Accepted Manuscript

Title: The effect of friction stir vibration welding process on

characteristics of SiO2 incorporated joint

Author: S. Fouladi M. Abbasi

PII: S0924-0136(16)30441-1
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2016.12.005
Reference: PROTEC 15047

To appear in: Journal of Materials Processing Technology

Received date: 21-8-2016

Revised date: 7-11-2016
Accepted date: 8-12-2016

Please cite this article as: Fouladi, S., Abbasi, M., The effect of friction stir vibration
welding process on characteristics of SiO2 incorporated joint.Journal of Materials
Processing Technology http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2016.12.005

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The effect of friction stir vibration welding process on characteristics of SiO2
incorporated joint

S. Fouladi, M. Abbasi
Faculty of Engineering, University of Kashan, Ravandi Blvd, Kashan, Iran.
Corresponding author: Mahmoud Abbasi
E-mail address: m.abbasi@aut.ac.ir
Tel: +98 31 55912428

Abstract
Different methods have been applied to improve the mechanical properties of joint manufactured
by friction stir welding (FSW). One is addition of second phase particles into the stir zone to
reinforce the joint and to constitute a particle reinforced metal matrix composite. The problem
with regard to this method is non-homogenous distribution of particles during FSW. In the
current research, friction stir vibration welding (FSVW) process is applied for welding. The
joining workpieces of Al5052 alloy are vibrated normal to the weld line during FSW while SiO2
particles are incorporated into the weld. Microstructure and mechanical properties of welds are
compared with those made by conventional FSW. Vibration decreases the grain size in the weld
region and increases the homogeneity of particles distribution. Strength, hardness and ductility of
FSV welded specimens are higher than FS welded specimens. Application of FSVW as an “easy
to apply” friction stir welding method to improve the mechanical properties of joint included
second phase particles is recommended.

Keywords: Friction stir vibration welding; Particle reinforced metal matrix composite; SiO2
nano particles; Microstructure; Mechanical properties.

1
1- Introduction
Friction stir welding (FSW) is a metal-joining technique developed in 1991 (Thomas et al.,
1991). Since then, it has been widely adopted by the aerospace industry and has slowly trickled
into the automotive realm (Keivani et al., 2013; Cam and Mistikoglu, 2014). Different trials have
been carried out to improve the microstructure and mechanical properties of joint produced by
FSW.
Addition of reinforcement particles into weld region is an effective way to improve the various
characteristics of weld region produced by FSW (Abbasi et al., 2015; Kartsonakis et al., 2016;
Palanivel et al., 2016). Kartsonakis et al. (2016) studied the effect of nano-additives as
reinforcing materials on the corrosion behavior of dissimilar FS welded materials of AA6082-T6
and AA5083-H11 aluminum alloys. They found that the incorporation of cerium molybdate
containers loaded with corrosion inhibitor 2-mercaptobenzothiazole during the FSW, enhanced
the corrosion resistance of the weld region through the adsorption of MoO4-2 ions that came from
the containers shell onto the surface of base materials. Palanivel et al. (2016) applied friction stir
processing (FSP) to synthesize AA6082/TiB2+BN hybrid aluminum matrix composites (AMCs).
The results revealed an effective interfacial bonding between the particles and the aluminum
matrix with extensive grain refinement in the matrix. They also observed that the shape and
morphology of the TiB2 particles altered during FSP while the BN particles were intact. They
found that BN nanoparticles acted as a solid lubricant and enhanced the wear resistance of
AA6082/TiB2 AMC.
Saeidi et al. (2015) studied the effects of Al2O3 reinforcements on microstructure, toughness and
corrosion characteristics of AA5083-H116 and AA7075-T6 aluminum alloys joint fabricated by
FSW. They found that the grain size of Al2O3-included specimen in the stir zone was smaller
than that of fabricated without Al2O3. They also observed that corrosion resistance of the Al2O3-
included specimens enhanced perceptibly, but their impact toughness decreased. Low toughness
was assigned to unsatisfactory bonding between matrix and reinforcements. Abbasi et al. (2016)
studied the effect of SiC particles addition on the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance
of stir zone of AZ31 Mg alloys produced by FSW. Their results showed that presence of SiC
particles decreased the grain size and increased strength and hardness of the stir zone. They also
concluded that corrosion resistance of the FS welded specimens increased as SiC particles were
added to the stir zone. SiC particles with a mean size of 5 µm were added into pure Cu joints

