Friction Crush Welding of Dissimilar Materials: Numerical Modelling and Experimental Investigation

Abstract

Several present day applications require joining of dissimilar materials by solid state processes. In this research work, two dissimilar metals – Aluminium and Steel were joined with a newly developed Friction Crush Welding (FCW) process. Macro-structure images along with X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) pattern were used to investigate the prepared samples. This work also aims to develop a novel Finite Element (FE) model based on ABAQUS for FCW of Aluminium-Steel materials. The numerical model was developed as a three-dimensional, explicit non-linear model utilising the Lagrange technique in ABAQUS. The developed FE model was validated by comparing the simulation results with experimental temperature data obtained by infrared thermography. The predicted temperature values from FE model are in excellent agreement with the experimentally measured values. The influence of welding variables, i.e., tool rotational speed (2000, 3000 and 4000 rpm) and welding speed (15, 30 and 45 mm/min) on temperature was also investigated. Results show that best weld structure is obtained when welding is performed at speed of 30 mm/min and tool rotational speed of 3000 rpm. The developed FE model of the FCW process may be used for predicting the temperatures and predicting the weld structure.