Effects of processing parameters on corrosion properties of dissimilar friction stir welds of aluminium and copper

The influence of friction stir welding processing parameters on dissimilar joints conducted between aluminium alloy (AA5754) and commercially pure copper (C11000) was studied. The welds were produced by varying the rotational speed from 600 to 1200 r/min and the feed rate from 50 to 300 mm/min. The resulting microstructure and the corrosion properties of the welds produced were studied. It was found that the joint interfacial regions of the welds were characterized by interlayers of aluminium and copper. The corrosion tests revealed that the corrosion resistance of the welds was improved as the rotational speed was increased. The corrosion rates of the welds compared to the base metals were improved compared with Cu and decreased slightly compared with the aluminium alloy. The lowest corrosion rate was obtained at welds produced at rotational speed of 950 r/min and feed rate of 300 mm/min which corresponds to a weld produced at a low heat input.