Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

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Experimental analysis of rotary friction joining process by EN1A bright

mild steel under normal air and wet environment condition
Vaibhav V. Kulkarni a,b,⇑, Prafulla C. Kulkarni c
a
MITWPU, Kothrud, Pune, India
b
MITCOE, Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), India
c
R. H. Sapat COE, M S Research, College Road, Nashik, SPPU, Pune, India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Rotary friction welding is a solid state metal joining process and it has many applications in future
Received 12 March 2021 upcoming days because of its advantages like without fumes and smokeless operation. In this process
Received in revised form 26 March 2021 heat generates through mechanical friction between one continuously rotating component and one sta-
Accepted 30 March 2021
tionary component. After heat generation phase an additional forging force is applied which completes
Available online xxxx
coalescence. Since no melting of material occurs during friction welding, but metal gets deform after heat
generation at welding zone. The main advantages of friction welding include low distortion, absence of
Keywords:
weld related defects, high joint strength, ease of automation, ability to weld alloys and metals which
Friction and Forging Force
Rpm
are not weldable by conventional welding methods. In this research work weld specimens were prepared
Temperature and Time on all geared lathe conventional machine by consideration of parameters like rpm of rotating specimen,
HAZ-heat affected zone friction and forging force applied. This study includes that joining of metal initially carried out under nor-
mal atmospheric conditions i.e. air environment and secondly, continuous stream of water under the wet
environment. The materials were used EN1A bright mild steel and only similar combinations were used
for study purpose. An experimental setup was prepared for force measurement on all geared lathe
machine. Mechanical properties of joints were evaluated utilizing tensile test and hardness at heat
affected zone.
Ó 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the 3rd International Conference on Futuristic Trends
in Materials and Manufacturing.

1. Introduction Stage 1: In this step one component is rotated at a particular

Rotary friction welding is a solid state welding process in which
joining of two components take place below the melting tempera-
ture of the materials involved and without use of any filler mate-
rial. Rotary friction welding (RFW) is a type of friction welding
process producing joints with high weld quality. In this process
one of the two components to be welded is rotated by a prime
mover and another is given motion in axial direction towards the
rotating component. Thus the relative motion between the compo-
nents and axial force applied produces friction at the interface. The
heat induced by this friction is used to fabricate a high quality weld
joint. The study has been carried out on continuous drive rotary
friction welding (RFW) process. This process has following steps
involved as shown in Figs. 1a–1c.
⇑ Corresponding author at: MITWPU, Kothrud, Pune, India.
E-mail address: 001vaibhavkulkarni@gmail.com (V.V. Kulkarni).
rpm and another component is held stationary. Stage 2: During
this step, stationary specimen is displaced axially with friction
force (F1) resulting in heat generation necessary to fabricate the
joint. Stage 3: In this final step, a higher amount of forging force
(F2) is applied while the rotation of machine is halted thus finally
resulting in coalescences.
Friction welding can be classified as a forging process since
material involved in the process do not melt which only plastically
deform at heat affected zone.This process has many advantages
like absence of melt related defects, narrow heat-affected zone,
minimal join prepration, low distortion, high quality joints even
of the materials that are not compitable for welding by traditional
welding techniques. Due to the advantages mentioned above this
technology has found number of industrial applications. It is used
in welding of various fixed mountings and gears on the shaft,weld-
ing of electrical connectors,axels of automobiles, valves, drive
shaft, airbag components and many other applications. The proper-

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.03.690
2214-7853/Ó 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the 3rd International Conference on Futuristic Trends in Materials and Manufacturing.

