Friction stir welding in HSLA-65 steel: Part I. Influence of weld speed and tool material on microstructural development

A systematic set of single-pass full penetration friction stir bead-on-plate and butt-welds in HSLA-65 steel were produced using a range of different traverse speeds (50 to 500 mm/min) and two tool materials (W-Re and PCBN). Microstructural analysis of the welds was carried out using optical microscopy, and hardness variations were also mapped across the weld-plate cross sections. The maximum and minimum hardnesses were found to be dependent upon both welding traverse speed and tool material. A maximum hardness of 323 Hv(10) was observed in the mixed martensite/bainite/ferrite microstructure of the weld nugget for a welding traverse speed of 200 mm/min using a PCBN tool. A minimum hardness of 179 Hv(10) was found in the outer heat-affected zone (OHAZ) for welding traverse speed of 50 mm/min using a PCBN tool. The distance from the weld centerline to the OHAZ increased with decreasing weld speed due to the greater heat input into the weld. Likewise for similar energy inputs, the size of the transformed zone and the OHAZ increased on moving from a W-Re tool to a PCBN tool probably due to the poorer thermal conductivity of the PCBN tool. The associated residual stresses are reported in Part II of this series of articles. © The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM International 2012.