JournalofMetallurgicalEngineering(ME)Volume5,2016www.mejournal.

org
doi:10.14355/me.2016.05.002

PerformanceEvaluationofConventional
ToolsandHardfacedChromiumCarbide
ToolsforFrictionStirWeldedCopperAlloys
Joints
A.Baskaran1K.Shanmugam2andV.Balasubramanian3
AssistantProfessor1AssociateProfessor2andProfessor3
DepartmentofManufacturingEngineering,AnnamalaiUniversity,Annamalainagar608002,TamilNadu
Email:bas_au2006@yahoo.co.in1

Abstract
Inthepresentwork,anattemptwasmadetodevelophightemperaturewearresistanthardfacedtoolsforfrictionstirwelding
(FSW)ofcommercialgradecopperalloys.Hardfacingwasappliedonmildsteelrodusingchromiumcarbideformingpowder
byplasmatransferredarc(PTA)hardfacingprocessandchromiumcarbideformingconsumablesbyShieldedMetalArc(SMA)
hardfacing process. Commercially available tool material super high speed steel (SHSS) was also used to friction stir weld
copperalloyforcomparisonpurpose.Fromthisinvestigation,itisfoundthatthePTAhardfacedtoolyieldeddefectfreejoints
without tool wear compared with other tools. The optimum level of heat generation, formation of finer grains and higher
hardness of stir zone are the main reasons for the superior tensile properties of the joints fabricated by PTA hardfaced
chromiumcarbidetools.
Keywords
Plasma Transferred Arc Hardfacing, Shielded Metal Arc Hardfacing, Friction Stir Welding, Mild Steel, Tensile Properties and
Microstructure

Introduction
Copper is widely used in industrial applications due to its excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, good
strengthandhighcorrosionresistance[14].Recently,withtheincreasingapplicationofcopperorcopperalloysas
structuralmaterials,forexample,theuseofcoppercanistersfornuclearwaste,thereisanincreasingdemandfor
the welding of these materials [5, 6]. However, welding of copper is usually difficult by conventional fusion
welding techniques because of its high thermal diffusivity, which is 10100 times higher than that of steels and
nickelalloys.Hence,theheatinputrequiredforweldingismuchhigher,resultinginquitelowweldingspeeds[7,
8]. Due to high thermal conductivity, poor strength at the weld joints was observed. Numerous researches were
carriedouttoimprovethemechanicalandmetallurgicalpropertiesoftheweldedjointsofcopper.Butitisvery
difficulttoreducetheproblemsofconventionalfusionweldingprocesssuchassplatter,shrinkage,distortionand
porosity [9, 10].However, friction stir welding process greatly reduced the problems of conventional fusion
weldingprocessesandalmost70to80%ofthebasematerialpropertieswereretained[11].
Frictionstirwelding(FSW)isakindofsolidstatejoiningtechnique,whichwasinventedatTheWeldingInstitute
(TWI)ofUKin1991andwasoriginallyappliedtoAlalloys.Withtherapiddevelopmentofthistechniqueandthe
applicationofhighstrengthanddurablerotationtools,theuseofFSWhasbeenexpandedtomanyothermaterials
including (but not limited to) Mg, Cu, Ti, steels and Ni alloys etc [1214]. The welded joint displays excellent
mechanicalpropertiescomparedwithconventionalfusionweldedjoints[15].Suchjoiningprocessisdemonstrated
toavoidseveredistortionsandthegeneratedresidualstressesareprovedtobeparticularlylow,comparedwith
thetraditionalweldingprocesses[16].ThemainobstacletouseFSWwiththesehighermeltingpointmaterialsis
thedevelopmentoftoolmaterialscapableofsurvivingthehightemperaturesandforcesgeneratedbytheprocess.

