Experimental Investigations on Characteristics and Welding Forces in Friction Stir Welding of AA 6061-T6 Aluminum Alloy

摘要

Friction stir welding (FSW) technology requires a meticulous understanding of the process and consequent mechanical properties of the welds in order to be used in the production of high performance components. This paper deals with an experimental campaign aimed at the evaluation of the mechanical properties of AA6061-T6 friction stir welded joints. The joints are obtained by varying the welding parameters, namely, tool rotating speed and feed rate. The non-threaded tool is made of hot work die steel H13. The quality of the joints is evaluated in terms of both hardness and tensile strength. Moreover, for going a step further to study and control welding heat input in FSW process, a piezoelectric load cell is installed between the fixture table and the machine tool workbench in order to measure the welding forces in different directions.