A new approach for manufacturing copper-clad aluminum bimetallic tubes by friction stir welding (FSW)

A new method is developed for manufacturing bimetallic tubes from pure Copper and 6061-T6 Aluminum tubes by Friction Stir Welding (FSW). The tubes were successfully joined by this new method. Then, the effect of welding parameters such as rotational speed and traverse speed on surface quality, hardness profile, macro and micro-structure and shear strength of the samples was investigated. Experimental results showed that copper and aluminum to be blend much better when bimetallic tubes are manufactured by FSW compared to other methods such as Severe Plastic Deformation (SPD). Furthermore, incorporating high rotational speeds during welding results in generation of excess heat, thus reducing weld surface quality and strength of copper and aluminum tube joints. According to the results, samples welded at rotational speed of 710 rpm and traverse speed of 60 mm/min presented the highest shear strength.