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Effect of preheating and water-cooling on the wear properties of FS

welded AA6082 joint
To cite this article: S Verma et al 2019 J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 1240 012116

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NFEST IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Journal of Physics: Conf. Series 1240 (2019) 012116 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1240/1/012116

Effect of preheating and water-cooling on the wear properties

of FS welded AA6082 joint

S Verma, JP Misra, M Gupta

Mechanical Engineering Department
National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra, INDIA
Shubham6140005@gmail.com

Abstract. This manuscript presents the effect of preheating and water-cooling on the wear
properties of friction stir welded AA6082 joints. Experimentation has been carried out for
varying preheating temperature and the temperature of water. After that, wear properties of
FSW joints are evaluated using pin-on-disc apparatus. It is observed that FSW joints exhibit
better wear properties than the parent metal owing to the recrystallization of nugget zone.
Furthermore, it is evident that FSW joint obtained without preheating and water-cooling has
better wear resistance property than the parent metal but this can be further enhanced by
preheating and water-cooling. The minimum coefficient of friction (0.27) is obtained for the
joint fabricated at 1000C preheating temperature.

1. Introduction
Nowadays non-ferrous alloys are increasingly chosen for structural applications than ferrous alloys
particularly aluminium alloys. Although, welding of aluminium alloys by fusion welding process is
not an easy task. This is attributed towards high thermal conductivity of aluminium, higher expansion
coefficient, oxide formation, solubility of hydrogen, etc. [1]. Higher thermal and electrical
conductivity of aluminium required more intense heat during fusion welding; thus, resulting in
variations in joint properties. Moreover, aluminium is having higher expansion coefficient owing to
this tacking is required for making uniform weld [2]. Additionally, solidification cracking during
welding also recognized aluminium alloys as non-weldable [3]. These problems can be solved with the
use of FSW technique. Figure 1 shows the process principle of FSW. It is a solid-state joining process.
It consists of continuously rotated cylindrical non-consumable tool with specially designed pin and
shoulder. Pin is plunges between the faying surfaces of plates. The motion between workpiece and
tool produces frictional heat; thus, produce plasticized region at the faying faces. This plasticized
region stirred by pin and solidifies that result in solid joint. It can be employed for joining similar or
dissimilar materials. During FSW, no need of filler material or shielding gas that makes it green
technology [5].
Quality of FSW joints depends on flow of materials in stir zone. A number of researchers attempted to
increase the flow of material in stir zone by varying pin or solder geometry. Recently, few literatures
report the application of preheating of workpiece and water-cooling as an alternative solution [6-9].
Preheating improves the flow of material in the nugget zone (NZ) owing to softening of material.
Consequently, results in better efficiency with minimum welding forces [6]. Past literature reports that
preheating increases joint-strength up to 8% than conventional FSW. It also increases the hardness of
NZ [7]. Preheating also helps in reduction of defects formation by increasing material flow in NZ.
Owing to this tensile and bending strength increased [8]. Besides, additional heat also decreases the
friction between tool and workpiece that results longer tool life by reducing tool wear [9]. On the other
hand water-cooling increases yield strength and minimizes residual stresses. According to the best
knowledge of authors, the aforesaid research works focused on changes in mechanical and
metallurgical behaviour of joints with application of preheating and water-cooling. Past research
works lack the study of wear behaviour of FSW joints resulting by preheating and water-cooling.

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IOP Conf. Series: Journal of Physics: Conf. Series 1240 (2019) 012116 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1240/1/012116

Hence, in current research, an attempt has been made to study the wear behaviour of joints resulting
by different preheating and water-cooling conditions.

Figure 1. Process principle of friction stir welding [10]

2. Experimental Procedure and Detail

The material used in this study is AA6082 plates of 6.35 mm thickness with a chemical composition of
0.98Mg-0.92Si-1.35Fe-0.49-balAl (in wt pct). H13 tool with hardness of 54-56 HRC is used for
experimentation. Tool is having 20 mm shoulder diameter, 6.1 mm pin length with 6 mm pin diameter
and 0.15 mm plunge depth. The experiment are conducted as-welded (FSW-A) condition, three
different preheating (1000C (FSW-P1), 1250C (FSW-P2), and 1500C (FSW-P3)) and water cooling
conditions (ice water (FSW-C1), normal water (FSW-C2) and hot water (FSW-C3). Table 1 shows
the experimental conditions and process parameters for the present study. For preheating, the electro
thermal filament heating system is designed as shown in Figure 2 (a). Water is supplied continuously
for cooling through coolant system as shown in Figure 2 (b).