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Considerableadvanceshavebeenmade,mainlythroughimprovingmaterialsselectionandtooldesign[17].Even
though FSW produced better joints of copper, the mechanical and metallurgical properties of joints and tool life
havenotattainedtheapplicablerange.OneofthemajorchallengesinexpandingtheapplicationofFSWprocess
tohighmeltingtemperaturematerialsisthenonavailabilityoflowcosttools.Tobeeffective,toolmaterialsmust
resistphysicalandchemicalwear,possesssufficientmechanicalstrengthatelevatedtemperatures,andeffectively
dissipatetheheatcarriedtothetoolduringtheweldingprocess[18,19].
Nowadayschemicalandfertilizerplants,nuclear,steampowerplantsspace,aircraftcomponents,andnumerous
industriesemployweldhardfacingprocesses[20].Weldhardfacingtechniquesareemployedmainlytoextendor
improve the service life of engineering components either by rebuilding or by fabricating in such a way as to
produceacompositewallsectiontocombatwear,erosion,corrosion.Surfacepropertiesandqualitydependupon
the selected alloys and deposition processes [21]. Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) is used very widely in
constructionbecauseofitsquality,portability,andversatility.SMAWcanweldmostofthemetalssuchasstainless
steels and carbon steels, and with special electrodes, can weld highcarbon steels, copper alloys, brass, and even
aluminium alloys [22]. In recent years, one of the coating methods used for those purposes is the plasma
transferredarc(PTA)hardfacingprocess.Thismethodstandsoutforitshighquality,metallurgicalbondingwith
substrate and low diluted deposits. These deposits also exhibit high homogeneity, low oxide content, and low
concentrationsofotherundesirableinclusions[2325].
In this investigation, an attempt has been made to develop low cost, FSW tools by SMA and PTA hardfacing
methods by depositing chromium carbide forming consumables and forming powder on mild steel rod. Thus,
developedSMAandPTAhardfacedtoolswereusedtofrictionstirweld6mmthickrolledplatesofcommercial
gradecopperalloy.Furthermore,commerciallyavailabletoolmadeofsuperhighspeedsteel(SHSS)wasalsoused
to friction stir weld copper alloy. The performance of these tools (conventional and hardfaced) was compared,
analyzedandpresentedinthispaper.
Experimental Procedure
Purecopperplatesof6mmthicknesswereusedasbasematerialinthisinvestigation.Thechemicalcomposition
andmechanicalpropertiesofthebasemetalarepresentedinTable1and2,respectively.
TABLE1CHEMICALCOMPOSITION(WT%)OFBASEMETAL

Fe

Bi

Ag

Pb

Sb

Cu

0.005

0.005

0.001

0.005

0.005

0.002

Balance

TABLE2MECHANICALPROPERTIESOFBASEMETAL

0.2%Yield
strength
(MPa)

Tensilestrength
(MPa)

Notchtensile
strength
(MPa)

Notch
strength
ratio

Hardness@0.5N
load(HV)

Elongationin50mm
gaugelength(%)

280

350

420

1.20

130

30

(b)

(a)

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(c)

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(d)

(f)

(e)

FIG.1SCHEMATICREPRESENTATIONOFPTAHARDFACEDTOOLFABRICATION(A)DEPOSITIONOFHARD
FACINGMATERIAL(B)MACHININGOFPINANDSHOULDER(C)FINALTOOLDIMENSION(D)PHOTOGRAPH
OFHARDFACEDDEPOSIT(E)PHOTOGRAPHOFHARDFACEDTOOLAFTERMACHINING(F)PHOTOGRAPHOF
HARDFACEDTOOLAFTERMAKINGTHREAD.

