The aim of this research is to investigate the sequence of processes for improving the welded surface integrity of AA7075-T651 aluminum alloy joined by friction stir welding (FSW). The improvement processes that will be investigated herein include mechanical surface improvement with deep rolling (DR) and post-weld heat treatment (PWHT). Therefore, this study investigated welded surface integrity, which comprises residual stress, microhardness, surface roughness, microstructure, and fatigue life (screening). The experiment consists of three sets of combinations. In the first set, only FSW was applied; in the second set, FSW was applied, followed by DR, and then PWHT processes (FSW-DR-PWHT); and in the last set, FSW was applied, followed by PWHT, and then DR processes (FSW-PWHT-DR). Fatigue testing was carried out by undertaking a four-point bending test using a bending stress of approximately 300 MPa with a test frequency of 2.5 Hz at room temperature and stress ratio R = 0. The study found that residual stress plays an important role in the fatigue life. Finally, the fatigue test showed that FSW workpieces subject to the PWHT process followed by the DR process (FSW-PWHT-DR) had the highest fatigue life, with an increase of 239% when compared with unprocessed FSW workpieces.

The main purpose of this research was to enhance the mechanical properties of friction stir welds (FSW) in the dissimilar aluminum alloys 6061-T6 and 7075-T651. The welded workpiece has tensile residual stress due to the influence of the thermal conductivity of dissimilar materials, resulting in crack initiation and less fatigue strength. The experiment started from the FSW process using the 2^k full factorial with the response surface methodology (RSM) and central composite design (CCD) to investigate three factors. The experiment found that the optimal rotation speed and feed rate values were 979 and 65 mm/min, respectively. Then, the post-weld heat treatment process (PWHT) was applied. Following this, the 2^k full factorial was used to investigate four factors involved in the deep rolling process (DR). The experiment found that the optimal deep rolling pressure and deep rolling offset values were 300 bar and 0.2 mm, respectively. Moreover, mechanical property testing was performed with a sequence of four design types of workpieces: FSW, FSW-PWHT, FSW-DR, and FSW-PWHT-DR. It was found that the FSW-PWHT-DR workpiece had an increase in tensile strength of up to 26.29% and increase in fatigue life of up to 129.47% when compared with the FSW workpieces, as well as a maximum compressive residual stress of −414 MPa.

This study investigates the effects of post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) on the microstructures and mechanical properties of plasma arc-welded 316 stainless steel. The experimental parameters included the solid solution temperatures of 650 °C and 1050 °C, solid solution durations of 1 h and 4 h, and quenching media of water and air. The mechanical properties were evaluated using Vickers hardness testing, tensile testing, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and optical microscopy (OM). The highest ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 693.93 MPa and Vickers hardness of 196.4 in the welded zone were achieved by heat-treating at 650 °C for one hour, quenching in water, and aging at 500 °C for 24 h. Heat-treating at 650 °C for one hour, followed by quenching in water and aging at 500 °C for 24 h results in larger dendritic δ grains and contains more σ phase compared to the other conditions, resulting in increased strength and hardness. Additionally, it shows wider and shallower dimple structures, which account for its reduced impact toughness.

This study investigates the effects of a back plate preheating assistance system and deep rolling (DR) on axial force and tunnel defects during friction stir welding (FSW). Different preheating configurations—advancing side (AS), retreating side (RS), and both sides—were examined to evaluate their impact on axial force reduction, temperature distribution, and defect minimization. Axial force measurements were taken using a dynamometer, and temperature histories were recorded with a thermal camera. The results demonstrate that a preheating temperature of 200 °C is optimal, reducing axial force by 30.24% and enhancing material flow. This temperature also facilitated deeper tool penetration, especially when preheating was applied to both sides. Preheating on the AS resulted in the smallest tunnel defects, reducing defect size by 80.15% on the RS and 96.91% on the AS compared to the non-preheated condition. While DR further reduced tunnel defects, its effectiveness was limited by the proximity of defects to the surface. These findings offer significant insights for improving the FSW process.