Axial and travel forces during friction stir welding of aluminum AA6063

Abstract

A fixture too measure axial and travel forces during friction stir welding (FSW) was developed.FSW parameters viz. tool rotations, welding speed. pin diameter and shoulder diameter were systematically varied to understand their effect of process forces. These parameters were observed to significantly affect the forces generated during FSW. Axial force was primarily dependent on tool shoulder diameter whereas welding speed significantly affected travel force. Sufficient axial force was necessary to avoid defect formation during friction stir welding.