Thecommerciallyavailablemildsteelrodwasusedassubstrateforthedepositionofthehardfacingmaterial.The
chemical composition of hardfacing powder and conventional tool material are presented in Table 3. The
procedure used to fabricate the tools by SMA and PTA hardfacing method is shown in Fig.1. Here chromium
carbide forming electrode was used to deposit hardfaced layer onto the mild steel rod by shielded metal arc
welding (SMAW) process and chromium carbide forming powder was used to deposit hardfaced layer onto the
mildsteelrodbyPTAprocess.AselffluxingpowderNiCrBSiwasalsoaddedtoincreasethecoatingadhesionand
toavoidthetemperaturemismatchbetweentheparticleandsubstrate.Hardfacingwasproducedusingoptimized
processparameterswithpowdercompositionconsistingof60masspercent(%)WCand40massweightpercent
(%) NiCrBSi. Argon gas was used as shielding gas and powder transporting gas. SMAW hardfacing and PTA
hardfacingparametersareshowninTable4.
Afterdeposition,thetoolwasmachinedwiththehelpofadiamondwheelfollowedbyhardturningtoobtainthe
pinandtopsurfaceoftheshoulderasshowninFig1e.TheFSWparametersandtooldimensionsusedtofabricate
the joints using SHSS, SMA hardfaced (MCC) and PTA hardfaced tools (PCC) are presented in Table 5. An
indigenouslydesignedanddevelopedCNCcontrolledfrictionstirweldingmachinewasusedinpositioncontrol
modetofabricatetheFSWjoints.Thejointconfiguration,tensilespecimendimensionsphotographsofjointsand
tensile specimens are shown in (Fig.2). The unnotched and notched tensile specimens were prepared as per the
ASTM E8 M04 guidelines [26].Unnotched smooth tensile specimens (Fig.2c) were machined to evaluate the
transverse tensile properties of the joints such as yield strength, tensile strength and elongation. Notched tensile
specimens (Fig.2d) were prepared to evaluate notch tensile strength and notch strength ratio (notched tensile
strength/unnotchedtensilestrength)ofthejoints.Tensiletestingwascarriedoutusing100kN,electromechanical
controlled universal testing machine with a loading rate of 1.5 kN/mm. Photographes of tensile specimens are
displayed in Fig.2 (eh). In this investigation, the heat input was calculated using the expression proposed by
Heuriter et al and the thermocouples were used for sensing the thermal histories and it was recorded using the
LABVIEWdataacquisitionsystemasshowninFig3.

(b)

(a)

(c)

(d)

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(e)

(f)

(h)

(g)

FIG.2FABRICATIONOFJOINTSANDTENSILESPECIMEN(A)JOINTCONFIGURATIONS.(B)PHOTOGRAPHSOFFABRICATEDJOINTS.
(C)DIMENSIONOFUNNOTCHEDTENSILESPECIMEN.(D)DIMENSIONOFNOTCHEDTENSILESPECIMEN.(E)PHOTOGRAPHOF
UNNOTCHEDSPECIMENBEFORETEST.(F)PHOTOGRAPHOFNOTCHEDSPECIMENBEFORETEST.(G)PHOTOGRAPHOF
UNNOTCHEDSPECIMENAFTERTEST.(H)PHOTOGRAPHOFNOTCHEDSPECIMENAFTERTEST.
TABLE3CHEMICALCOMPOSITION(WT.%)OFTOOLMATERIALS

ToolUsed

Cr

Fe

Mn

Mo

Si

Co

Nb

SHSS

0.8

4.0

5.0

1.9

1.0

6.0

5.0

MCC

1.8

Bal.

0.8

9.2

0.3

30

7.9

PCC

1.5

Bal.

0.10

0.15

0.04

40

0.30

0.03

0.2

0.05

TABLE4PARAMETERSUSEDFORSMAANDPTAHARDFACING

MCC

PCC

Transferredarccurrent(Amps)

Parameter

140

160

Voltage

20

23

Travelspeed(mm/min)

170

Powderfeedrate(gms/min)

30

Torchoscillationfrequency(cyl/min)

42

Standoffdistance(mm)

10

Electrodediameter(mm)

TABLE5FSWPROCESSPARAMETERSANDTOOLDIMENSIONSUSEDINTHISINVESTIGATION

16

Jointconfiguration,(mm)

150x150x6

Toolrotationalspeed,N(rpm)

1400

Tooltravelspeed,S(mm/min)

40

Axialforce,F(kN)

6.1

Toolinclinationangle()

Pinlength,L(mm)

5.8

Toolshoulderdiameter,D(mm)

18

Pindiameter,d(mm)

Pinprofile

Taperthreaded

Toolmaterial

SHSS,MCC&PCC

JournalofMetallurgicalEngineering(ME)Volume5,2016www.mejournal.org

Vickersmicrohardnesstestingmachinewasusedtomeasurethehardnessatthestirzoneonthetoolmaterialwith
0.5 N load and dwell time of 15 s. Micro structural examination was carried out using an optical microscope
incorporatedwithanimageanalysingsoftware.Thespecimensformetallographicexaminationweresectionedto
therequiredsizefromthejointcomprisingstirzone,Thermomechanicalaffectedzone(TMAZ),heataffectedzone
(HAZ)andbasemetalregions,andpolishedusingdifferentgradesofemerypapers.

