Steel shot peening effects on friction stir welded AA2014-T6 aluminum alloys

The high-strength aluminum alloy is the potential candidate to replace conventional materials. It has excellent corrosion-resistant, recyclable machinability. The joining of such a type of alloy using fusion welding is very difficult. Solid-state welding, friction stir welding (FSW) has been used. However, this process has attained a maximum joint of 90% of base material strength. The drop of remaining strength is due to the formation of the temperate region in the thermo-mechanically affected area. Most of the researchers have been reported that the failure has observed at the interface. Many techniques have been followed to improve the strength at the temperate region, namely, post-weld heat treatment, backing plate change, sheet position, tool offset, etc. In this study, the shot blasting technique has been used to improve the lost strength in the soft region. From the experimental result, the joint shot-peened with steel shot yielded higher strength than the classical friction stir welded (C-FSW) joints. Moreover, the stability of the shot-peened joint has been conceived 6.9% more than the C-FSW joint.

Automated summary

High-strength aluminum alloy is a potential replacement for conventional materials due to its excellent corrosion resistance and recyclable machinability. Fusion welding is difficult for this alloy, leading to a drop in strength at the thermo-mechanically affected area. However, shot blasting has been found to improve the lost strength in the soft region, surpassing the strength of classical friction stir welded joints.