AbstractThe metallurgical and mechanical properties of friction welds between titanium and AISI 304L stainless steel were examined. Joint tensile strength increased when high friction pressure (>196 MN m−2) and high upsetting pressure (294 MN m−2) were used during welding. Although the surface roughness of the titanium substrate had no effect on joint strength, decreasing the surface roughness of the AISI 304L material did increase the tensile strength of completed joints. As welded dissimilar joints had poor bend test ductility and failed in the interface region. Detailed microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that the poor bend ductility was caused by a combination of high hardness of the titanium material immediately adjacent to the joint interface, the presence of unrelieved residual strain at the joint interface, and intermetallic phases formed during the welding operation. Detailed transmission electron microscopy and X-ray analysis confirmed that a thin layer rich in intermetallics was present in the as welded joints. (FeNiCr)Ti phases were formed during seizure formation and disruption; this provided the necessary conditions for anomalously high rates of diffusion of titanium in stainless steel, and of iron, chromium, and nickel in titanium. Low temperature post-weld heat treatment (PWHT), involving heating to 500–600°C followed by immediate air cooling, reduced intermetallic precipitation, promoted stress relaxation, and facilitated complete bonding across the whole joint interface. This treatment markedly improved bend ductility and had a negligible effect on joint tensile strength. High PWHT temperatures (≥900°C) and long holding times at temperature markedly reduced joint tensile strength and bend ductility, owing to excessive formation of intermetallic phases at the joint interface.MST/1521