Production development of AA 5754-H111 lap joint by friction stir welding

The paper presents the results of research into the possibility of aluminium alloy lap joint production. The friction stir welding process is used to weld two aluminium alloy 5754-H111 plates into a lap joint. Friction stir welding ensures material joining without melting and use of additional material. By correctly selecting technological parameters of the welding process, the lap joint is successfully produced. Visual inspection of the face and root side of the weld metal is presented in the paper. Microhardness HV0.15 was measured at the face of lap joint as well as through the cross section. Hardness is measured to include all structural zones of the joint: base metal, heat affected zone, thermo-mechanically affected zone, and nugget. As expected, the microhardness of the weld metal has reached the microhardness value of the base metal.