Parametric Optimization of Friction Stir Welding of Al-Mg-Si Alloy: A Case Study

Nasir Khan; Sandeep Rathee; Manu Srivastava

Nasir Khan Department of Mechanical Engineering, Amity School of Engineering and Technology, Amity University Madhya Pradesh, India
Sandeep Rathee Department of Mechanical Engineering, Amity School of Engineering and Technology, Amity University Madhya Pradesh, India
Manu Srivastava Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing, Jabalpur (IIITDM Jabalpur) Department of Mechanical Engineering, Manav Rachna International Institute of Research & Studies, Faridabad, India

Abstract

Al-Mg-Si alloys have wide applications in industries such as aerospace, marine, automobile, construction, and so on. In this work, newly developed friction stir
welding (FSW) was utilized for the joining of AA6082-T6 alloy.The effect of major FSW process variables like rotational speed, traverse speed, and shoulder diameter of the tool is studied over microstructural and mechanical characteristics of friction stir welded (FSWed) joints. Experimental design was done using Taguchi method (L9 orthogonal array). Three factors viz. rotational speed, welding speed, and diameter of the tool shoulder were taken at three levels each. Mathematical modelling was developed in order to optimize the tensile strength of weld joints. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was utilized to determine the percentage contribution of input variables. The results of the present study exhibit that shoulder diameter, rotation, and welding speed of the tool affect significantly the mechanical strength of FSWed joints.