Effect of welding conditions on sheets’ interface properties in friction stir spot welding of copper

Friction Stir Spot Welding (FSSW) is a solid-state joining technique widely applied to high conductive metals. In this paper, the effects of FSSW parameters, namely, rotational speed (N), plunging rate (V) and dwell time (DT) on the joint fracture mode and fractured surface morphology were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effect of the abovementioned welding parameters on the microhardness profile along the sheets’ interface was also investigated to gain insight into the strength of the joint and the width of the bonding ligament. Two conditions were considered for each parameter 1200 rpm and 900 rpm for N, 60 mm/min and 20 mm/min for V, 4 and 2 seconds for DT. The welding condition 1200 rpm rotational speed, 20 mm/min plunging rate and 2 seconds dwell time showed a wider bonding ligament, relatively higher elongation, higher tensile failure load, and greater microhardness on the sheets’ interface. Dimple surface morphology (DSM) with regular dimples along the stir zone was also observed at the abovementioned set of process parameters.