Achieving 100 %-efficiency joint in rotary friction welding of thin-walled Al alloy drive shafts via high friction pressure and short-time post-weld heat treatment

Rotary friction welding (RFW) was employed to join large diameter thin-walled Al–Mg–Si–Cu alloy drive shafts. The coupling effects of friction pressure and post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) on the microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of the RFWed joints were investigated. Increasing the...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kailiang Chen, Zexi Wu, Chunhui Ma, Licheng Sun, Wuran Lei, Ke He, Xiaoxue Chen, Yanquan Wu, Chunbo Zhang, Jun Zhou, Huihong Liu, Yongbing Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Journal of Materials Research and Technology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2238785425016175
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849472524743606272
author Kailiang Chen
Zexi Wu
Chunhui Ma
Licheng Sun
Wuran Lei
Ke He
Xiaoxue Chen
Yanquan Wu
Chunbo Zhang
Jun Zhou
Huihong Liu
Yongbing Li
author_facet Kailiang Chen
Zexi Wu
Chunhui Ma
Licheng Sun
Wuran Lei
Ke He
Xiaoxue Chen
Yanquan Wu
Chunbo Zhang
Jun Zhou
Huihong Liu
Yongbing Li
author_sort Kailiang Chen
collection DOAJ
description Rotary friction welding (RFW) was employed to join large diameter thin-walled Al–Mg–Si–Cu alloy drive shafts. The coupling effects of friction pressure and post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) on the microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of the RFWed joints were investigated. Increasing the friction pressure effectively enhanced the hardness of the softest area in heat affected zone (HAZ), due to the reduction in the peak welding temperature, which inhibited the annihilation of dislocation and the dissolution of precipitates and dispersions, thereby maintaining a high density of dislocations and an abundance of Q′ phases, β′ phases and α-Al(MnFe)Si dispersions in the softest area of the joints. Furthermore, higher friction pressure increased the cooling rate, resulting in no GP zones/pre-β'' phase precipitating during the cooling process, thereby retaining solute atoms within the Al matrix after RFW. Consequently, the combination of high friction pressure and short-time low-temperature PWHT at 180 °C for 60 min successfully improved the hardness of the softest area due to the precipitation of substantial spherical GP zones/pre-β'' phases using the solute atoms dissolved from Q′ and β′ phases at the abundant residual dislocations serving as nucleation sites. A high-performance RFWed joint of Al alloy exhibiting 100 % joint efficiency was therefore achieved for the first time in the large diameter thin-walled drive shafts.
format Article
id doaj-art-6f29d61e2a3b465f9dd19d73bed1ae9e
institution Kabale University
issn 2238-7854
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Journal of Materials Research and Technology
spelling doaj-art-6f29d61e2a3b465f9dd19d73bed1ae9e2025-08-20T03:24:30ZengElsevierJournal of Materials Research and Technology2238-78542025-07-01372539255310.1016/j.jmrt.2025.06.195Achieving 100 %-efficiency joint in rotary friction welding of thin-walled Al alloy drive shafts via high friction pressure and short-time post-weld heat treatmentKailiang Chen0Zexi Wu1Chunhui Ma2Licheng Sun3Wuran Lei4Ke He5Xiaoxue Chen6Yanquan Wu7Chunbo Zhang8Jun Zhou9Huihong Liu10Yongbing Li11Shanghai Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacture for Thin-walled Structures, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, PR ChinaShanghai Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacture for Thin-walled Structures, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, PR China; Corresponding author. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacture for Thin-walled Structures, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, PR China.Process Research Institute, SINOTRUK Jinan Power Co., Ltd, Jinan, 250200, PR ChinaShanghai Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacture for Thin-walled Structures, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, PR ChinaSINOTRUK (Jinan) Driving Shaft Co., Ltd, Jinan, 250000, PR ChinaProcess Research Institute, SINOTRUK Jinan Power Co., Ltd, Jinan, 250200, PR ChinaProcess Research Institute, SINOTRUK Jinan Power Co., Ltd, Jinan, 250200, PR China; Corresponding author.Harbin Welding Institute Limited Company, Harbin, 150028, PR ChinaHarbin Welding Institute Limited Company, Harbin, 150028, PR ChinaHarbin Welding Institute Limited Company, Harbin, 150028, PR ChinaShanghai Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacture for Thin-walled Structures, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, PR China; Corresponding author. