Hardening of working surfaces by friction stir processing

Abstract

The paper discusses a relatively new method of hardening work surfaces, based on the method of friction stir welding (FSW ), which is quite widespread in the W est and to a lesser extent in our country. On the example of hardening of the aluminum alloy D16T, it is shown that the use of reinforcing particles of silicon carbide can increase the hardness of the strengthened zone by 25% and wear resistance by two times, compared with the initial surface. It is noted that correctly selected formation modes are essential for this method, allowing one to obtain a highquality hardened layer with a uniform distribution of reinforcing particles. Low energy consumption and the relative simplicity of the method can contribute to its wider application in industry.