Continuous Drive Friction Welding of Graphene-Reinforced AA6061 Alloy: Innovative Approach to Enhance Mechanical and Thermal Properties

Solid-state friction welding (SSFW) is one of the most frequently applied assembly methods produced by diffusion at temperatures below the melting point of the materials, significantly reducing melting-solidification problems compared to fusion welding techniques. Reinforcing agents are promising and practical approaches for improving welded parts' thermal and mechanical properties. In this work, a contribution to enhancing the thermo-mechanical properties of welded AA6061 has been illustrated. Continuous drive friction welding (CDFW) experiments of graphene-reinforced AA6061 were conducted and then modeled while involving coupled heat transfer and mechanical deformation phenomena. The results indicated that reinforcement of AA6061 with graphene allows a better distribution of the generated heat within the material and considerably modifies the heat-affected zone behavior. As a result, the maximum temperature at the welded interface was reduced by 13%. On the other hand, welded parts of AA6061 lose 5% of ultimate tensile strength compared to the original base material. Adding graphene to the welding interface can also improve the UTS of the welded samples. It was found that graphene-welded samples outperformed non-graphene-welded samples by 3.5%. Such outcomes vastly improve welding 'operations' costs, time, profitability, and ecological impact. Finally, the modeling of coupled thermo-mechanical phenomena significantly reproduces the experimental results. Finally, computing power and finite element analysis can prove productive and cost-reducing. The temperature evolution within the welding zone, as well as the tensile testing, were conducted via FEM. The results showed the analysis's validation, opening opportunities for further investigations.