Mechanical and Wear Properties of Friction Stir Welded 0–6Wt% nAl₂O₃ Reinforced Al-13Wt%Si Composites

Friction Stir Welding (FSW) of an Al-13%Si alloy matrix reinforced with 0, 3 and 6 wt% Al₂O₃ nanoparticles (nAl₂O₃) is performed and the optical microstructures, tensile strength, hardness and sliding wear properties of friction stir welded joints are investigated and compared to those of base materials. Four different zones of distinct appearances were observed during FSW, which exhibited altered microstructures in the nugget zone (NZ), thermo mechanically affected zone (TMAZ), heat affected zone (HAZ), and base material zone (BMZ). The ultimate tensile strength of the base materials and their welded joints were found to be increasing with increased wt% of nano-alumina reinforcements. High joint efficiency of 89-97% was achieved in FSW. Hardness and wear resistance of friction stir welded joints were found to be better than those of the base materials.