Influence of friction welding parameters on properties of the Al-Cu joint

In this paper is presented a theoretical-experimental analysis of the aluminum-copper joining by friction welding. Considering that such Al-Cu bimetal joints are widely applied in industrial practice, experimental analysis in this paper was performed on the concrete elements used in electronics. The fact that the joining is done of the two dissimilar materials points to complexity of the problem, since phenomena that appear in the joint zone extremely influence physical, mechanical and structural properties of the welded/base metals. Besides the theoretical analysis of the basic phases and mechanisms of the friction welding process, the research also included experimental analysis of the geometry changes due to the plastic deformation, the change of microstructure and hardness in the joint zone, as well as of the basic mechanical properties of the Al-Cu joint, such as tensile strength. This paper presents some significant results, which point to the possibility for realization of the reliable joints of the two dissimilar metals.