Crack Repairing of Aluminum Alloy 6061 by Reinforcement of Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> and B<sub>4</sub>C Particles Using Friction Stir Processing

Crack repairing of aluminum alloys is done using conventional welding techniques or mechanical methods, which results in the redundancy of mechanical properties due to defects formation. Friction Stir Welding/Processing (FSW/FSP) is a solid-state joining technique which is used to join various different similar and dissimilar metals, along with the fabrication of surface composites to cater the mentioned problem. The objective of this study is to repair the crack produced in 6061 aluminum alloy by the reinforcement of ceramic particles, Al 2 O 3 and B 4 C, to further increase the efficiency of the joint along the crack line. Weld parameters, equipment used and the processing conditions are emphasized. The mechanical testing and the characterization of the weld as well as base metal was done and compared using tensile testing, micro hardness test and microstructural analysis. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) was performed for crystallinity and intermetallic study. The dispersion of the particles was investigated using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM). The crack in the Al-6061 was effectively repaired using FSP. The reinforced samples showed improved mechanical properties as compared to non-reinforced ones.