Please cite this article as: V.V. Kulkarni and P.C. Kulkarni, Experimental analysis of rotary friction joining process by EN1A bright mild steel under normal
air and wet environment condition, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.03.690
V.V. Kulkarni and P.C. Kulkarni
Fig. 1a. Initial stage.
Fig. 1b. Friction stage.
Fig. 1c. Forging stage.
ties of joint produced by RFW are affected by factors like rpm of
rotating specimen, force applied during friction and forging phase,
friction and forging time and diameter of the specimen to be
welded. However, different studies have identified different opti-
mum values of the parameters mentioned above so as to fabricate
joint with highest strength and other desirable mechanical
properties.
2. Literature review
Rotary Friction welding is a very unique solid state welding pro-
cess and many researcher are working on parametrical analysis of
process. The process invented very early in the year of 1890–1990
and the first patent filed during the 1891 and granted to J. H. Bev-
ington. Since 1940 in the USA and Germany Many researcher has
been done the research on the same process and come up with
materialistic output. After that it was found that this process is
very useful for commercial automotive component as well as oil
and refinery pipes joining applications. When the process has been
established commercially many researcher started doing experi-
ment on conventional lathe with some modifications on machine
and try to join various combinations of materials with different
sizes and shapes. During 1961 s-62 s the Caterpillar Tractor Co. also
worked on the friction welding process to develop the method of
inertia welding process. RFW technology is upcoming technology
in industry 4.0 and it is very unique process for joining of various
similar or dissimilar type of metals. It is a commercial used process
applicable in various heavy industry like automotive industries
and submarine as well as aeronautical component manufacturing
industries. During1980s, The Welding Institute (TWI) demon-
strated the usability of the linear friction welding technique for
metals. The design and developed a prototype electro-mechanical
machine with a linear reciprocating mechanism and two similar
2
Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
kind of machines were located at an aircraft engine manufacturer
in Europe and some machines of alternative designs are operating
in the USA. Researchers has been worked on the different methods
of friction welding process and done the parametric study of vari-
ous findings. And many researchers were also worked on alu-
minum, copper material, alloying material for joining of two
similar as well as dissimilar materials and carried out the study
on mechanical properties of welded joint like tensile test, hardness,
microstructure testing for their research purpose. Study has been
conducted on thermal analysis of heat affected zone by using suit-
able software.
Shubhavardhan R.N & Surendran S. done the study on friction
welding to join dissimilar metals and conclude that dissimilar
material can be weld by using RFW process [1]. Rajendran M.
and Mathi. K. has done the experimental investigation on mechan-
ical behavior of friction welded Al 7075 material (2012) [2]. S. T.
Selvamani, K. Vigneswar, K. Harikumaran, S. Premkumar, worked
on sensitivity analysis of friction welded AISI52100 grade carbon
steel rods (2014)[3]. P. Sathiya, S. Aravindan, A. Noorul Haq has
carried out the work on mechanical and metallurgical properties
of friction welded AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel [4]. Gourav
Sardana (2013) done the experimental work on friction welding
on lathe machine with special designing of fixture [5]. Mr.Tijo Jose,
Mr. VInoj K (2016) has been worked on same type of material with
different grade e.g. Aluminium 6061 and Aluminium 6082 rods by
using conventional lathe [6]. Amit Handa and Vikas Chawala, did
the experimental study of mechanical properties of friction welded
AISI 1021 steel [7]. Rama Rao has been worked on design and fab-
rication of rotary friction welding using on conventional lathe
machine (2015) [8]. P. A. Thakare and Lt. Randheer Singh has been
design and development of micro friction welding machine and
they have studied the welding parameters of similar material
(2016) [9]. Wei Guo, Guoqiang You, Guangyu Yuan, Xiuli Zhang
has been studied the microstructure and mechanical properties
of dissimilar inertia friction welding of 7A04 aluminium alloy to
AZ31 magnesium alloy material (2014) [10]. Kimura M. Suzuki
K., Kusaka M., Kaizu K studied the effect of friction welding condi-
tion on joining phenomenon and mechanical properties of friction
welded joint between 6063 aluminium alloy and AISI 304 stainless
steel (2017) [11]. R. Palanivel, R. F. Laubscher, I. Dinaharan investi-
gate the effect of friction welding parameters on tensile strength of
titanium tubes by utilizing an empirical relationship, Measurement
(2016) [12]. Nirmal S. Kalsi and Vishal S. Sharma have done the sta-
tistical analysis of rotary friction welding of steel with varying car-
bon in workpieces in 2011[13]. Nisarg Shete and S.U.Deokar done
the fundamental review on rotary friction welding process [14].
Suppachai Chainarong, Chaiyoot Meengam, and Muhamad Tehyo,
done the study of rotary friction welding of dissimilar joints
between SSM356 and SSM6061 aluminum alloys Produced by GISS
in 2017. [15].
3. Material used
EN1A bright mild steel was used for trials having tensile
strength of 682.291 N/mm2 and ductility measured in elongation
as 9.63%. Chemical composition is tested using optical emission
scattering (OES) and is specified in Table.1. Hardness as tested on
Rockwell scale A (HRA) was 45 units. EN1A is widely used in indus-
try for the manufacture of components which requiring superior
surface finish with high production rates. This type of steel is
widely used in a range of industrial application and hence it is
selected in the present study. EN1A bright mild steel material is a
very popular grade of low carbon-manganese free cutting steel,
which is suitable for the manufacture of repetition turned compo-
nents, like nuts, bolts, hydraulic fittings, studs, where intricate dril-
V.V. Kulkarni and P.C. Kulkarni Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

Table 1
Chemical composition in % of EN1A.

