Mechanical properties of fine-grained aluminum alloy produced by friction stir process

The hardness and tensile strength of the friction stir-processed 1050 aluminum alloy increased significantly with decreased tool rotation speed. It is noteworthy that, at 560 rpm, these characteristics increased as a result of grain refinement by up to 37% and 46% respectively compared to the starting material. (C) 2003 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.