Mechanical behavior of AA5083/AA6061 friction stir welds using modal analysis

Solid-state joining is used for welding similar or dissimilar materials due to its many advantages like avoiding fusion and formation of a thick intermetallic layer, etc. Determination of the right process parameters (feed rate and rotation speed) and tool geometry (shoulder and pin) is of critical importance in friction stir welding in order to achieve adequate weld quality. The experiments were performed using three process parameters: feed rate (mm min(-1)), rotation speed (rpm) and pin geometry for friction stir welding of Al5083 and Al6061. Eighteen experiments were performed with different process parameters and mechanical tests (microhardness and tensile measurements) have been carried out to determine the weld quality. Results showed that the best results of ultimate strength (198.5 MPa) were achieved by the triangle pin geometry, 1250 rpm rotation speed and 100 mm min(-1) feed rate. Similar results were observed in microhardness tests. Effects of tool geometry, feed rate, and rotation speed on the vibration properties and weld quality are also investigated experimentally. The effects of the FSW parameters used were assessed using vibration analysis.