The Effect of Welding Friction Parameters on the Mechanical Properties of the Maintained Anodic Yok in the Aluminum Industry

Abstract

In this paper, friction welding was applied in the aluminum industry at repairing operation. The process of repairing the anodic yoke, which was carried out by welding in the traditional way, was replaced by the method of rotary friction welding, as a friction welding machine was designed, manufactured and assembled, and the welding process was performed. The material selected for study and experimentation of RFW is low carbon steel S37 and rod dia. ϕ 130 mm. A setup of a rotary friction machine equipped with an electric motor of 75kW power was used. The rotary friction welding process was performed on the anodic yoke pins, that before being welded by fusion welding. The characteristics of microstructure and tensile strength in rotary friction welding of yoke pins were examined. The microstructure test showed friction welded pins had smaller grain size compared to those welded by fusion welding due to recrystallization and transformation of coarse ferrite phase into grain refined ferritic-pearlitic phase. The tensile strength of friction welded pins was higher than that of the fusion welded pins due to annealing effect.