Forecasting process parameters on weld nugget hardness of filler added friction stir welded dissimilar aluminium alloys 5052 And 6082 joints

This article deals with the optimization of friction stir welding process parameters with filler ratios on dissimilar Aluminium alloy groups. For this purpose, 6 series Aluminium alloy 6082 and 5 series Aluminium alloy 5052 were taken. Microhardness property was conducted under various rotational speeds, welding speed, plunge depth, Center distance between the holes and filler mixing ratio. The Central Composite Design (CCD), the most commonly used Response Surface Methodology (RSM), is considered to develop the prediction equation. A validation analysis is carried out, and the results were compared with the relative impact of input parameters on weld nugget microhardness. It is observed that the increase in welding speed with plunge depth and filler ratio result in the increase of weld nugget microhardness up to a maximum value. The maximum weld nugget hardness of fabricated joint was obtained with the welding process parameters combination of 1000 rpm rotational speed, 125 mm/min welding speed, 0.15 mm plunge depth, 2 mm centre distance between the holes, and filler ratio of 95% Mg and 5% Cr.

Simulation of Friction Stir Spot Welding of Copper and Aluminium During Plunging Phase

Simulation is limited and remains briefly addressed in the literature of friction stir spot welding (FSSW) process in joining dissimilar copper and aluminium. Thus, this study simulated the FSSW process of copper and aluminium to investigate the peak temperature during the plunging phase produced by all possible combinations of levels for tool rotational speed, plunge rate, and plunge depth according to the full factorial design. The modeling was established by Coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian (CEL) model and ‘dynamic, temperature-displacement, explicit’ analysis. The highest peak temperature of 994.4 oC was produced by 2400 rpm rotational speed, 100 mm/min plunge rate, and 1.6 mm plunge depth. The combination was suggested to be the optimum welding parameters in joining copper to aluminium as sufficient heat input was essential to soften the area around the welding tool and adequately plasticize the material. Three sets of confirmation tests presented consistent responses with a mean peak temperature of 994.4 °C, which validated that the response produced by the suggested optimum welding parameters was reliable. The statistical result reported that the variability in the factors could explain 84.12% of the variability in the response. However, only the rotational speed and plunge depth were statistically significant. The residual plots showed that the regression line model was valid.

Assessment of Corrosive Behaviour and Microstructure Characterization of Hybrid Friction Stir Welded Martensitic Stainless Steel

This study examined the effect of induction heating on the microstructure and corrosion characteristics of hybrid friction stir welded AISI 410 stainless steel. Five joints have been produced with different friction stir welding parameters like welding speed, spindle speed, plunge depth, and induction power. Their microstructures were evaluated using a scanning electron microscope, and chemical composition was examined using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The rate of corrosion was found out via the weight loss method in a 1 M HCL solution. The hybrid friction stir welding method used for this work is induction assisted friction stir welding; the results show that this method could produce sound AISI 410 stainless steel Joints. The experiment results show that the joint made at a spindle speed of 1150 rpm, welding speed 40 mm/min, plunge depth 0.5 mm, and in-situ heat by induction 480°C show a better corrosion resistance property with a fine grain structure.

Effect of dwelling time and plunge depth on the joint properties of the dissimilar friction stir spot welded aluminum and steel

Sound joints of a far apart property, pure aluminum and mild steel, dissimilar materials were obtained by friction stir spot welding (FSSW) solid state joining process. Sheets of 2 mm thickness were overlapped and fixed with a fixture device then welded. Welding parameters that produced the sound joint were identified. Joints microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated. A microstructural investigation has revealed a creation of mechanical interlocking and discontinuous formation of the intermetallic compounds found at the interface. The intermetallic compound (IMC) layer thickness ranged from 6 μm to 17 μm with the optimum condition specimen, 800 rpm and 5 Sec dwell time. Tensile–shear test showed that failure load has increased with increasing tool plunge depth and rotational speed. After the optimum value of rotational speed, the shear failure load decreased. The maximum shear failure load of 2.15 KN attained at 800 rpm and 2.4 mm plunge depth.

