Influence of base material characteristics and process parameters on frictional heat generation during Friction Stir Spot Welding of steels

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 98-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.G. Andrade ◽  
C. Leitão ◽  
D.M. Rodrigues
Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (16) ◽  
pp. 4375
Author(s):  
David G. Andrade ◽  
Sree Sabari ◽  
Carlos Leitão ◽  
Dulce M. Rodrigues

Friction Stir Spot Welding (FSSW) is assumed as an environment-friendly technique, suitable for the spot welding of several materials. Nevertheless, it is consensual that the temperature control during the process is not feasible, since the exact heat generation mechanisms are still unknown. In current work, the heat generation in FSSW of aluminium alloys, was assessed by producing bead-on-plate spot welds using pinless tools. Coated and uncoated tools, with varied diameters and rotational speeds, were tested. Heat treatable (AA2017, AA6082 and AA7075) and non-heat treatable (AA5083) aluminium alloys were welded to assess any possible influence of the base material properties on heat generation. A parametric analysis enabled to establish a relationship between the process parameters and the heat generation. It was found that for rotational speeds higher than 600 rpm, the main process parameter governing the heat generation is the tool diameter. For each tool diameter, a threshold in the welding temperature was identified, which is independent of the rotational speed and of the aluminium alloy being welded. It is demonstrated that, for aluminium alloys, the temperature in FSSW may be controlled using a suitable combination of rotational speed and tool dimensions. The temperature evolution with process parameters was modelled and the model predictions were found to fit satisfactorily the experimental results.


Author(s):  
Nasra Hannachi ◽  
Ali Khalfallah ◽  
Carlos Leitão ◽  
Dulce Rodrigues

Friction Stir Spot Welding involves complex physical phenomena, which are very difficult to probe experimentally. In this regard, the numerical simulation may play a key role to gain insight into this complex thermo-mechanical process. It is often used to mimic specific experimental conditions to forecast outputs that may be substantial to analyse and elucidate the mechanisms behind the Friction Stir Spot Welding process. This welding technique uses frictional heat generated by a rotating tool to join materials. The heat generation mechanisms are governed by a combination of sliding and sticking contact conditions. In the numerical simulation, these contact conditions are thoroughly dependent on the used friction model. Hence, a successful prediction of the process relies on the appropriate selection of the contact model and parameters. This work aims to identify the pros and cons of different friction models in modelling combined sliding-sticking conditions. A three-dimensional coupled thermo-mechanical FE model, based on a Coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian formulation, was developed. Different friction models are adopted to simulate the Friction Stir Spot Welding of the AA6082-T6 aluminium alloy. For these friction models, the temperature evolution, the heat generation, and the plastic deformation were analysed and compared with experimental results. It was realized that numerical analysis of Friction Stir Spot Welding can be effective and reliable as long as the interfacial friction characteristics are properly modelled. This approach may be used to guide the contact modelling strategy for the simulation of the Friction Stir Spot Welding process and its derivatives.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (10) ◽  
pp. 6471-6482
Author(s):  
Rafał Kluz ◽  
Andrzej Kubit ◽  
Tomasz Trzepiecinski ◽  
Koen Faes ◽  
Wojciech Bochnowski

Abstract The welding process used in fabricating thin-walled structures by refill friction stir spot welding (RFSSW) should be characterized by a high strength of welds and high process repeatability which is demonstrated by a small dispersion of the load capacity of the joints. The present work is designed to optimize RFSSW process parameters for 7075-T6 Alclad aluminum alloy sheets used to fabricate aircraft structures. The optimization was performed by scalarization of the objective function using the weighting grades method. The study considers the effect of process parameters, i.e., tool plunge depth, duration of welding, tool rotational speed, on the tensile/shear strength of the joints, and dispersion of the load capacity. It was found that it was possible to choose the optimal welding parameters taking into account maximization of the load capacity and minimization of the dispersion of the joint strength via a best compromise between the tool rotational speed ensuring adequate plasticization of the base material and the duration of welding ensuring that a fine-grained joint microstructure is obtained.