Table 1. Experimental conditions and process parameters

Experimental Conditions Temperatures Process parameters
Air- Atmospheric
FSW-A Rotational Speed: 2000
welded air
FSW-P1 100ºC rpm
Preheating FSW-P2 125ºC Feed rate: 63 mm/min
(FSW-P) Tilt angle: 2º
FSW-P3 150ºC
Dwell Time: 30s
Water FSW-C1 2ºC Plunge Depth: .2 mm
cooling FSW-C2 22ºC
(FSW-C) FSW-C3 65ºC

The dry wear test is conducted on pin-on-disc apparatus as shown schematically in Figure 3. The wear
testing is conducted mostly according to requirement of ASTM standard G99-04. However, some
modifications are considered, generally the shape of pin. Square pins (6.35mm x 6.35mm) are cut
from the welded sample as shown in Figure 3 (b) for wear testing. With the help this geometry, a
constant contact area is maintained during the wear testing. The matching part disk is made up EN 31
steel, hardness of about 59-60 HRC and surface roughness of 0.25 microns. Each wear test is carried
under dry sliding conditions with a constant load of 9.8N and a sliding velocity of 0.33 m/s. The
specimens are cleaned with the acetone and weight to an accuracy of ±.1 mg before and after the wear
testing. The friction between the pin and the disc is determined by measuring the frictional force. After
the wear test, these specimens are examined by scanning electron microscope.

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IOP Conf. Series: Journal of Physics: Conf. Series 1240 (2019) 012116 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1240/1/012116

(a) (b)

Fig. 2. Schematic diagram for preheating

Fig. 3. Experimental setup for preheating

(c)
Figure 2. a) Schematic diagram of preheating system; b) schematic diagram for quenching; (c)
experimental setup for preheating

(a) (b)
Figure 3. a) Schematic diagram of wear testing apparatus; b) dimension and how to cut pin profile

3. Results and discussions

Table 2 presented the effect of preheating and water-cooling on the wear properties of FS welded
AA6082. The SEM images of worn surfaces at different welding conditions and parent metal as shown
in Figures 4. The depth and size of the wear debris of FS welded joints are significantly different from
the parent metal. Mostly in friction stir welding the size of debris are less as compared to parent metal.
Initially the wear in the parent metal is abrasive (shown by deep abrasive marks on the SEM image of
worn out surface) which transformed to adhesive wear (large surface pits shown on worn out surface)
with time. Owing to this coefficient of friction is increased. Figure 5 shows the specific wear rate and
coefficient of friction for different welding conditions and parent metal. It is observed that wear rate
and coefficient of friction follows the same path. It is observed that the parent metal has higher wear
rate and coefficient of friction as compared to FS welded joint under different welding conditions.
This is happens due to dynamic recrystallization in the nugget zone and natural ageing during the
process. In case of preheating, the heat generation by tool is less as compared to FSW-A which results

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IOP Conf. Series: Journal of Physics: Conf. Series 1240 (2019) 012116 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1240/1/012116

in less heat generation as compared to FSW-A condition. This helps in reduction of dissolution
precipitates in the nugget zone that result in improvement of wear resistance. This preheating also
helps in proper mixing of material during the process. Conversely, FSW-C conditions, the minimum
coefficient of friction is observed in FSW-C3 condition than the FSW-A. The coefficient of friction is
increased under FSW-C1 and FSW-C2 conditions due to improper heat generation during the process.
This is attributed towards the rapid cooling of process during normal and cold-water conditions. The
maximum coefficient of friction is obtained during wear testing of parent metal and minimum is
obtained wear testing of FSW-P1 condition specimen.

Table 2: Tribological properties under different welding conditions

Wt. before Wt. after Weight Volume Wear Specific wear Coefficient
Experimental testing testing loss loss Rate rate Of
Conditions (gms) (gms) (gms) (mm3) (mm3/m) (mm3/N-m) friction
Parent metal Rolled sheet 4.4374 4.4221 0.0153 5645.7 5.64 0.57551 0.65
`Air-welded FSW-A 3.2736 3.2695 0.0041 1512.9 1.512 0.154222 0.52
FSW-P1 3.0042 3.0037 0.0005 191.8 0.19 0.01956 0.27
Preheating
FSW-P2 4.5222 4.5214 0.0008 295.2 0.29 0.030092 0.36
(FSW-P)
FSW-P3 3.6500 3.6475 0.0025 922.5 0.92 0.094038 0.42
Water FSW-C1 3.4223 3.4185 0.0037 1376.3 1.37 0.14056 0.45
cooling FSW-C2 3.0336 3.0298 0.0038 1402.2 1.40 0.142937 0.48
(FSW-C) FSW-C3 3.0200 3.0165 0.0035 1291.5 1.29 0.131653 0.40