C Mn Si S P Cr Ni Fe
0.07 1.02 0.10 0.20 0.70 0.06 0.03 98.46

ling and machining operations are involved. It can be case-
hardened, producing components with enhanced wear resistance.
Specimens to be welded were machined to rods of length 45 mm
and Ø 12 mm. Since in this process impurities are brought to the
surface due to plastic flow and centrifugal action, minimal surface
preparation is required. The specimens are cut by abrasive cutter
and facing is done at the joining surface to ensure removal of
HAZ formed due to the abrasive cutting action.Table 2.Table 3.
increased crack tendency, which all contribute to reduced joint
quality. The stream of water is supplied with help of coolant pump
present with the lathe machine driven by a 3 phase, 0.15 HP AC
motor rotating at 2880 rpm. Welding under stream of water is
important because it can be widely used in offshore application
where traditional welding methods cannot be effectively used
Figs. 5a–6b.
5. Tensile testing

4. Experimental setup The specimens were welded as per the experimental design
after which they were prepared for tensile testing by machining.
Experiment trails were carried out on conventional all gear The mechanical properties were assessed by tensile testing and
lathe machine of ‘NAGMATI’ make model 175 having an AC motor hardness testing. Tensile strength is represented as effectiveness
of 2H.P. and speed 1440 rpm. During initial trials, a number of of the join. This in turn is defined as the % of strength joint with
problems encountered were axial misalignment of components respect to that of parent material as reference Graph 1–3.
to be welded, excessive vibrations in the stationary specimen Ductility of material is assessed on basis of %elongation of the
and inability to measure force applied during the welding. tensile tested specimen. The initial gauge length and the final
Hence to minimize these problems the new experimental setup gauge length are noted and %elongation of specimen is calculated
was build which can be conveniently assembled on the machine. as follows.
Fig. 2a represents the weld joint formed during initial trial without
tensile strength of joint
use of the setup we observe considerable axial misalignment. In % Effectiv eness ¼  100
Fig. 2b shows the better axial alignment were obtained with the tensile strength ofparent material
use of the modified setup assembled on the conventional lathe
machine while keeping the same parameters during trials Fig. 3. change in gauge length
% elongation ¼  100
During the modification and designs of experimental setup on gauge length
conventional lathe machine the following factors were considered
during friction welding firstly, friction and forging pressure and
secondly, rpm of the rotating specimen. Since these factors play
an important role in determining the effectiveness of joint formed.
Another important variation induced was welding under nor-
mal air (atmospheric) environment condition and under the con-
tinuous running stream of water as shown in Figs. 4a & 4b. Since
the water plays a vital role during hardening of steel as well as heat Fig. 2a. Axial misalignment during initial trial run.
dissipation from the weld interface which reduces the heat
affected zone (HAZ) formed near the welding joint interface, it
was important to study effect of the same on the welding joint
properties. And the effect of water on the mechanical properties
of underwater welding joints. In comparison to normal air (atmo-
spheric) environment condition of welding and underwater envi-
ronment condition welding joint were results in the loss of
alloying elements from the welding position, increased porosity
formation at weld zone, the presence of slags in the welds,
increased oxygen and carbon content in the weld zone, and Fig. 2b. Axial alignment after assembly of the setup.

Table 2
Tensile Testing Result.

SAMPLE A1 A1 A1 A1 W1 W1 W1 W1
TENSILE STRENGTH(N/mm2) 525.911 489.876 559.539 521.938 615.692 509.835 584.531 631.195
EFFECTIVENESS(in %) 77.08 71.80 82.01 76.50 90.24 74.72 85.67 92.51
ELONGATION (in %) 4.73 3.29 6.20 12.21 2.77 2.71 6.80 16.85

Table 3
Rockwell Hardness Testing Results.

SAMPLE NAME A1 A2 A3 A4 W1 W2 W3 W4
Hardness at weld interface (HRA) 45.37 42.75 49.11 45.51 46.75 47.12 44.75 48.52

3
V.V. Kulkarni and P.C. Kulkarni Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

Fig. 6a. HAZ under normal air conditions.

Fig. 3. Schematic experimental setup.

Fig.6b. HAZ under a stream of water.

Fig. 4a. RF Welding at normal air condition.

Graph 1. Hardness.

Fig. 4b. RF Welding under a stream of water.

Graph 2. Elongation.
Fig. 5a. Specimen after welding.

Fig. 5b. Specimen after preparation for tensile test.

Fig. 5c. specimen after tensile test.

Graph 3. Effectiveness.
6. Hardness testing

Hardness testing was carried out on Rockwell hardness testing 4.5 mm from the axis of the specimen. The values of %effectiveness,
machine using Rockwell A (HRA) Scale using load of 60 kgf at the hardness and elongation of the welded specimens are plotted on in
heat affected zone near the weld interface at a distance of order to study their variation with change in factors.
4
V.V. Kulkarni and P.C. Kulkarni Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

Table 4
Results of different experimental trials conducted.

