The multi‐material approach as quite often applied in the automotive and aircraft industry follows the idea of choosing the best performing material combination under specific service requirements. For metal‐matrix composites, friction welding is a quite attractive technology, which can provide more insight into the property determining phenomena and processing parameters. A special rotational friction apparatus using a servo motor without brake system was built for the production of dissimilar weldments.
The friction welding process was analysed using FEM to describe temperature history, material flow and forging force. By metallographic and mechanical testing, the microstructure and mechanical behaviour in the various subzones of the heat affected zone (HAZ) were determined. In addition, the strain distribution within the HAZ was measured by an optical device in order to characterize the weakest subzone and to study the local hardening behaviour. By variation of the main influencing parameters optimal component performance could be achieved. The fundamental understanding could be also applied for other technologies, like roll bonding.
