Influence of Friction Stir Welding Speed on Barkhausen Noise Emission from Steel

Abstract

Abstract: In the present work, the influence of traverse speed on microstructure, induced residual stress, microhardness and on the micro-magnetic response of friction stir welded steel has been studied. Steel plates (IS2062 of grade B with 0.165% carbon) of 3 mm thickness were welded using the friction stir welding process at different welding speeds using a tungsten carbide tool. Rest process parameters like tool spindle speed, tool tilt angle and tool geometry were kept constant. Steel plates before and after friction stir welding were characterized using the Barkhausen Noise analysis technique for assessing its applicability for the characterization of welded samples. Metallographic inspection and microhardness testing of welded samples were also carried out to correlate the results obtained by Barkhausen Noise analysis with the microstructure and mechanical properties. Changes in peak amplitude and peak position of Barkhausen Noise signal profiles demonstrated generation of compressive residual stress of different magnitudes and grain refinement in the stir zone. Changes in band pass filter frequencies of Barkhausen Noise analysis enable to assess microhardness depth profile of welded samples. Different degree of grain refinement along the depth affects the amplitude of Barkhausen Noise signal profile. © Pleiades Publishing, Ltd. 2023. ISSN 0031-918X, Physics of Metals and Metallography, 2023, Vol. 124, No. 13, pp. 1515–1523. Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2023. ISSN 0031-918X, Physics of Metals and Metallography, 2023. Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2023.