The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of the high welding speed on the mechanical properties and their relations to microstructural characteristics of butt friction stir welded joints with the use of 6082-T6 aluminum alloy. The aluminum sheets of 2.0 mm thick were friction stir welded at low (conventional FSW) and high welding speeds (HSFSW) of 200 and 2500 mm/min, respectively. The grain size in the nugget zone (NZ) was decreased; the width of the softened region was narrowed down as well as the lowest microhardness value located in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) was enhanced by HSFSW. The increasing welding speed resulted in the higher ultimate tensile strength and lower elongation, but it had a slight influence on the yield strength. The differences in mechanical properties were explained by analysis of microstructural changes and tensile fracture surfaces of the welded joints, supported by the results of the numerical simulation of the temperature distribution and material flow. The fracture of the conventional FSW joint occurred in the HAZ, the weakest weld region, while all HSFSW joints raptured in the NZ. This demonstrated that both structural characteristics and microhardness distribution influenced the actual fracture locations.
The temperature influence on the microstructure evolution and microhardness of the agehardenable aluminium alloy 6082 T6 during friction stir welding was defined. In order to achieve this aim, the thermocycles calculated using the developed 3D Finite Element Model were physically simulated on the Gleeble-3800 in the points which located in the different zones of the weld. The microstructure in the chosen points after Gleeble testing was investigated as well as the microhardness was measured. The results were consequently compared with the relevant results obtained after friction stir welding. It was shown that the microstructure and microhardness profile are influenced not only by temperature but by deformation. The increase in hardness in different zones after FSW compared to Gleeble testing can be explained by the grain refinement in the nugget zone as well as the hardening precipitate distribution along the weld which can occur more rapidly due to the deformation influence.
Amethod for assessing the effect of the temperature of friction stir welding on the microstructure and mechanical properties of welded joints of aluminum alloy D16AT is suggested. The temperature cycles in different zones of a welded joint are determined by mathematical simulation. The computed temperature cycles are implemented in a Gleeble-3800 system. It is shown that the welding temperature affects little the evolution of the microstructure in different zones of the welded joints of alloy D16AT.