Temperature, force, and power in friction stir welding

摘要

In the friction stir welding (FSW) process, heat is generated by friction between the tool and the surface of the workpiece. The amount of heat conducted into the workpiece determines the quality of the weld, and the amount of heat generated in the tool determines the life of the tool. This paper describes an experiment in which a butt joint was made by FSW on two long strips of aluminum alloy 6061-T6, a heat-treatable aluminum alloy. The experiments were performed on a FSW machine designed by MTS and equipped with sensors and controllers for achieving vertical force control and/or displacement control and measurement of the vertical and horizontal forces, torques, and total power applied by the machine.