Investigation on mechanical and wear performance of friction stir processed on GMAW cladded AA5083/ER4043

Friction stir process has been implemented on GMAW cladded AA5083/ER4043. The cladded surface structure exhibits flaws and imperfections that have been mitigated through the implementation of friction stir processing. The surface modification is assessed through the examination of its microstructure, mechanical properties, and wear characteristics, in accordance with the guidelines set by the American Society for Testing and Materials. The parameters associated with the FSP technique have a pivotal influence in determining the ultimate characteristics of the changed surface. The study incorporated three distinct values for the rotating speed, traversal speed, and number of passes. The experimental design was based on the utilization of a Design of Experiments L9 orthogonal array. The Taguchi technique was employed to identify the optimal values of parameters for several responses, including ultimate tensile strength, percentage elongation, microhardness, erosion rate, and grain size. The ultimate tensile strength, percentage elongation, and microhardness of processed GMAW cladded AA5083/ER4043 were reported to be 161.11 MPa, 35.88%, and 84.86 HV, respectively. The grain size and erosion wear of the GMAW cladded AA5083/ER4043 were reduced to 0.7 gm/min * 10^–3 and 38 µm, respectively. The investigation conducted using an integrated optical microscope highlights the significance of the friction stir process in determining the ultimate microstructure of the processed sample.