A Comparative Study of Tool-Pin Profile on Process Response of Friction Stir Welding of AA6082-T6 Aluminium Alloy

Authors

  • Kayode Oyedemi
    Affiliation

    Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Information Technology, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Africa

  • Patrick McGrath
    Affiliation

    Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Information Technology, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Africa

  • Hannalie Lombard
    Affiliation

    Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Information Technology, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Africa

  • Balázs Varbai
    Affiliation

    Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary

https://doi.org/10.3311/PPme.11149

Abstract

This paper presents research work conducted to experimentally establish the process response of two diverse shaped tool-pin profiles for friction stir welding (FSW) AA6082-T6 aluminium. The dwell time was optimised by plunging each tool-pin into a plate sample until the spindle torque stabilised thus ensuring sufficient plasticised material in contact with tool shoulder and the tool-pins. The welds were conducted by employing the optimised dwell time, which in turn revealed a minimised process response time and distance to reach weld stability with respect to (1) the force exerted on the tool-pin in the welding direction, Fx , and (2) the spindle torque, T, during the welding process. Both Fx and T stabilised well within the set (pre-determined) ramp-up distance of 20 mm, indicating that the effective (useful) weld length is maximised. The macrographs also revealed good dynamic material flow within the nugget zone regions and more evident in the nugget zone of the flared tool.

Keywords:

friction stir welding, FSW, tool geometry, 6082-T6 aluminum, microhardness, spindle torque, plunge force

Published Online

2017-09-21

How to Cite

Oyedemi, K., McGrath, P., Lombard, H., Varbai, B. “A Comparative Study of Tool-Pin Profile on Process Response of Friction Stir Welding of AA6082-T6 Aluminium Alloy”, Periodica Polytechnica Mechanical Engineering, 61(4), pp. 296–302, 2017. https://doi.org/10.3311/PPme.11149

Issue

Vol. 61 No. 4 (2017)

Section

Articles