Surface hardening of aluminium alloy with addition of zinc particles by friction stir processing

Abstract

Mechanical alloying can be carried out by a method known as friction stir processing, whereby solid Zn particles in a solution are distributed onto an aluminium alloy plate. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of a volume of Zn particles on the mechanical and physical properties of aluminium 1xxx alloy that had been subjected to friction stir processing. The specimens were plates composed of 1xxx series aluminium. A groove, measuring 12 mm in diameter, was pierced to various depths, and the Zn particles in these containers were then subjected to friction stir processing using a pin-less tool with a diameter of 15 mm. The results showed that the highest hardness was found in the uppermost layer of the workpiece, and this gradually decreased with thickness. An increase in the amount of Zn particles caused an increase in material hardness. The highest hardness of 87.1 HV in the friction stir-processed AA1100 was obtained at the highest volume of Zn compared to the hardness of 44.5 HV, which was obtained for the specimen without the addition of Zn.