2
during FSW and the results indicated that in the particle-rich region of the stir zone, the average
grain size was much smaller than that of the particle-free region (Sun and Fuji, 2011). It was
proposed by Sun and Fuji (2011) that SiC particles can act as a heterogeneous nucleation site
during the dynamic recrystallization of Cu grains. Kumar et al. (2015) studied the effects of B4C
nano particle addition on microstructure, hardness, and pitting corrosion of the nugget zone of
friction stir welds of AA7075 alloy. A significant improvement in pitting resistance was
achieved with the addition of boron carbide powder. Researches have shown that added particles
act as grain nucleation sites during dynamic recrystallization and agglomeration of particles
decreases their role.
A problem in regard with FSW joints included nano-particles is agglomeration of particles and
non-homogenous distribution of particles within the stir zone (Wang et al., 2013; Dadaei et al.,
2014). Dadaei et al. (2014) modified the mechanical properties of AZ91 magnesium alloy by
application of FSP while SiC or Al2O3 nano-particles were added into the stir zone. Their results
showed the development of surface composites increased the yield and tensile strengths of FS
processed specimens. Their results showed that distribution of nano-particles had a significant
effect on mechanical properties of processed specimens.
In the current research, Al5052 alloy specimens were joined together by friction stir vibration
welding (FSVW) process while SiO2 nano-particles were incorporated in the stir zone. The
microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir vibration (FSV) welded specimens were
compared with those of friction stir (FS) welded specimens. The effect of vibration frequency on
microstructure and mechanical properties of weld was also studied.

2- Materials and Methods

Al5052 alloy sheets with 3 mm thickness were selected as joining materials. Chemical
composition and as-received microstructure of the studied material are presented in Table 1 and
Fig. 1, respectively.
Rectangular specimens of the studied material with 50150 (mmmm)
dimensions were prepared. The specimens were cleaned of oil and debris and the edges were de-
burred. Grooves were cut into longitudinal edges of joining specimens. The schematic design
and dimension of groove for a joint is illustrated in Fig. 2.

3
Grooves were filled with SiO2 nano particles with size of 50 nm. The weight of particles for all
specimens was the same (0.06 gr). The specimens were aligned longitudinally in a butt position
and they were fixed on fixture.
Vibration was applied through a vibrating plate. Fixture was fastened to the vibration plate.
Schematic design of method utilized to vibrate the vibrating plate and fixture is illustrated in Fig.
3a. In this design, rotation movement of motor shaft is transformed to linear and reciprocatory
motion of vibrating plate using a camshaft. The power for motor was supplied by an AC motor
0.5 KW. The motor was equipped by a driver to obtain the possibility to change the motor
rotation speed and correspondingly, the vibration frequency. Camshaft was designed to result in
vibration of fixture with 0.5 mm amplitude. The design of machine used for FSVW is presented
in Fig. 3b.

Using trial and error method, proper welding conditions (rotation speed= 1200 rpm, traveling
speed=20 mm/min, tilt angle=0º and vibration frequency=33 cycles/s) were obtained. Good
macroscopic appearance of the welded specimens and the crack-free microstructures were
characteristics of the welded specimens when proper welding conditions were utilized.
Microstructure and mechanical properties of FSV welded samples were compared with those of
FS welded samples. To analyze the role of vibration frequency on microstructure and mechanical
properties, different vibration frequencies were applied during the experiments. Welding
conditions for different welded specimens are presented in Table 2. Rotation speed was 1200
rpm for all trials.

Tool consisted of a cylindrical shoulder and a trapezoidal pin. Its geometry and design are
presented in Fig. 4. Pin was made of Tungsten Carbide and the shoulder was prepared from M2
steel. The shoulder was heat treated and its hardness was 65 HRC.

Macrostructure of welded specimens was analyzed using vision measuring machine (VMM) with
minimum magnification of 34. For some specimens, the whole weld area was large and it was
not enclosed in one image. For these specimens, the images from adjacent zones were merged
together to constitute the image of the whole weld area.

4
Microstructure of welded specimens was investigated using light optical microscopy (LOM) and
scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Metallography samples from the section normal to the
weld line were prepared and mounted. Mounted specimens were ground with rotating discs of
abrasive paper of silicon carbide and finally they were polished and etched. Metallographic
samples were etched for 5 sec with an etchant consisting of 4.2 g picric acid, 10 mL acetic acid,
10 mL water, and 70 mL ethanol.
Tensile test according to ASTM-E8 (2003), was used to obtain stress-strain curves of welded
specimens. Subsize specimens from welded specimens and normal to the weld line were
prepared using electrical discharge machining (EDM). For each welding condition, three samples
were prepared. Tensile test was carried out using the Instron 5582 Universal tester with a 100 kN
load frame. Cross head speed during tensile testing was 1 mm/min.
Hardness was assessed using Vickers microhardness test according to ASTM-E384 (2011). Load
was 100 gf and dwell time was 10 sec. For each welding condition, 5 measurements were
obtained.