2013 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 595-599 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Lacki ◽  
Z. Kucharczyk ◽  
R.E. Śliwa ◽  
T. Gałaczyński

Friction stir welding (FSW) is one of the youngest methods of metal welding. Metals and its alloys are joined in a solid state at temperature lower than melting points of the joined materials. The method is constantly developed and friction stir spot welding (FSSW) is one of its varieties. In the friction stir spot welding process a specially designed tool is brought into rotation and plunged, straight down, in the joined materials. Heat is generated as a result of friction between the tool and materials, and plastic deformation of the joined materials. Softening (plastic zone) of the joined materials occurs. Simultaneously the materials are stirred. After removal of the tool, cooling down the stirred materials create a solid state joint. Numerical simulation of the process was carried out with the ADINA System based on the finite element method (FEM). The problem was considered as an axisymmetric one. A thermal and plastic material model was assumed for Al 6061-T6. Frictional heat was generated on the contact surfaces between the tool and the joined elements. The model of Coulomb friction, in which the friction coefficient depends on the temperature, was used. An influence of the tool geometry on heat generation in the welded materials was analysed. The calculations were carried out for different radiuses of the tool stem and for different angles of the abutment. Temperature distributions in the welded materials as a function of the process duration assuming a constant value of rotational tool speed and the speed of tool plunge were determined. Additionally, the effect of the stem radius and its height on the maximum temperature was analysed. The influence of tool geometry parameters on the temperature field and the temperature gradient in the welded materials was shown. It is important regarding the final result of FSSW.


Author(s):  
Arindom Baruah ◽  
Jayaprakash Murugesan ◽  
Hemant Borkar

Abstract Friction stir spot welding is a solid-state joining process that has attracted significant attention particularly in the field of joining of lightweight, low melting alloys. These materials include alloys of Aluminium and Magnesium amongst many others which are of great importance to the aerospace and the automobile industries. The friction stir spot welding is a complex thermo-mechanical multiphysics phenomenon and is currently a field of intense research. The motivation of the current study is to understand this complex behaviour of the joining process by simulating it in the ABAQUS CAE environment. In the friction stir spot joining technique, the plunge stage is identified as the critical stage of operation as it involves a highly transient and dynamic zone for material and temperature flows. The plunge stage was studied in detail using the finite element based model. The plasticity of the material was simulated by the Johnson-Cook material model while the frictional heat generation was captured by applying a penalty-based frictional contact between the rotating tool and the workpiece contact surfaces. Considering the reasonable assumptions made, the results obtained by the numerical simulation model were found to agree with the past experimental and numerically modelled studies.


2014 ◽  
Vol 622-623 ◽  
pp. 557-566
Author(s):  
G. D’Urso ◽  
Claudio Giardini

A study was performed to evaluate how the Friction Stir Spot Welding process parameters affect both the thermal distribution in the welding region and the welding forces. An experimental campaign was performed by means of a CNC machine tool and FSSW lap joints on AA6060-T6 aluminum alloy plates having a thickness of 2+2 mm were executed. Five thermocouples were inserted into the samples at a specific distance from the specimen center. A set of tests was carried out by varying the process parameters, namely rotational speed, axial feed rate, plunging depth and dwell time. Axial welding forces were also measured during the execution of the experiments by means of a piezoelectric load cell. The experimental data collected were used to set up and to validate a simulative model of the process. In particular, a 2D FEM model was set up using the commercial code Deform 2D. A 2-dimensional FEM code was preferred in order to guarantee a very simple and practical model able to achieve results in a very short time. Since it is not possible to simulate the rotation of the tool in a 2D configuration, a specific external routine for the calculation of the developed thermal energy due to the friction between tool and workpiece was set up and implemented into the code starting from the local pressure distribution along the contact area.


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