FRICTION STIR WELDING

OF DISSIMILAR
ALUMINIUM ALLOYS
JOSUHA STANLEY.P (310616114050)
NIRANJAN HARIKUMAR.G.R (310616114085)
RAVI GANESH.D (310616114098)

PROJECT GUIDE: Mr. G.CHAKRAVARTHI

 ABSTRACT
• New materials and processing methods are being continuously tested and
developed for the aerospace industries in order to reduce the manufacturing
cost and to increase the performance of the products.
• Friction stir welding is considered as a valid alternative to the currently used
arc and electron beam welding for the aerospace industries due their
increased weld quality.
• This work encompasses the friction stir welding of Al 6061, Al 7075 and
Al 2219 which are among the commonly used aluminium alloys in aerospace
industries due their low cost and high strength respectively.
• Different tool profiles were employed to analyse the influence of rotational and
traverse speed over the microstructure and mechanical properties.
• Optimization is done using Taguchi technique in order to determine the
process parameters and their performance measure with minimum variation.
 LITERATURE REVIEW
• S. K. Tiwari et al, did a review paper on “Friction Stir Welding of Aluminum
Alloys” in which he said that Friction stir welding is a solid-state joining process.
• High strength aluminum alloys are widely used in aircraft and marine industries.
• Generally, the mechanical properties of fusion welded aluminum joints are poor.
• As friction stir welding occurs in solid state, no solidification structures are
created thereby eliminating the brittle and eutectic phases common in fusion
welding of high strength aluminum alloys.
• In this review the process parameters, microstructural evolution, and effect of
friction stir welding on the properties of weld specific to aluminum alloys were
discussed.
• It was found that intense plastic deformation at high temperature result in
significant microstructural evolution within the weld, i.e., fine recrystallized
grains, texture, precipitate dissolution and coarsening and residual stresses with
a magnitude much lower than that in traditional fusion welding.
 INTRODUCTION
• With the growth of aluminum within the welding fabrication industry, and its
acceptance as an excellent alternative to steel for many applications, there are
increasing requirements for those involved with developing aluminum projects to
become more familiar with this group of materials.
• Aluminum alloys can be categorized into a number of groups based on the
particular material’s characteristics such as its ability to respond to thermal and
mechanical treatment and the primary alloying element added to the aluminum
alloy.
• When we consider the numbering / identification system used for aluminum
alloys, the above characteristics are identified.
• The wrought and cast aluminums have different systems of identification. The
wrought system is a 4-digit system and the castings having a 3-digit and 1-
decimal place system
• Alloy Series Principal Alloying Element
• 1xxx 99.000% Minimum Aluminum
• 2xxx Copper
• 3xxx Manganese
• 4xxx Silicon
• 5xxx Magnesium
• 6xxx Magnesium and Silicon
• 7xxx Zinc
• 8xxx Other Elements
 OBJECTIVE
• Performing friction stir welding at Al and Cu plates
• Check process parameters involve in FSW process
Tool geometry
Welding parameters
Joint design
Rotational speed (rpm)
Welding speed (mm/s)
Axial force (KN)
• Gain the knowledge about mechanical properties of
different friction stir welding between dissimilar Aluminum
alloys to enhance their use in industries
 Methodology
• Analyze the bar material properties
• Prepare the weld specimen
• Conduct the experiment
• Characterize the welded joints
• Analyze the Tensile testing, Hardness Testing,
Macrostructure and Microstructure behavior of FSW
joint
• Result and Conclusion
 FRICTION STIR WELDING
• Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid state joining process that uses
frictional heat generated by a rotating tool to join materials.
• Fabricators are under increasing pressure to produce stronger and lighter
products whilst using less energy, less environmentally harmful materials,
at lower cost and more quickly than ever before.
• FSW, being a solid-state, low-energy-input, repeatable mechanical
process capable of producing very high-strength welds in a wide range of
materials, offers a potentially lower-cost, environmentally benign solution
to these challenges.
 PROCESS OVERVIEW
• FSW is a solid-state joining process that creates high-quality, high-
strength joints with low distortion and is capable of fabricating either butt
or lap joints, in a wide range of material thicknesses and lengths.
• In the process a rotating FSW tool is plunged between two clamped
plates. The frictional heat causes a plasticised zone to form around the
tool. The rotating tool moves along the joint line. A consolidated solid-
phase joint is formed.
• FSW being a solid-state process eliminates many of the defects
associated with fusion welding techniques such as shrinkage,
solidification cracking and porosity.
 MATERIAL SELECTION
• Al 6061
6061 is a precipitation-hardened aluminum alloy, containing magnesium
and silicon as its major alloying elements.
• Al 7075
High strength aluminum alloy AA7075 (Al-Zn-Mg-Cu) is a precipitate
hardened alloy, widely used in the aerospace, defense, marine and automobile
industries.
• Al 2219
Aluminum Alloy 2219 is a high strength alloy which combines good machinability
and good mechanical properties. Aluminum 2219 is typically used in a range of aerospace
applications such as high temperature structural applications including space booster and
fuel tanks.
 ADVANTAGES
• Good mechanical properties in the as-welded condition.
• Improved safety due to the absence of toxic fumes or the spatter of
molten material.
• Easily automated on simple milling machines — lower setup costs and
less training.
• Can operate in all positions (horizontal, vertical, etc.), as there is no weld
pool.
• Generally good weld appearance and minimal thickness under/over-
matching, thus reducing the need for expensive machining after welding.
• Can use thinner materials with same joint strength.
• Low environmental impact.
• General performance and cost benefits from switching from fusion to
friction
 APPLICATIONS
• Shipbuilding and Offshore
• Aerospace
• Automotive
• Railways
• Fabrication
• Robotics
• Personal Computers
 WORK PROGRESS IN NEXT
REVIEW
• To produce Al alloys composite material
• To check the variation of parameters in FSW process on this
specimen
Tool geometry
Welding parameters (rotation rate, traverse speed)
Joint design (butt and lap joints)
• Comparison with the other engineering materials on the basis of
mechanical properties.
 CONCLUSION
• FSW process is an eco-friendly solid state joining technique
compared to the conventional welding techniques.
• Friction Stir Welding is a promising process and has clear
advantages in terms of the mechanical properties of the welded
material. FSW has already found great applications in the
Aluminum industry.
• The qualities making the process attractive include reduced cost,
minimal repair requirement, good properties and total automation
leading to a high level of consistency.
• At the present time, FSW can compete with other welding
processes for quality of welds and performance. It should be noted
that FSW is still relatively new, and has been in commercial
production for less than 15 years. Nevertheless, progress has been
significant, and further improvements and developments can be
expected.