The development of friction welding systems

Abstract

Friction welding is one of the most productive metal joining processes, yet this technology has not been applied in this country. This research is an effort to design and fabricate a low cost friction welding machine based on the basic operation principles. The structural frames, the driving system, the hydraulic system and the electrical control system were constructed to fulfill the requirements of welding with a flexible parameters. The result was an automatic welding system, capable of welding metal rods or equivalent of diameter ranged between 6.0 mm to 16 mm. The performance tests showed that similar and dissimilar metals can be welded at plastic temperature, without the need of any consumable. In the welding of similar metal; such as steel, stainless steel or aluminium, the macrograph and micrograph of the weldment showed that the weld zone is very narrow and has perfect fusion. The grain structure is very fine and distributed in concentric pattern. The tensile and bending test verified that the weld has good strength and ductility. The micro-vickers hardness test showed that there is a gradual hardness distribution across the selection of weldment. The friction welding process is simple and fast, it has the potential of handling high production at low cost. The technology of friction welding machine is thus made available for Malaysian metal industry to build on their own, the complete system.