(b)

(a)

FIG.3TEMPERATUREMEASUREMENTUSINGLABVIEW(A)CLOSEUPVIEWDURINGFSWWELDING(B)KTYPETHERMOCOUPLE

Final polishing was done using a diamond compound (1 m particle size) in the disc polishing machine. The
specimenswereetchedwithasolutionof15mlhydrochloricacid,aswellas100mldistilledwaterand2.5giron
chloride was used to reveal the microstructure of the welded joints. Average grain diameter of the weld nugget
regionwasmeasuredbyapplyingtheHeynslineinterceptmethod.Thestirzonewasanalyzedusingascanning
electron microscope (model 6410LV, JEOL, Japan) at higher magnification to study the tool wear debris and
establish the nature of grain refinement. Xray diffraction (XRD) analysis was carried out in thetatheta (vertical
type), D/Max (model ULTIMAIII, Rigaku, Japan) with copper target under a working voltage of 40 kV and a
workingcurrentof40mA.Scintillationcounterdetectorwasusedwithascanrangeof3154deg(min.setupsize
0.0002deg).AqualitativeanalysisoftheprecipitatewascarriedoutbyXraydiffractionbasedontheidentification
ofthepeaksafterrefinementusingPROFITandPCPDFWINsoftwaretoadjusttheexactpeakangularpositionof
thephasespresentedintheFSWJoint.Basedonthevaluesofthepeaksinthediffractograms,acomparisonwith
JCPDS card values was made in order to identify the phases, which could precipitate in the friction stir welded
copperalloyjoints.
Results
ToolPerformance

(a)SHSStool

(b)MCCtool

(c)PCCtool

FIG.4APPEARANCEOFTHETOOLSAFTERFSWOFCOPPER

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Thephotographsoftoolsafterfrictionstirwelding1mlengthofcopperalloysof6mmthickplatesareshownin
Fig.4.TheSHSSandMCCtoolswereabletocompletetheweldingandnodefectwasobservedonthetopsurface
oftheweld.ThethreadedpinprofilewascompletelywornoutinSHSStool(Fig.4a).WhileusingtheMCCtool,the
threadpinprofileandshouldertopsurfacewascompletelywornout.Nodefectwasobservedinweldtopsurface
whileusingPTAhardfacedtoolandthetooldimensionswerenotaffectedduringwelding(Fig.4c).
MacrostructureAnalysis
Tool
used

Crosssectionalmacrograph
ASRS

Topsurfaceofweld

Observation

Defectfree

SHSS

Defectfree

MCC

Defectfree

PCC

FIG.5MACROGRAPHOFFSWJOINTSOFCOPPERALLOY

Fig.5showsthemacrographofthefrictionstirweldedjointsfabricatedwithSHSS,MCCandPCCtools.Usually,
frictionstirweldedjointsarefreefromsolidificationrelateddefectssincenomeltingtakesplaceduringwelding
andthemetalsarejoinedinthesolidstateitselfduetotheheatgeneratedbythefrictionandflowofmetalbythe
stirringaction.However,FSWjointsarepronetootherdefectslikepinhole,tunneldefect,pipingdefect,surface
defect, groove defect, ZigZag line and cracks, etc. [27,28], due to improper flow of metal and insufficient
consolidation of metal in the FSP (weld nugget) region. All the joints fabricated were examined at low
magnification(10X)usingstereozoommacroscopetorevealthequalityofweldnuggetregion.Thejointwelded
using SHSS, MCC and PCC tools were free from macro level defects on the top surface as well as in the cross
section.
TransverseTensileProperties
TABLE6TENSILEPROPERTIESOFFSWJOINTS

18

Tool

0.2%Yield
strength
(MPa)

Tensile
strength
(MPa)

Elongationin
50mmgauge
length(%)

Notch
tensile
strength
(MPa)

Notch
strength
ratio
(NSR)

Joint
efficiency
(%)

Location
offailure

SHSS

190

230

19

240

1.042

66

SZ

MCC

200

240

16

250

1.046

68

SZ

PCC

250

280

24

350

1.166

80

TMAZAS

JournalofMetallurgicalEngineering(ME)Volume5,2016www.mejournal.org

The transverse tensile properties such as yield strength, tensile strength, percentage of elongation, notch tensile
strength,andnotchstrengthratiooftheFSWjointsmadebySHSS,MCC,andPCCtoolswereevaluated.Ineach
condition,threespecimensweretested,andtheaverageoftheresultsispresentedinTable6.Thetensilestrength
ofthejointsweldedbySHSS,MCCandPCCtoolis230MPa,240MPaand280MParespectivelyandhigherstrain
tolerancewasobservedinthejointmadebyPCCtool(Fig.6).