(a) (b)

(c) (d)
Figure 4. Worn out surfaces SEM images of a) Parent metal b) FSW-A (PM) c) FSW-C2 d) FSW-P1

Figure 6 reveals the friction coefficient of the parent metal and FSW joint as a function of sliding
distance at constant load of 9.8 N. It is clear from the Figure 6 (a), stated the two-stage trend can be
well-known from its relevant curve; a fast enhancement is observed in the coefficient of friction within
the first ⁓ 250m sliding distance from a starting value of ⁓ .6 to ⁓ .75 at the end of first stage. Then a
rapid enhancement in the friction coefficient to values of ⁓ .75 to ⁓ .92 is occurred. Conversely, in
case of FS welded joint there is no two-stage trend can be obtained. The values of coefficient of
friction of FSW joints are lower than that of the parent metal. Subsequently, the aluminium AA6082 is
much softer than the disk material, such that the slider could penetrate and cut the surface owing to
results in plastic deformation and reduction in weight of the pin. Figure 4 (a) shows the worn-out
surface of parent metal at a load of 9.8 N. Large abrasion grooves and pits are formed on the surface of

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IOP Conf. Series: Journal of Physics: Conf. Series 1240 (2019) 012116 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1240/1/012116

pin after wear testing. Owing to this coefficient of friction and wear rate enhanced as compared to
FSW joint.

0.7 0.7

Specific wear rate (mm /Nm)

Specific wear rate
0.6 0.6
Friction cofficient
3

Friction cofficient
0.5 0.5

0.4
0.4

0.3
0.3

0.2
0.2

0.1
0.1
0.0
0.0
PM FSW-A FSW-P1 FSW-P2 FSW-P3 FSW-C1 FSW-C2 FSW-C3 --

Specimen
Figure 5. Specific wear rate and coefficient of friction for different welding conditions and parent
metal

0.90 0.90

0.75 0.75
Cofficient of Friction

Cofficient of Friction

0.60 0.60

0.45 0.45

0.30 0.30
Avg. cofficient of friction-.65 Avg. coefficient of friction-.52
0.15 0.15

0.00 0.00
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
Sliding Distance (m) Sliding Distance (m)
(a) (b)

0.90 0.90

0.75 0.75
Cofficient of Friction
Cofficient of Friction

0.60 0.60
Avg. cofficient of friction-.27
0.45 0.45

0.30 0.30

0.15 0.15 Avg. cofficient of friction-.36

0.00 0.00
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
Sliding Distance (m) Sliding Distance (m)
(c) (d)

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IOP Conf. Series: Journal of Physics: Conf. Series 1240 (2019) 012116 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1240/1/012116

0.90 0.90

0.75 0.75

Cofficient of Friction
Cofficient of Friction

0.60 0.60

0.45 0.45

0.30 0.30

Avg. cofficient of friction-.42 Avg. cofficient of friction-.45

0.15 0.15

0.00 0.00
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
Sliding Distance (m) Sliding Distance (m)

(e) (f)

0.90 0.90

0.75 Cofficient of Friction 0.75

Cofficient of Friction

0.60 0.60

0.45 0.45

0.30 0.30
Avg. cofficient of friction-.48
0.15 0.15
Avg. cofficient of friction-.40
0.00 0.00
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
Sliding Distance (m) SlidingDistance (m)
(g) (h)
Figure 6. Coefficient of friction vs sliding distance for (a) base metal, (b) FSW-A, (c) FSW-P1; (d)
FSW-P2; (e) FSW-P3, (f) FSW-C1; (g) FSW-C2; and (h) FSW-C3

4. Conclusions
In the present study, the wear behaviour of FSW joints are discussed under different preheating and
water-cooling conditions. The minimum wear rate is found for FSW joints as compared to base metal.
This is owing to recrystallization of NZ and natural age hardening of the joint during the process.
During wear testing of base metal, within 250 m sliding distance, two stage phenomena (i.e. abrasive
wear and adhesive wear) is observed. The coefficient of friction is found to be increasing from a
starting value of 0.60 to 0.75 at the end of the first stage. Then a rapid enhancement in coefficient of
friction from 0.75 to 0.92 is observed. This shows the transformation of abrasive wear into adhesive
wear. The maximum coefficient of friction of 0.65 is obtained during wear testing of base metal and
minimum 0.27 is obtained during wear testing of specimen obtained under 100 ℃ preheating
condition. It is also observed that preheating improves wear resistance more than water-cooling.

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IOP Conf. Series: Journal of Physics: Conf. Series 1240 (2019) 012116 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1240/1/012116

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