Design and construction of a friction welding equipment with laser assistance for the joint of AISI 1045 steel and aluminum 2017-T4 shafts

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José Luis Mullo https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7230-0617
Jorge Andrés Ramos-Grez https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9293-3275
Germán Omar Barrionuevo https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4613-3234

Abstract

Welding metal alloys with dissimilar melting points make conventional welding processes unfeasible to be used. On the other hand, friction welding has proven to be a promising technology capable of joining materials, while preventing the temperature from exceeding the melting point. However, obtaining a welded joint with mechanical properties that are similar to the base materials remains a challenge. In the development of this work, a laser-assisted rotary friction welding equipment was designed and manufactured. A 3 HP conventional lathe was used to provide rotary movement, and a hydraulic pressure system that applies axial force through a simple effect cylinder was designed to generate friction to obtain the union between the base materials. In the implemented equipment, joints of AISI 1045 steel and 2017-T6 aluminum shafts were made. The welded joints were metallurgically evaluated, emphasizing on the chemical composition at the weld interface. For microstructure characterization, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersion spectroscopy (EDS), and glow discharge optical emission spectrometry (GDOES) were used to measure the initial composition of the welded materials. The results obtained show an adequate joint between the base materials, denoting the usefulness of the equipment manufactured for the union of dissimilar materials.