FIGURE6:STRESSVSDISPLACEMENT

Theelongationoftheunweldedparentmetalis30%,andtheelongationofSHSS,MCCandPCCjointsis19%,16%
and 24%, respectively. Another notch tensile parameter, NSR, is found to be greater than unity (>1) for both the
joints.TheNSRis1.2forunweldedparentmetal,butitis1.05,1.046and1.166fortheFSWjointsmadebySHSS,
MCCandPCCtoolsrespectively.Jointefficiencyistheratiobetweentensilestrengthofweldedjointandtensile
strengthoftheunweldedparentmetal.ThejointefficiencyofthejointmadebySHSS,MCCtoolisapproximately
66%,68%andtheefficiencyofthejointmadebyPCCtoolis80%.Ofthethreejoints,thejointmadebyPCCtool
exhibited19%higherjointefficiency.
TemperatureProfile
Theheatgenerationisliableforthesoundweldcharacteristicslikedefectfreestirzoneformation,residualstress
formation, etc. Hence the determination of heat generation and thermal histories during friction stir welding
processisanecessityforachievingsoundjoint.InFSW,heatgenerationduetofrictionismainlydependentontool
material hardness since tool material hardness controls the coefficient friction between tool and base metal.
Hardnessofthetoolmaterials(beforewelding)wasmeasuredat5differentlocationsandtheaverageispresented
in Table 7. Hardness of MCC and PCC tools is higher due to the presence of chromium carbide. The heat input
duringFSWwascalculatedusingthefollowingexpressionproposedbyHeuritaretal[29].
Heatinput(q)=(2/3S)pRs(1)
WhereSweldingspeed,coefficientfrictionbetweentoolandworkpiece,Paxilforce,toolrotationalspeed,
Rs shoulder radius, efficiency of the process. In this above equation, is assumed as 0.8(80%as process
efficiency). All other parameters, except are known. Hence, in this investigation an attempt was made to
determineaveragevaluebyconductingPinOnDiscwear
TABLE7CHARACTERISTICSOFTOOLMATERIALS

Toolmaterial

Hardness
(HV)0.5kgload

Coefficientoffriction()

HeatInput
(Jmm1)

SHSS

640

0.22

695

MCC

700

0.23

720

PCC

860

0.31

820

Test(copperwasusedasdiscandToolmaterialwereusedaspin).Table7presents,themeasuredvalueforeach
combinationoftoolworkpiecematerialandcalculatedheatinputvalues.Thetoolmaterialdecidesthequantityof
heatsuppliedtothebasematerialstobejoined.Fromtable7,itisunderstoodthattheheatgenerationishaving

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directlyproportionalrelationshipwiththetoolhardnessand.TheSHSStoolandtheMCC tool generates heat

energy of 695 Jmm1 and 720 Jmm1, respectively. But the PCC tool produces heat energy of 820 Jmm1. This is
evident from temperature profiles recorded during friction stir welding of copper plates (Fig. 7).Highest peak
temperaturewasrecordedwhileusingPCCtoolandthelowestpeaktemperaturewasrecordedwhileusingSHSS
tool.

FIG.7TEMPERATUREPROFILESRECORDEDDURINGFSW

Microstructure
Allthetensilespecimensfailedinthestirzone(Fig.2g&h)andhencetheopticalmicrographsofstirzonealoneare
displayedinFig.8.ThebasemetalFig8(a)containscoarsegrainsof65m(averagegraindiameter).Thestirzone
of joint made by SHSS tool shows dynamic recrystallized grains (Fig.8b) with average grains diameter of 15.3
m.ThestirzoneofthejointmadebyMCCtoolshowsdynamicrecrystallizedgrains(Fig.8c)withaveragegrain
diameterof15.5m.ThestirzonemadebyPCCtoolshowsthefinergrains(Fig.8d)withaveragegraindiameter
of5.1m.

