Mechanical and Corrosion Properties of Friction Stir Welded and Tungsten Inert Gas Welded Phosphor Bronze

This study investigated the mechanical and corrosion properties of Friction Stir Welded (FSW) and Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welded phosphor bronze (CuSn4) joints. Corrosion tests were conducted on the welded joints, and the percentage of weight loss due to corrosion was measured at different time intervals. Results revealed that the percentage of weight loss due to corrosion of the TIG joint increased with time, whereas the percentage of weight loss due to corrosion of the FSW welded joint remained constant. This could be attributed to recrystallisation that happened in the solid-state welding, which reduced corrosion in the FSW welded joint. In addition, tensile tests were conducted to evaluate the strength of the joints. FSW with a spindle speed of 1300 rpm, weld speed of 0.06mm/sec, plunge depth of 0.25mm, pin profile of pentagon, and flat shoulder profile was found to produce good results. TIG welding with a welding speed of 1.75mm/sec, a gas flow rate of 7.5 cm³/min and an amperage of 120A also produced good results. The tensile strength of FSW was found to be approximately 1.6 times higher than that of TIG welding.