Solid State Welding Aluminum Alloy to Steel Using a Rotating Pin : Solid State Welding of Dissimular Metals Using a Rotating pin (Report 1)

Authors tried to butt-weld a mild steel plate to an aluminum alloy plate by the solid slate welding using a rotating pin. This study investigated the effects of a pin rotation speed, the position for the pin axis to be inserted and the pin diameter on the tensile strength and the microstructure of the joint. The main results obtained are as follows: Butt-welding of a steel plate to an aluminum alloy plate was easily and successfully achieved. The maximum tensile strength of the joint was about 86％ of that of the aluminum alloy base metal. Many fragments of the steel were scattered in the aluminum alloy matrix, and fracture tended to occur along the interface between the fragment and the aluminum matrix. A small amount of intermetallic compounds was formed at the upper pan of the steel/aluminum interface, while no intermetallic compounds were observed in the middle and bottom parts of the interface. A little intermetallic compound was also often formed at the interface between the steel fragments and the aluminum matrix. The regions where the intermetallic compounds formed seem to be fracture paths in a joint