Torque, temperature and hardening precipitation evolution in dissimilar friction stir welds between 6061-T6 and 2014-T6 aluminum alloys

Dissimilar friction stir butt welds between the 2014-T6 and the 6061-T6 Al alloys were performed with various sets of welding parameters including a lateral shift of the tool from the initial separation between the plates to be welded and by placing the alloys, either on the advancing, or on the retreating side of the weld. Torque and temperature measurements during welding as well as macrographies and hardness profiles measurements were performed after welding. It was found that the welding torque, the temperature, the metal flow and the welds’ hardness profile depend on the proportion of each alloy included in the stirred zone. Those results are attributed to the difference between the softening temperatures of both alloys. The 6061 alloyʹs HAZ is the weak link in all dissimilar welds. The evolution of the hardening precipitation, the hardness and the local yield strength in the 6061 alloy are therefore modeled. The model reasonably well predicts the experimentally measured hardness of both similar and dissimilar welds. It also explains the influence of the alloys placement or tool lateral shift on the welds hardness by their influence on the precipitate radius and volume fraction.