Microstructure and mechanical properties of dissimilar Al alloy/steel joints prepared by a flat spot friction stir welding technique

The 6061-T6 Al alloy and mild steel plate with a thickness of 1 mm were successfully welded by the flat spot friction stir welding technique, which contains two steps during the entire welding process. The rotating tools with different probe lengths of 1.0, 1.3 and 1.5 mm were used in the first step, during which a conventional spot FSW was conducted above a round dent previously made on the back plate. However, sound Al/Fe welds with similar microstructure and mechanical properties can still be obtained after the second step, during which a probe-less rotating tool was used to flatten the weld surface. The sound welds have smooth surface without keyholes and other internal welding defects. No intermetallic compound layer but some areas with amorphous atomic configuration was formed along the Al/Fe joint interface due to the lower heat input. The shear tensile failure load can reach a maximum value of 3607 N and fracture through plug mode. The probe length has little effect on the weld properties, which indicates that the tool life can be significantly extended by this new spot welding technique.

► Dissimilar Al/Fe joint was obtained by flat spot friction stir welding technique.
► The surface of the sound Al/Fe joint is smooth without any internal defects.
► No intermetallic compound layer but amorphous area is formed at the weld interface.
► The sound Al/Fe welds show high shear tensile load and fracture through plug mode.
► The probe length exerts little effect on the welds’ microstructure and properties.