Exploring the impact of vibration on the tribological and mechanical performance of friction stir processing of AZ80/(MnO + ZrO2)p surface composite

In the present research, the influence of vibration to produce an AZ80/(MnO + ZrO2)p surface composite via friction stir processing (FSP) was assessed. The results unveiled that the application of vibration during FSP efficiently increased the material flow, which consequently led to the expansion of the nugget/stir zone and homogeneous dispersion of reinforcement powders. It was also found that vibration had a beneficial effect on the grain refining, could enhance the density of dislocations, and synchronously increased the wear performance and shear punching strength from 113 to 153 MPa. This can be attributed to the excessive increase in refinement of grain and the more homogenous dispersion of reinforcing particles.