3- Results and Discussion

3-1- The effect of vibration
In Fig. 5 the macrostructure of FSV and FS welded samples are compared. It is observed that the
FSV welded samples have larger and more elongated weld region than the FS welded samples;
additionally, SiO2 particles have more homogenous distribution in the FSV welded samples.

The microstructures of heat affected zone (HAZ) and stir zone interface for the studied samples
are shown in Fig. 6. The microstructure of stir zone is also presented in Fig. 7. Although the
authors did not measure the grain size, but it is observed in Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 that FSV welded
samples have smaller grain size in the stir zone than the FS welded samples.
This can be related to vibration effect. Simultaneous presence of vibration and stirring during
FSVW results in more straining of material in stir zone. It has been known that dislocations
density increases and more dislocations are generated as deformation of substance enhances
(Hull and Bacon, 2011). McNelley et al. (2008) noted that dynamic recovery and
recrystallization are the main mechanisms for grain refinement in the stir zone during FSW of

5
aluminum alloys. High density of dislocations as well as dynamic recovery during friction
stirring results in high angle grain boundaries and development of fine grain microstructure as a
result of dynamic recrystallization (Sarkari Khorrami et al., 2012; Jonas et al., 2009). Increased
straining during FSVW because of vibration, results in high density of dislocations and enhanced
dynamic recrystallization which lead to more grain refinement.

LOM images relating to microstructures of FSV and FS welded samples are observed in Fig. 8.
A more homogenous distribution of particles in FSV welded specimen in regard with FS welded
specimen is the difference between the welded specimens. This point is shown precisely in Fig.
9. Fig. 9 shows that for FS welded specimen, the particles are agglomerated while for FSV
welded sample the particles have more homogenous distribution. The authors believe that
vibration leads to break up of agglomerated particles and correspondingly more homogenous
distribution of particles is obtained. This is in accordance with data presented by Abbasi and
Abdollahzadeh et al. (2015). They found that the homogeneity of SiC particles distribution
increased and their agglomeration decreased as welding pass number increased. That was related
to break-up of agglomerated particles as pass number increased.

More homogenous distribution of particles may also enhance grain refinement via Zener pinning.
Zener pinning is a phenomenon in which second-phase particles serve to prevent the growth of
grains and retard the coarsening of a matrix phase by pinning the motion of grain boundaries
(Porter et al., 2009). In this regard, enhanced dynamic recovery and recrystallization as well as
Zener pinning can be accounted as the main reasons for grain refinement during FSVW process.

Tensile stress-strain curves and weld region microhardness values of FSV and FS welded
samples are presented in Fig. 10 and Fig. 11, respectively. It is observed that strength and
hardness of FSV welded specimens for both welding conditions (Table 2) are higher than those
relating to FS welded specimens for about 25% and 11%, respectively.

These can be related to the effect of grain size and second-phase particles distribution. It was
observed (Figs. 6-9) that FSVW resulted in grain size decrease and more homogenous
6
distribution of particles. As grain size decreases, grain boundary volume fraction increases.
Grain boundaries decelerate the movement of dislocations (Hull and Bacon, 2011) and act as
strengthening mechanism which increases the strength and hardness. According to Hall-Petch
equation (Hull and Bacon, 2011), strength (σ) increases as grain diameter (d) decreases. Amini
and Amiri (2015) also reported that strength of FS welded specimen increased as grain size of
the stir zone decreased. They studied the effect of ultrasonic vibration applied on tool during
FSW of AA6061-T6 workpieces to study its effect on mechanical properties of weld. They found
that application of ultrasonic vibration during FSW increased strength of welded specimen and
reduced the downward force.
1

   0  kd 2
Eq. 1
The other important parameter which is effective on mechanical properties of the studied welded
specimens is presence of SiO2 particles which act as second phase particles. Strengthening due to
second phase particles is a common mechanism for strengthening (Calister, 2003; Dolatkhah et
al., 2012). The degree of strengthening resulting from these particles depends on the distribution
of particles in the ductile matrix. The distribution can be described by specifying the volume
fraction, average particle diameter and mean interparticle spacing (Dieter and Bacon, 1988). For
a given volume fraction of particles, reducing the particle size decreases the average distance
between particles. A simple expression for the linear mean free path (λ) between particles is
(Dieter and Bacon, 1988):
4(1  f )r

