Comprehensive analysis of joint strength for dissimilar friction stir welds of mild steel to aluminum alloys

Post-weld properties of dissimilar friction stir welds of mild steel/A7075-T6 aluminum alloy were investigated. The joint strength increased with reduction in thickness of the intermetallic compound at the weld interface. During tensile tests of the composite weld, no weld failed in the aluminum base metal. Comprehensive analysis using the heat input parameter showed that the apparent interface strength between the steel and aluminum was lower than the joint strength of the friction-stir-welded A7075-T6 alloy. (C) 2009 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.