Iranian Journal of Materials Science and Engineering

Lap joints of commercially pure magnesium plates to aluminium plates (Magnesium plate on the top, and Aluminium plate, grade 1100, on the bottom side) were conducted by friction stir welding using various traveling and rotation speeds of the tool to investigate the effects of the welding parameters on the joint characteristics and strength. Defect-free lap joints were obtained in the welding traveling speed range of 40-80 mm/min, and rotational speed range of 1200-1600 rpm. The shear tensile strength of Mg/Al joints increased as a result of decreasing the welding speed from 120 to 40 mm/min at constant rotation speed of 1600 rpm.  Defects such as surface grooves, excessive flash, tunnels, and voids were observed if the joints prepared out of the mentioned range. The effects of the welding parameters are discussed metallographically based on observations with optical and scanning electron microscopes.

Centrifugal casting process, in both horizontal and vertical mode, is considered as an efficient method to produce bimetallic components. Al/Cu₆₅Zn₃₅ couples were prepared by the vertical centrifugal casting process. In this study, different volume of molten aluminum having melt-to-solid (m/s) volume ratios (VR) of 1.5 and 2.5, were cast into preheated brass bush rotating at 800, 1600, and 2000 (rpm), respectively. The thickness of the interface, which is composed of three different zones, is depended on the rotational speed and the (VR) and was at least 490µm (at VR=1.5 and 2000 rpm) and at most 1480 µm (at VR=2.5 and 800 rpm). The results of optical microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the interface layers are composed of Al₂Cu₅Zn₄, Al₃Cu₃Zn, Al₂Cu precipitates dispersed in the matrix and finally α-Al/Al₂Cu anomalous eutectic structure near the aluminum side. Gas pore entrapment and oxide film entrainment defect was detected within the interface next to the aluminum base metal.