Numerical Parametric Analysis of Similar Joints in Friction Stir Welding of Aluminum Alloy 6061-T6

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid-state welding technique that exhibits a lower residual stress compared to fusion welding. This study focuses on FE modeling of the process for homogeneous aluminum alloy 6061, presenting uncoupled thermal and mechanical analyses. The thermal analysis utilized a DFLUX subroutine, providing a reasonable temperature distribution that was validated experimentally through temperature measurement by mean of thermocouples. The computed temperature field was then incorporated into the mechanical analysis. To evaluate the impact of welding parameters including advancing speed and rotational speed on maximum welding temperature and residual stresses, an experimental design using the response surface method via Minitab Statistical Software 22 was employed. Results indicate that at a constant rotational speed, temperature and residual stress decrease at a constant advancing speed temperature by increasing the advancing speed while residual stress increases by increasing rotational speed.