The influence of annealing on material properties of rotary-friction welded steel-parts

This research aims at examining the influence of annealing on the material properties of carbon steel that is welded in a rotary friction welding process. The material used in this research is AISI 1045 steel which has undergone an annealing process at different temperatures. The considered variables of the friction welding process include friction time, friction pressure, upsetting time and upsetting pressure which are systematically examined in 380 welding experiments. The welded specimens are analyzed regarding their tensile strength and the hardness of the weld seam. The quality of the weld seam and the microstructure is checked by means of microscopic imaging. The study shows that annealed and friction-welded AISI 1045 workpieces behave significantly different from workpieces made from the un-annealed material. The tensile strength and hardness of the weld seam are higher than with the base material, so that such workpieces do not fracture at the weld seam as workpieces made from the un-annealed material do.