Effect of Process Parameters on the Joint Properties of Similar Friction Welded 316L Steel Rods

The study aimed to investigate the influence of forging pressure and speed on the hardness and microstructure of joints of 316L austenitic stainless-steel rods joined by rotary friction welding. Similar rods of 12.5 mm in diameter were welded at varying speed and forging pressure while other parameters were kept constant. The microstructures of joints were investigated by optical microscope, while Vickers's microhardness machine was used to measure the hardness across the welded joints. The results showed that samples with medium-to-high rotational speed and forging pressure were free of any void along the weld interface zone. It was observed that the hardness of the joints increased with an increase in rotational speed and forging pressure.