Numerical studies on controlling of process parameters in friction stir welding

A thermo-mechanical model is developed to predict the material deformations and temperature histories in the friction stir welding (FSW) process. Based on this model, the effects of the welding parameters on temperatures and material behaviors are investigated. Numerical results indicate that the maximum temperature in the FSW process can be increased with the increase of the rotating speed. The increase of the welding speed can lead to the obvious increase of the efficient input power for FSW system. The material particles on the top surface do not enter into the wake and just pile up at the border of the wake at the retreating side and this is the reason for the formation of the weld fash in FSW. Both the increase of the rotating speed and the decrease of the welding speed can lead to the increase of the stirring effect of the welding tool, which can improve the friction stir weld quality. But when the rotating speed is increased, the weld fash becomes more obvious. When the welding speed becomes higher, the rotating speed must be increased simultaneously to avoid any possible welding defects such as void. The simultaneous increase of the rotating and the translating speeds of the welding tool can lead to the increase of the residual stress.