Effect of Friction Stir Welding Parameters on the Evolution of the Welding Temperature

Abstract

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a permanent joining technique that uses a rotating tool pressed against the two parts to be welded, the rotational movement produces heat that softens the materials and make it malleable whithout reaching the melting point of either the materials parts or the tool in the process, the tool will be then moved in feed motion along the joint to assemble the parts. The welding temperature reached is the key to obtaining a flawless, high-quality weld. İf the welding temperature is too high, it might reduce the mechanical properties or cause cores to collapse. İf the welding temperature is too cold, wormholes could appear due to a bad brew. The purpose of this research is to study the influence of the initial welding parameters, such as rotational speed, feed speed, and the inclination angle of the tool, on the evolution of the maximal temperature reached during the FSW process, to be able to determine optimal reference welding parameters finally. A mathematical model is proposed to help us predict the maximal temperature of the welding joint during the process using the response surface methodology (RSM).