Heat-assisted friction stir welding of polymeric nanocomposite

In the present study, the feasibility of friction stir welding (FSW) of polyamide 6/Nitrile butadiene rubber composite was carried out with and without an additional heating system. By controlling heat input and cooling rate, sound joints were obtained during heat-assisted FSW. Mechanical tests under different rotational speeds were performed to probe the tool design efficiency. Produced welds with a heating system minimised improper fusion and defect formation, which resulted in considerable improvement of mechanical properties. Tensile strength and hardness still have lower values at the presence of NBR phase; introducing halloysite nanotubes into PA6 matrix resolved this issue. The highest tensile strength was 61 MPa with over 91% of base material strength. Results are corroborated by photomicrographs.