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacture for Thin-walled Structures, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, PR China.Shanghai Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacture for Thin-walled Structures, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, PR ChinaRotary friction welding (RFW) was employed to join large diameter thin-walled Al–Mg–Si–Cu alloy drive shafts. The coupling effects of friction pressure and post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) on the microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of the RFWed joints were investigated. Increasing the friction pressure effectively enhanced the hardness of the softest area in heat affected zone (HAZ), due to the reduction in the peak welding temperature, which inhibited the annihilation of dislocation and the dissolution of precipitates and dispersions, thereby maintaining a high density of dislocations and an abundance of Q′ phases, β′ phases and α-Al(MnFe)Si dispersions in the softest area of the joints. Furthermore, higher friction pressure increased the cooling rate, resulting in no GP zones/pre-β'' phase precipitating during the cooling process, thereby retaining solute atoms within the Al matrix after RFW. Consequently, the combination of high friction pressure and short-time low-temperature PWHT at 180 °C for 60 min successfully improved the hardness of the softest area due to the precipitation of substantial spherical GP zones/pre-β'' phases using the solute atoms dissolved from Q′ and β′ phases at the abundant residual dislocations serving as nucleation sites. A high-performance RFWed joint of Al alloy exhibiting 100 % joint efficiency was therefore achieved for the first time in the large diameter thin-walled drive shafts.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2238785425016175Al alloy drive shaftsRotary friction weldingLow-temperature weldingMicrostructure regulationDislocation densityHigh-performance joint
spellingShingle Kailiang Chen
Zexi Wu
Chunhui Ma
Licheng Sun
Wuran Lei
Ke He
Xiaoxue Chen
Yanquan Wu
Chunbo Zhang
Jun Zhou
Huihong Liu
Yongbing Li
Achieving 100 %-efficiency joint in rotary friction welding of thin-walled Al alloy drive shafts via high friction pressure and short-time post-weld heat treatment
Journal of Materials Research and Technology
Al alloy drive shafts
Rotary friction welding
Low-temperature welding
Microstructure regulation
Dislocation density
High-performance joint
title Achieving 100 %-efficiency joint in rotary friction welding of thin-walled Al alloy drive shafts via high friction pressure and short-time post-weld heat treatment
title_full Achieving 100 %-efficiency joint in rotary friction welding of thin-walled Al alloy drive shafts via high friction pressure and short-time post-weld heat treatment
title_fullStr Achieving 100 %-efficiency joint in rotary friction welding of thin-walled Al alloy drive shafts via high friction pressure and short-time post-weld heat treatment
title_full_unstemmed Achieving 100 %-efficiency joint in rotary friction welding of thin-walled Al alloy drive shafts via high friction pressure and short-time post-weld heat treatment
title_short Achieving 100 %-efficiency joint in rotary friction welding of thin-walled Al alloy drive shafts via high friction pressure and short-time post-weld heat treatment
title_sort achieving 100 efficiency joint in rotary friction welding of thin walled al alloy drive shafts via high friction pressure and short time post weld heat treatment
topic Al alloy drive shafts
Rotary friction welding
Low-temperature welding
Microstructure regulation
Dislocation density
High-performance joint
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2238785425016175
work_keys_str_mv AT kailiangchen achieving100efficiencyjointinrotaryfrictionweldingofthinwalledalalloydriveshaftsviahighfrictionpressureandshorttimepostweldheattreatment
AT zexiwu achieving100efficiencyjointinrotaryfrictionweldingofthinwalledalalloydriveshaftsviahighfrictionpressureandshorttimepostweldheattreatment
AT chunhuima achieving100efficiencyjointinrotaryfrictionweldingofthinwalledalalloydriveshaftsviahighfrictionpressureandshorttimepostweldheattreatment
AT lichengsun achieving100efficiencyjointinrotaryfrictionweldingofthinwalledalalloydriveshaftsviahighfrictionpressureandshorttimepostweldheattreatment
AT wuranlei achieving100efficiencyjointinrotaryfrictionweldingofthinwalledalalloydriveshaftsviahighfrictionpressureandshorttimepostweldheattreatment
AT kehe achieving100efficiencyjointinrotaryfrictionweldingofthinwalledalalloydriveshaftsviahighfrictionpressureandshorttimepostweldheattreatment
AT xiaoxuechen achieving100efficiencyjointinrotaryfrictionweldingofthinwalledalalloydriveshaftsviahighfrictionpressureandshorttimepostweldheattreatment
AT yanquanwu achieving100efficiencyjointinrotaryfrictionweldingofthinwalledalalloydriveshaftsviahighfrictionpressureandshorttimepostweldheattreatment
AT chunbozhang achieving100efficiencyjointinrotaryfrictionweldingofthinwalledalalloydriveshaftsviahighfrictionpressureandshorttimepostweldheattreatment
AT junzhou achieving100efficiencyjointinrotaryfrictionweldingofthinwalledalalloydriveshaftsviahighfrictionpressureandshorttimepostweldheattreatment
AT huihongliu achieving100efficiencyjointinrotaryfrictionweldingofthinwalledalalloydriveshaftsviahighfrictionpressureandshorttimepostweldheattreatment
AT yongbingli achieving100efficiencyjointinrotaryfrictionweldingofthinwalledalalloydriveshaftsviahighfrictionpressureandshorttimepostweldheattreatment