Effect of ultrasonic welding parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties of dissimilar joints

•Ultrasonic spot welding of Al 3003 and SS 304 alloys was accomplished.•Welding was performed with various energies at different clamping forces.•Microstructural changes and variation in mechanical property was observed.•Weld quality was evaluated by using physical attributes.

Ultrasonic spot welding has received significant attention during past few years due to their suitable applications in comparison to conventional fusion welding techniques. Fusion welding of dissimilar Aluminum and Stainless steel alloys is always a challenging task because of poor control on grain size and formation of undesirable brittle intermetallic compounds in the weld metal, which have deleterious effect on mechanical properties. In the past, welding of dissimilar alloys has been performed using electron beam welding, laser beam welding and friction stir spot welding, resistance spot welding, etc. However, little work has been reported on dissimilar welding of Aluminum and Stainless steel alloys using ultrasonic spot welding. The objective of the present work is to optimize ultrasonic spot welding parameters for joining 3003 Aluminum alloy with 304 Stainless steel. Welding was performed at various clamping pressures (i.e. 30, 40, 50 and 60 psi) and energy levels for investigating its effect on microstructure, mechanical properties and bond quality of the weld. Different levels of weld quality i.e. ‘under weld’, ‘good weld’ and ‘overweld’ were identified at various welding parameters using physical attributes. The weld specimens prepared with energy 125 and 150 J showed the maximum bond strength and were rated as “good” weld. It was also revealed that for a good quality weld, the maximum tensile strength is achieved once a reasonable amount of bond density and material thinning (required for the formation of metallurgical bonds) is attained.