Influence of Friction Stir Processing Parameters on the Mechanical and Corrosion Properties of Al-Cu-Li Alloy.

In this work, AA2050 alloy was friction stir processed at various tool rotation speeds and feed rates. The material was subjected to artificial aging to investigate its influence on macrostructure, microstructure, microhardness, and tensile strength of friction stir processed AA2050. In addition, a hot salt corrosion test was done on the test specimens at 130°C for 168 hours. The results indicated that grain refinement and dispersion of secondary phase particles improved the microhardness and strength of friction stir processed specimens. The artificial aging of the friction stir processed specimens improved the ductility by 81.5%. However, the tensile strength of the specimens decreased by 2.8%. The corrosion (mass loss per unit area) of the specimen processed with a single pass at a speed of 600 rpm and feed rate of 60 mm/min decreased by 90% compared to the base material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]