Effect of Process Factors on Tensile Shear Load Using the Definitive Screening Design in Friction Stir Lap Welding of Aluminum–Steel with a Pipe Shape

Recently, friction stir welding of dissimilar materials has emerged as one of the most significant issues in lightweight, eco-friendly bonding technology. In this study, we welded the torsion beam shaft—an automobile chassis component—with cast aluminum to lighten it. The study rapidly and economically investigated the effects of friction stir welding and process parameters for A357 cast aluminum and FB590 high-strength steel; 14 decomposition experiments were conducted using a definitive screening design that could simultaneously determine the effects of multiple factors. Friction stir welding experiments were conducted using an optical microscope to investigate the tensile shear load behavior in the welding zone. In addition to understanding the interactions between tool penetration depth and plunge speed and tool penetration depth and dwell time, we investigated and found that tool penetration depth positively affected the size of the hooking area and contributed to the stabilization and size reduction of the cavity. The experimental results showed that the plunge depth and tool penetration depth effects were most important; in this case, the plunge depth negatively affected the magnitude of tensile shear load, whereas the tool penetration depth had a positive effect. Therefore, when selecting a tool, it is important to consider the plunge depth and tool penetration depth in lap welding.

Effects of FSW Tool Plunge Depth on Properties of an Al-Mg-Si Alloy T-Joint: Thermomechanical Modeling and Experimental Evaluation

One of the main challenging issues in friction stir welding (FSW) of stiffened structures is maximizing skin and flange mixing. Among the various parameters in FSW that can affect the quality of mixing between skin and flange is tool plunge depth (TPD). In this research, the effects of TPD during FSW of an Al-Mg-Si alloy T-joint are investigated. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method can help understand TPD effects on FSW of the T-joint structure. For this reason, the CFD method is employed in the simulation of heat generation, heat distribution, material flow, and defect formation during welding processes at various TPD. CFD is a powerful method that can simulate phenomena during the mixing of flange and skin that are hard to assess experimentally. For the evaluation of FSW joints, macrostructure visualization is carried out. Simulation results showed that at higher TPD, more frictional heat is generated and causes the formation of a bigger stir zone. The temperature distribution is antisymmetric to the welding line, and the concentration of heat on the advancing side (AS) is more than the retreating side (RS). Simulation results from viscosity changes and material velocity study on the stir zone indicated that the possibility of the formation of a tunnel defect on the skin–flange interface at the RS is very high. Material flow and defect formation are very sensitive to TPD. Low TPD creates internal defects with incomplete mixing of skin and flange, and high TPD forms surface flash. Higher TPD increases frictional heat and axial force that diminish the mixing of skin and flange in this joint. The optimum TPD was selected due to the best materials flow and final mechanical properties of joints.

Development and Parametric Optimisation of Pure Magnesium Matrix Surface Composite by Friction Stir Processing

Friction stir processing (FSP) is an emerging method for improving surface properties of materials by composite fabrication. This study aims at optimizing the major FSP parameters and analysis of their real-time influence on the mechanical performance of a surface composite fabricated with Magnesium (Mg) matrix and Titanium Carbide (TiC) as reinforcement. Effects of different process parameters, tool rotational speed, plunge depth, the linear speed of the tool, cooling condition, and number of FSP passes have been examined. Using L27 array, a total of 27 combinations of these process parameters were analyzed by taking microhardness as an output response to find influential parameters by Taguchi's technique. Maximum micro-hardness was achieved when tool rpm of 600, cooling temperature of -10o C, tool feed of 15 mm/min, plunge depth of 0.35 mm, and 3 passes of FSP tool were chosen with the help of Taguchi's method. Analysis of variance indicated that cooling temperature, the tool feed, and the number of passes of the FSP tool were the most significant parameters.

A New Approach to Direct Friction Stir Processing for Fabricating Surface Composites

Friction stir processing (FSP) is a green fabrication technique that has been effectively adopted in various engineering applications. One of the promising advantages of FSP is its applicability in the development of surface composites. In the current work, a new approach for direct friction stir processing is considered for the surface fabrication of aluminum-based composites reinforced with micro-sized silicon carbide particles (SiC), eliminating the prolonged preprocessing stages of preparing the sample and filling the holes of grooves. The proposed design of the FSP tool consists of two parts: an inner-threaded hollow cylindrical body; and a pin-less hollow shoulder. The design is examined with respect to three important tool processing parameters: the tilt angle of the tool, the tool’s dispersing hole, and the tool’s plunge depth. The current study shows that the use of a dispersing hole with a diameter of 6 mm of and a plunge depth of 0.6 mm, in combination with a tilting angle of 7°, results in sufficient mixing of the enforcement particles in the aluminum matrix, while still maintaining uniformity in the thickness of the composite layer. Metallographic examination of the Al/SiC surface composite demonstrates a uniform distribution of the Si particles and excellent adherence to the aluminum substrate. Microhardness measurements also show a remarkable increase, from 38.5 Hv at the base metal to a maximum value of 78 Hv in the processed matrix in the surface composites layer. The effect of the processing parameters was also studied, and its consequences with respect to the surface composites are discussed.