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