Microstructural mapping of friction stir welded AA 7075-T6 and AlMgSc alloys using electrical conductivity

AlMgSc and AA 7075-T6 alloys find applications in the aeronautic industry due to their lightweight associated with high mechanical strength and fatigue resistance. Both alloys have poor weldability when joined by fusion welding processes, which is overcome with the use of friction stir welding (FSW). Recent research work shows that electrical conductivity field analysis can be used as a material characterisation technique for solid state material welding exhibiting a microstructure gradient. This study aims to apply electrical conductivity field analysis to bead on plate FSW to identify the potential application of this technique to map and characterise microstructural transformations. The FSW was conducted on AlMgSc and AA 7075-T6 plates with different parameters, and electrical conductivity measurements were performed at half thickness, complemented by other techniques as hardness, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. A good correlation was observed among electrical conductivity field, microstructure and hardness of different zones in FSW beads.