50m

50m

(a)BM

50m

50m

(c)MCC

(d)PCC

FIG.8OPTICALMICROGRAPHSOFSTIRZONEOFFSWJOINTS.

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(b)SHSS

JournalofMetallurgicalEngineering(ME)Volume5,2016www.mejournal.org

Microhardness
Microhardness was measured at the midthickness region across the joint and the values are presented in Fig 9.
Thebasemetalhasahardnessof130HV.ThehardnessoftheSZislowerthanthatofthebasemetalirrespectiveof
the tool materials used. It shows a general softening and reduction of hardness in the stir zone. However, the
frictionstirweldingofthecopperexhibitedminimumhardnessjustoutsidethestirzoneasaresultofannealing
effect of base material beyond TMAZ. The stir zone recorded lower hardness than the base metal in spite of the
presenceoffinergrains.Itmeansthatthehardnessdistributionatthestirzoneisindependentofgrainsize[30].

LHDR

LHDR

(a)MicrohardnessprofileofusingSHSStool

(b)MicrohardnessprofileofusingMCCtool

LHDR

(c)MicrohardnessprofileofusingPCCtool
FIGURE.9MICROHARDNESSPROFILEACROSSTHEMIDTHICKNESSREGION

ThedifferenceinhardnessbetweentheHAZandSZisattributedtothegrainrefinementintheSZ.Hardnessofthe
stirzoneofthejointmadebyPCCtoolishigherthanthestirzoneofthejointmadebytheSHSSandMWCtools.
Thisismainlyduetothepresenceoffinergrainsinstirzone.
ToolDebrisAnalysis
Fig.10showstheSEMmicrographsandtheresultsofXRDanalysisofstirzoneofthejointsfabricatedwithSHSS,
MCC,andPCCtools.ToolweardebriswereobservedinthestirzoneofthejointmadebySHSSandMCCtools
(Fig.10a&c)andconfirmedbyXRDanalysis(Fig.11a&b).Buttherearenosecondphaseparticlespresentinginthe
stirzoneofthejointmadebyPCCtool(Fig.10c)andconfirmedbyXRDanalysis(Fig.11c).Thissuggestedthatthe
tooldevelopedbyplasmatransferredarc(PTA)hardfacingprocessiscapableofwithstandinghighertemperature
andhigherforcesgeneratedduringfrictionstirweldingofcopperalloys.

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(a)

(b)

SHSStool

(c)

MCCtool

PCCtool

FIGURE10:SEMMICROGRAPHSOFSTIRZONE

Discussion
InFSW,thetoolhardnessisotherparametersparticularly;heatgenerationduetofrictionismainlydependenton
tool material hardness. The tool material hardness will decide the coefficient of friction . If is higher, then
frictionbetweentoolandbasemetalwillbegreaterandtheresultantheatgenerationwillbehigher.Ifislower,
thenfrictionwillbelessandtheresultantheatgenerationwillbelower[31].Theheatgenerationduetofrictiondf
inFSWisgivenbytheequation(2)
df=(rUsin)pdA(2)
Where, d is the extent of slip, is the friction coefficient and p is the local pressure applied by the tool on the
elementalareadA.
Fromtheequation,itisknownthattheheatgenerationisadirectfunctionofcoefficientoffriction().Thehigher
coefficientoffrictioninthePCCtoolisattributedtothehigherhardnessvaluemeasuredinthetool(860HV)and
similar proportions were observed in SHSS and MCC tool (640HV) and (700HV). The tool with higher hardness
willhavelessdeformationcapabilities[32]andhencePWCtoolexperiencednowearloss.
TherequiredheatinputissuppliedbythePCCtooltomakeadefectfreejointthantheSHSSandMCCtooldueto
thebettertoolpropertiessuchashardness,highcoefficientoffriction,lessdeformationandlesswearrate.
While using SHSS tool, the joint was completed, but threaded pin profile was completely worn out. SHSS tool

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indicates that the area between the shoulder diameter and pin diameter is reduced which in turn reduced the
materialflow from theleading to trailing edge. Insufficient frictional heat hinders the viscoplastic materialflow.
Also, high flow stresses in the material can cause the tool to fail and tool material entrapped in stir zone. Even
thoughtheMCCtoolhardnessishigher,thecoefficientoffrictionandheatinputvaluewaslowercomparedwith
PCC and SHSS tools. This is due to the removing of material from shoulder top surface. Heat conductivity is
disruptedbetweenatomsandlowervaluewasobservedusingMCCtool.

