Electrochemical and mechanical behaviors of dissimilar friction stir welding between 5086 and 6061 aluminum alloy

The electrochemical behavior and mechanical properties of friction stir welded AA5086 and AA6061 Al alloys were investigated. Micro-hardness measurements and tensile tests showed that the heat-affected zone (HAZ) in AA6061 had minimum hardness value (i.e., 88 HV) and served as failure site in the dissimilar weld. Corrosion testing revealed that the minimum value of Icorr appeared in the HAZ 5086 (0.54 uA/cm2) and HAZ 5086 was most resistant to corrosion. The AA 5086 side of the weld showed better corrosion resistance than the AA 6061 side.