Effect of the brushing process on the state of the surface layer of butt joints made of using the FSW method

Abstract

Friction stir welding (FSW) is one of the most modern methods of joining metals and their alloys in a solid state. This method is particularly suitable for joining the materials that are difficult to weld, such as steels and high-strength aluminum, copper and titanium alloys, as well as some nickel, zirconium and copper alloys. It makes it possible to use this method in the production of aviation structures while reducing the labour consumption, cost and weight, while maintaining comparable or higher strength parameters compared to classic methods. However, the face of weld made using the FSW method is often uneven and moreover, the welding process itself introduces tensile stresses in the surface layer, which reduces the fatigue strength of the joints. Brushing is one of the methods of removing the welding burrs. The study investigates the effect of brushing treatment on the selected properties of the surface layer of butt welds of 2024-T3 aluminum alloy. The research was carried out with the use of wire brushes and cutting brushes with ceramic fibers. The analysis of the obtained results showed that brushing with using a wire brush at a feed rate of 70 mm/min (variant 1) introduced the most favorable residual stresses, while brushing with a ceramic brush at a feed rate of 100 mm/min (variant 4) provided the lowest roughness parameters.

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