(a)

(b)

SHSStool

(c)

MCCtool

PCCtool

FIGURE11:XRDRESULTSOFSTIRZONE

Duringtensiletest,SHSS,MCCspecimensfailedintheweldregionduetothepresenceoftooldebrisinthestir
zone(Fig.10c).WhileusingPCCtoolforfrictionstirwelding,thebasemetal,whichisplasticallystirredunderthe
actionoftherotatingtool,undergoessevereplasticdeformationandthecoarseelongatedgrainsarefragmented
into fine aswellas, equiaxedgrainsand coarse strengthening precipitatesare fractured into very fine uniformly
distributedparticlesinthefrictionstirprocessedzone.
Tool wear describes material loss and includes abrasive and adhesive wear. Abrasive wear occurs as the tool
materialexperiencesthestressesoftheweldingenvironment.Particlesofthetoolmaterial,ineffect,willbelostto
theweldedmaterial.Adhesivewearoccurswhenthematerialthatisbeingweldedadherestothesurfaceofthe
tool. In these areas, a high stress concentration occurs, promoting material loss [33]. Plastic deformation is the
secondcomponentoftooldegradation.Suetal.[34]confirmedthattheuseofconventionaltoolmaterialhasledto
partial deformation grains in the stir zone due to the tool deformation which resulted in insufficient heat for
generation.Severedeformationofthepintipandshoulderdiametersoccurredaswellascompressionofthepin
length was observed while using SHSS tool. SEM and XRD analysis was used to confirm tool wear debris
presentedinSHSStooljointandthreadpinprofilewascompletelywornoutincopperjointandtooldebriswas
observedbythePCCjointwherenotoolweardebriswasobservedduetohigherhardnessoftoolmaterialwhich
wasattainedatthepresenceofhomogenoustungstencarbidematrix.

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ThemicrohardnessprofilepresentedinFig.9showsageneralsofteningandreductionofhardnessintheweldzone
in comparison to that of the base metal hardness (130HV). The lower hardness distribution region (LHDR) was
observedinTMAZAS(Fig.9c)whileusingPCCtooljoint.Butthelowerhardnessdistributionregion(LHDR)was
observedinSHSSandMCCtoolsjointwhicharetheSZregions,becauseofthetoolmaterialentrappedinSZand
itbecamebrittle.
Conclusions
Inthisinvestigation,anattemptwasmadetodeveloplowcostandhighwearresistanttoolmaterialusingSMA
andPTAhardfacingtechniquestofrictionstirweldcopperalloys.Fromthisinvestigation,thefollowingimportant
conclusionsarederived:
(i) Ofthethreetoolsinvestigated,SHSSandMCCtoolsareabletoweldcopperalloywithoutdefectbutthe
threadedpinprofilewaswornoutcompletely;PCCtool(PTAhardfacedChromiumcarbidetool)wasable
towithstandthehightemperaturesandforcesduringtheFSWofcopperalloysandyieldeddefectfreejoint.
(ii) The joint was fabricated using PCC tool yielded higher tensile strength (280MPa) and showed higher
ductility (24%) and exhibited higher joint efficiency (80%) compared with the joints made by SHSS and
MCCtools.Thisismainlyduetotheformationoffinergrains(5.1m)inthestirzoneasaresultofeffective
stirring of plasticized metal around the pin and under the shoulder. The presence of finer grains also
increasedthehardnessofstirzone.
(iii) The PCC tool produced the highest heat energy value (820 Jmm1), but the SHSS tool and MCC tool
generated lower heat energy values (695 Jmm1 and 720 Jmm1) respectively. This mainly result from the
higherhardnessofPCCtoolduetothepresenceofhomogenousChromiumcarbidematrixandhigherco
efficient of friction .The heat generation capability of PCC tool is beneficial to weld higher thermal
conductingmaterialslikecopperalloys.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Authors are grateful to Centre for Materials Joining& Research (CEMAJOR) Department of Manufacturing
Engineering,AnnamalaiUniversityforextendingallthenecessaryfacilitiestocarryoutthisinvestigation.
REFERENCES

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