3f
Eq. 2
Where f is the volume fraction of particles of radius r. Orowan proposed that the stress required
to force the dislocation between the particles is (Hertzberg, 1996):
Gb

 Eq. 3
Where G is shear modulus and b is the magnitude of the Burgers vector of the dislocations. The
basic Orowan equation was modified later by Ashby as (Hull and Bacon, 2011):
0.13Gb r
 ln Eq. 4
 b
or as Hall-Petch type of strengthening:

7
 1

   0  k  2
Eq. 5
According to Eqs. 4 and 5, strength increases as interparticle spacing distance (λ) decreases.
It was observed that simultaneous occurrence of vibration and stirring resulted in less
agglomeration of particles and more homogenous distribution of SiO2 particles within matrix.
For a constant weight of particles, more homogenous distribution of SiO2 particles leads to less
interparticle spacing (λ). So, strength increase of FSV welded specimens with regard to FS
welded specimens may also originate from Zenner pinning effect because of more homogenous
distribution of SiO2 particles in FSV welded specimens. Abbasi et al. (2015) indicated that more
homogenous distribution of second phase particles enhanced the strength of FS processed
specimens. They studied the effect of SiC and Al2O3 particles embedded in soft matrix of AZ91
magnesium base alloy through stirring during FSP. Their results showed that wear and corrosion
resistance of FS processed samples were higher than the as-received material. Their results also
indicated that by increment of pass number due to more homogenous agglomeration of second
phase particles, the mechanical properties improved, corrosion resistance increased and wear rate
decreased.
It is also observed in Fig. 10 that vibration during FSW increased ductility of FS welded
specimens largely. According to Estrin et al. (2010), grain refinement can decrease the crack
growth in substance and may result in fracture mechanism change from intergranular to
transgranular. Correspondingly, grain refinement can increase the ductility. Data in Fig. 10 also
show that ductility of FSV welded specimens are higher than FS welded specimens.

Dynamic recrystallization
It has been known that severe plastic deformation during FSW results in high density of
dislocations (Jata and Semiatin, 2010; Murr et al., 1997). According to Kaibyshev et al. (2005),
the microstructure evolution during severe plastic deformation consists of two sequential
processes: (i) the formation of three-dimensional arrays of low angle boundaries (LABs), (ii) the
gradual transformation of LABs into high angle boundaries (HABs) (15°). The recrystallized
grains persistently replace sub-grains evolved at small strains through continuous transformation
of their boundaries and accordingly grain size refinement occurs.
3-2- The effect of vibration frequency

8
Macrostructures of FSV welded specimens with different vibration frequencies are presented in
Fig. 12. Welding conditions for these specimens were presented in Table 2. Fig. 12 shows that
SiO2 particles distribution homogeneity increases as vibration frequency enhances.

Microstructures of weld regions for FSV welded specimens with different vibration frequencies
are presented in Fig. 13. It is observed that grain size decreases as vibration frequency increases.
This can also be related to the effect of vibration. Based on data from Tang and Marian (2014)
and Sakai et al (2004) during thermally activated mechanisms, dislocation density increases as
strain rate increases.
Tang and Marian (2014) performed dislocation dynamics simulation of homogenous dislocation
ensembles in Fe single crystals at different strain rates and temperatures under uniaxial loading.
They found that dislocation density increment with strain increased as strain rate and temperature
increased. Sakai et al (2004) investigated the effect of strain rate on the deformation and
microstructural behavior of a coarse-grained 7475 Al alloy in multidirectional forging at 763 K.
Three-dimensional multi-pass compression was carried out under isothermal conditions at two
strain rates of 3×10-4 s-1 or 3×10-2 s-1 at 763 K and to a total strain of 6.3 with a change in the
loading direction of 90° from pass to pass. Their results indicated that dislocation density
increased and grain size decreased as strain rate increased. Supposing that vibration frequency is
proportional to shear strain rate, it can be anticipated that an increase in vibration frequency
results in an increase in dislocation density. Therefore, more dynamic recrystallization occurs
and correspondingly more grain refinement happens as vibration frequency increases.

