A Comparison of FSW, BHLW and TIG Joints for Al-Si-Mg Alloy (EN AW-6082 T6)

For joining lightweight frame structures, two welding methods are within the focus of the Transregional Collaborative Research Centre SFB/TR 10. The first one is the friction stir welding (FSW) and the second one s the bifocal hybrid laser welding (BHLW). To compare the properties of joints manufactured using these techniques with tungs en inert-gas welding (TIG), representing a conventional joining method, a benchmark was performed. This benchmark includes a comparison of the microstructure, the pore distribution, the microhardness and the mechanical behavior at quasi-static and high-speed tensile loading. The results reveal that the BHLW and the FSW processes outperform the TIG process regarding the mechanic l properties of the joints produced.