SAMPLE SPEED TIME FRICTION PRESSURE FORGING PRESSURE TENSILE STRENGTH EFFECTIVENESS ELONG. Hardness at weld
NAME (RPM) (s) (kg/cm2) (kg/cm2) (N/mm2) (In %) (In %) interface(HRA)
A1 1500 65 30 60 525.911 77.08 4.73 45.37
A2 975 56 30 60 489.876 71.80 3.29 42.75
A3 1500 116 25 50 559.539 82.01 6.20 49.11
A4 975 85 25 50 521.938 76.50 12.21 45.51
W1 1500 160 30 60 615.692 90.24 2.77 46.75
W2 975 92 30 60 509.835 74.72 2.71 47.12
W3 1500 97 25 50 584.531 85.67 6.80 44.75
W4 975 81 25 50 631.195 92.51 16.85 48.52

7. Result and discussion
The mechanical properties of the joints are assessed by tensile
testing and hardness testing of the specimens. The results of same
are represented in table 4. In order to ensure that errors induced
due to machine are not encountered tensile testing of parent mate-
rial and the welded specimens were carried out on the same
machine with similar input parameters. The HAZ observed in case
of welds made during normal atmospheric conditions in signifi-
cantly larger than that made under running stream of water.
It is observed that tensile strength of specimen welded under
water is higher than that welded under normal atmospheric condi-
tions when other parameters are held constant. It is also observed
that ductility of joints measured as elongation of specimen welded
under friction pressure of 25 kg/cm2 and forging pressure of 50 kg/
cm2 and rotation speed of 975 rpm, irrespective of welding envi-
ronment is higher than that of parent material. The maximum
effectiveness and tensile strength of joint achieved is 92.51% and
631.195 N/mm2 respectively. The %elongation of the specimen
been noted as 16.85%. This joint is obtained at 975 rpm and friction
pressure of 25 kg/cm2 and forging pressure of 50 kg/cm2 and weld-
ing under continuous running stream of water.
environment conditions. Highest joint strength achieved on welds
performed on EN1A is 631.195 N/mm2 at a rotational speed of 975
RPM friction pressure of 25 kg/cm2 and forging pressure of 50 kg/
cm2 with weld time of 81 s welded under wet condition and elon-
gation of 16.85% (refer table 4). Hardness of the weld interface var-
ied only marginally due to presence of low percentage of carbon
present in parent material. The hardness of material at weld inter-
face is higher in case of joints welded under wet condition (aver-
age = 46.78 HRA) than that welded under normal atmospheric
conditions (avg. = 45.56 HRA). However, one exception to this
statement is noted when hardness of specimen welded using
1500 rpm, 25 kg/cm2 friction pressure and normal atmospheric
condition (49.11 HRA) is higher than the specimen welded under
same parameters but using wet condition (44.75 HRA). Ductility
of material as assessed by % elongation of material is also retained
to a greater extent in the joints formed. (As observed from table 4).
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Vaibhav V. Kulkarni: Investigation, Writing - original draft.
Prafulla C. Kulkarni: Conceptualization, Writing - review & edit-
ing, Supervision.

8. Future scope
The researcher have many scope for doing experimental study
and parametrical analysis of rotary friction welding process with
different types of similar and dissimilar metals. And to focuses
on Rotary Friction Welding manufacturers companies and study
the capacity, production, value, market share and development
plans in coming years. RFW process can be analyze, the process
simulation by using different suitable software i.e. Matlab, Ansys,
Abacus. Also RFW process mathematical modelling as well as pro-
cess parameter optimization can be carried out using different
research methodology. To find out the various applications of
RFW process in automobile and oil and refinery, shipbuilding
industry. Also research can be done on bimetal material and their
process parameter and optimize the same. Microstructural analysis
and mechanical properties of the bimetal material research can be
carried out.
9. Conclusion
This research study investigates the variation of mechanical
properties of joints formed using rotary friction welding under nor-
mal air (atmospheric) environment condition and wet environ-
ment condition by using various parameters. Following
conclusions were drawn from the experimental setup trails: Fric-
tion welding can be effectively carried out on conventional lathe
machine using suitable modification. Strength of welded joints
under a continuous stream of water environment has been found
higher than that of welded joints under normal air (atmospheric)
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing finan-
cial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared
to influence the work reported in this paper.
Acknowledgement
I would like to express special thanks of gratitude to my
research guide for his valuable guidance and motivation. He was
a source of inspiration and very helpful throughout the work. I
am very grateful to our Principal and Head of the department from
MITCOE and as well as the research center staff for their encour-
agement and valuable suggestions during the carried out review
and experimental work. I am very much thankful to our machine
shop staff from workshop department MITCOE for their support
and cooperation.
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