Effect of friction stir welding speed on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a duplex stainless steel

The present study focuses on the effect of the welding speed on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the stir zone (SZ) in friction stir welding (FSW) of SAF 2205 duplex stainless steel. A single tool, made of a WC-base material, was used to weld 2 mm-thick plates at a constant rotational speed of 600 rpm. X-ray radiography revealed that sound welds were successfully obtained for the welding speeds in the range of 50–200 mm/min, whereas a groove-like defect was formed at the higher speed of 250 mm/min. Moreover, increasing the welding speed decreased the size of the α and γ grains in the SZ, and hence, improved the mean hardness value and the tensile strength of the SZ. These results are interpreted with respect to interplay between the welding speed and the peak temperature in FSW.