Characterization of microstructure and mechanical properties of AL6063 using FSP Multipass

The need for low weight and high performance structural materials has revolutionized the technology and has led to the emergence of new processes and methodologies. Friction stir processing (FSP), based on the principle of friction stir welding, is an emerging solid state metal working process. This technique causes intense plastic deformation and high strain rates in the processed material, resulting in precise control of the microstructure through material mixing and densification. FSP process has been successfully used for achieving significant grain refinement and enhancement of surface properties.

The present work focuses on the study of behavior of Aluminium cast alloy (Al-6063) processed by the friction stir processing technique. Samples of FSP-ed aluminium were examined and their microstructures, microhardness, Rockwell hardnesss and impact strength were studied and compared with base metal Al-6063. Hardness tester was employed to evaluate the interfacial bonding between the particles and matrix by indenting the hardness with the constant load and constant time. Impact test was employed to know the Impact Strength of samples against the Impact of Hammer.