. Optical microscopy was used to characterize the microstructure of the weld area. Seven different zones of the microstructure in the joint can be distinguished. It has been observed that a fine grain structure is formed in the nugget zone as a result of recrystallization. Although there is a general hardness decrease throughout the weld region compared to both base metals, the lowest hardness values are seen at the heat affected and thermo mechanically affected zones of aluminum alloy 5059. The mechanical strength of the dissimilar joint was found to be varying between 56 % to 68 % those of the base metal ultimate tensile strength values. The results show that friction stir welding can be successfully applied for the joining of dissimilar aluminums alloys.