Effects of Rapid Cooling on Properties of Aluminum-Steel Friction Stir Welded Joint

In this study, dissimilar sheets including AA3003 aluminum and A441 AISI steel were welded via cooling-assisted friction stir welding (FSW). Three different cooling mediums including forced CO(2), forced water, and forced air were employed, and a non-cooled sample was processed to compare the cooling-assisted condition with the traditional FSW condition. The highest cooling rate belongs to CO(2) and the lowest cooling rate belongs to the non-cooled sample as FSW. The best macrograph without any segregation at interface belongs to the water-cooled sample and the poorest joint with notable segregation belongs to the CO(2) cooling FSW sample. The CO(2) cooling FSW sample exhibits the smallest grain size due to the suppression of grain growth during dynamic recrystallization (DRX). The intermetallic compound (IMC) thickening was suppressed by a higher cooling rate in CO(2) cooling sample and just Al-rich phase was formed in this joint. The lowest cooling rate in the FSW sample exhibits formation of the Fe rich phase. The IMC layers were thicker at the top of the weld due to closeness with the heat generation source. The water cooling sample exhibits the highest tensile strength due to proper mechanical bonding simultaneously with optimum IMC thickness to provide appropriate metallurgical bonding. Fractography observation indicates that there is a semi-ductile fracture in the water cooling sample and CO(2) cooling sample exhibits more brittle fracture. Hardness evaluation reveals that the higher the cooling rate formed, the higher the hardness in stir zone, and hardness changes in the aluminum side were higher than the steel side.