The stress-strain curves and stir zone microhardness values of FSV welded specimens with
different vibration frequencies while included SiO2 particles are presented in Fig. 14 and Fig. 15,
respectively. It is observed that strength, hardness and ductility increase as vibration frequency
increases. These can be related to refinement in grain size and SiO2 particle distribution as
vibration frequency increases. One important point in Fig. 14 and Fig. 15 is insignificant
increment of strength and hardness at high values of frequency. This indicates that at oscillation
frequency of about 33 cycles/s, the highest strength, ductility and hardness values are obtained
and they do not change significantly as vibration frequency increases. This can be related to the
relation between strain and dislocation generation. Bulatov and Cai (2006) simulated the
behavior of crystal dislocations numerically using atomistic and continuum models and noted

9
that the relation between the strain and dislocation generation during work hardening is not linear
and it is power law. In other word, there is rapid increase in dislocation generation at low values
of strain while this increment decreases at high values of strain.

Conclusions
Addition of second phase particles into stir zone during FSW is a method to improve the
mechanical properties of FS welded specimens. The added particles reinforce the matrix and
constitute a particle reinforced metal matrix composite. In the current research, a method is
presented to improve the microstructure and mechanical properties of FS welded specimens
included SiO2 particles in the stir zone. In this method, joining Al5052 specimens are vibrated
normal to the weld line while tool rotates and welding is carried out. The new process is
described as friction stir vibration welding (FSVW). The results show that simultaneous
occurrence of rotation and vibration leads to grain size decrease and homogenous distribution of
SiO2 particles. These are related to more straining of material in the weld region and breaking up
of agglomerated particles as vibration is applied during FSVW. The results also show that an
increase in vibration frequency during FSVW results in more homogeneity distribution of SiO2
particles and grain size decrease in the weld region. Although, there is optimum value for
vibration frequency (about 33 cycles/s) that results in proper characteristics of welded specimens
and higher values of frequency do not affect the properties significantly. Application of
developed welding method (FSVW) as an “easy to apply” welding method is recommended for
industries.

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Fig. 1 As-received microstructure of the studied aluminum.

Fig. 2 Schematic presentation of the groove geometry.

13
Fig. 3 a) Schematic presentation of the machine used for FSVW, b) design of fixture and the tools set used for
FSVW.

Fig. 4 a) The geometry and, b) the design of pin and shoulder used for FSW and FSVW.

14
Fig. 5 Macrostructures of FSV (a and c) and FS (b and d) welded samples (a and b relate to welding condition 1 of
Table 2, c and d relate to welding condition 2 of Table 2).

Fig. 6 HAZ and stir zone interface microstructures of FSV (a and c) and FS (b and d) welded samples (a and b relate
to welding condition 1 of Table 2, c and d relate to welding condition 2 of Table 2).

15
Fig. 7 Stir zone microstructures of FSV (a) and FS (b) welded samples (welding condition 2 of Table 2).

Fig. 8 LOM pictures relating to microstructure of (a) FSV welded sample and (b) FS welded sample (a and b relate
to welding condition 1 of Table 2). Black regions denote SiO2 particles.

16
Fig. 9 Comparison between reinforcement particles distribution in (a) FSV and (b) FS welded samples (a and b
relate to welding condition 1 of Table 2).

Fig. 10 The stress-strain curves of FSV and FS welded samples (welding conditions 1 and 2 were presented in Table
2).

17
Fig. 11 Weld region microhardness values of FSV and FS welded samples (welding conditions 1 and 2 were
presented in Table 2; Yes and No indicate welding with and without vibration, respectively).

Fig. 12 Macrostructures of FSV welded samples with different vibration frequencies (cycles/s); a) 20, b) 33, and c)
40.

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Fig. 13 Weld region microstructures of FSV welded samples with different vibration frequencies (cycles/s), a) 20, b)
33, and c) 40.

Fig. 14 Stress-strain curves of FSV welded samples with different vibration frequencies.

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Fig. 15 Weld region microhardness values of FSV welded samples with different vibration frequencies.

Table captions
Table 1 Chemical composition of the studied aluminum (wt. %).
Table 2 Welding conditions for different welding trials (+ indicates FSVW and – denotes FSW).

Table 1 Chemical composition of the studied aluminum alloy (wt. %).

Al Mg Cr Si Cu Mn Zn Fe other
Balance 2.6 0.25 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.35 0.15

Table 2 Welding conditions for different welding trials (+ indicates FSVW and – denotes FSW).
Vibration Translation
Parameter Vibration frequency speed
(cycles/s) (mm/min)
+ (Condition 1) 33 20
Vibration - (Condition 1) - 20
+ (Condition 2) 33 40
- (Condition 2) - 40
+ 20 20
Frequency + 33 20
+ 40 20

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