Masahiro Kusaka

In a previous study, the tensile strength of dissimilar friction welded joints that was composed between commercially pure Al (AA1070) and low carbon steel (LCS) decreased with increasing forge pressure. This result was not applicable to the general consequence of friction welding. To prevent a decrease in the tensile strength of joints by the increase in forge pressure, the improving method of tensile strength in friction welding was investigated. Two types of AA1070 with different tensile properties due to tempering condition were used, and the weld faying part of the specimen had various overhang lengths and weld diameters. Dissimilar friction welded joints, which were composed with those AA1070 side specimens and LCS specimens, were made with various forge pressures. Then, the relationship between the tensile strength of the joints and the forge pressure was evaluated. The tensile property of AA1070 base metals with various compression stresses was also investigated, and the result was compared with the tensile strength of joints. The decrease in the tensile strength of the friction welded joints with added high forge pressure, which had an AA1070 base metal fracture, could be prevented by changing of the shape at the weld faying part of the specimen and tempering condition of the AA1070 side. However, such a joint should be made with a suitable forge pressure with the AA1070 side fracture and the same tensile strength as that of its base metal since the consideration of the decrease in the tensile strength of joints by greater forge pressure can be ignored.

The joint strength and its improvement of AA5083 Al alloy joints fabricated by friction stud welding method were investigated. The diameter of the work and stud side specimens were 32.0 mm and 12.8 mm, respectively, and those were friction welded. The appropriate welding condition for obtaining high tensile strength was established as follows: a friction speed of 17.5 s−1, a friction pressure of 80 MPa, a friction time of 1.6 s, and a forge pressure of 360 MPa. However, all joints fractured between the initial weld interface and the work or stud sides, i.e. the fracture did not occur in the base metal. It could be considered that the initial oxide film on the weld faying surface of the work side was not exhausted as the flash during the welding process. To obtain the joint having the fracture in the base metal, the suitable shape at the weld faying portion of the work side specimen was suggested as the groove shape. The inner diameter of the groove corresponded to the same diameter of the stud side, and that had a groove width of 3.0 mm with a groove depth of 1.0 mm. As a conclusion, AA5083 friction stud welded joint, which had the tensile strength of the base metal and the fracture in the base metal, could make with the appropriate welding condition. Furthermore, the weld faying portion at the work side should be in the suitable shape that urges the extrusion of the flash from this side.

This paper describes the stud shape and joint strength of low carbon steel joints fabricated by friction stud welding with low load force requirement. To reduce the load force during the welding process, the stud side with the circular hole at the weld faying surface part was used. The outer diameter of a cylindrically shaped stud side had 12.0 mm and that was welded to the circular solid bar with a diameter of 24.0 mm as the work side. The joint was made with a friction speed of 27.5 rps, a friction pressure of 60 MPa, and a forge pressure of 60 MPa, which was determined as the low force condition for obtaining good joint in the previous study. When joints were made by a cylindrically shaped stud with a hole diameter of 6.0 mm and its depth of 0.5 mm, all joints at a friction time of 0.6 s, i.e. the friction torque reached to the initial peak, had the same tensile strength as that of the base metal with the base metal fracture. All joints with flash from the initial weld interface had the fracture on the base metal, the bend ductility of over 15° with no cracking at the initial weld interface through an impact shock bending test, and a high fatigue strength of the base metal. That is, the sound joint could be successfully achieved, and that could be obtained with the same friction stud welding condition of the circularly shaped solid stud. As a conclusion, the joining technique for the friction stud welding method with low load force requirement was proposed in accordance with using a cylindrically shaped stud that has the circular hole with the shallow depth at the weld faying surface part.

To reduce weigh of the transportation machines, joining of the FRP and the light metal is considered as important technique. In this study, the punching rivet method was applied to make joints between a GFRP sheet and an aluminum alloy A6061 sheet and joint strength was examined. The punching rivet method is possible to join the sheets without drilling by using a rivet and a rivet holder. The punching-out process of the sheets using a rivet shank as a punch and the joining process of the sheets using the rivet and the rivet holder are continuously performed. From the experimental results of joining of the GFRP sheet and the A6061 sheet, the joints made by the punching rivet method had no large crack and out-of-plane deformation of the joints was suppressed. From the results of the joint strength tests, the joints made by the punching rivet method had almost the same joint strength as the bolted joints which were tightened by regulated torque. In addition, the fatigue life of the joints made by the punching rivet method was longer than that of bolted joints. It could be confirmed that the punching rivet method was effective to join the GFRP sheet and the A6061 sheet.

The microstructure and mechanical properties of the AlSi12CuNi alloy fabricated by the additive manufacturing technique, laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF), were investigated. Several laser irradiation conditions were examined to optimize the manufacturing process to obtain a high volume density of the fabricated alloy. Good fabricated samples with a relative density of 99% or higher were obtained with no cracks. The fabricated samples exhibited significantly good mechanical properties, such as ultimate tensile strength, breaking elongation, and micro-hardness, compared to the conventional die casting AlSi12CuNi alloy. Fine microstructures consisting of the α-Al phase and a nano-sized eutectic Al-Si network were observed. The dimensions of the microstructures were smaller than those of the conventional die-casting AlSi12CuNi alloy. The superior mechanical properties were attributed to the microstructure associated with the rapid solidification in the L-PBF process. Furthermore, the influence of the building direction on the mechanical properties of the fabricated samples was evaluated. The ultimate tensile strength and breaking elongation were significantly affected by the building direction; mechanical properties parallel to the roller moving direction were significantly better than those perpendicular to the roller moving direction. In conclusion, AlSi12CuNi alloys with good characteristics were successfully fabricated by the L-PBF process.