Abstract
Friction stir welding is an environmentally friendly process of joining due to the nonusage of flux, or any shield gas, and it does not produce any harmful gases when compared to the joining process of fusion. Therefore, this article proposes an experimental investigation and optimization technique for studying the process of FSW on nylon 6A or polycaprolactam polymer composite plates. Specifically, the influence of input operating process parameters such as tool rotational speed (TRS), feed rate, and pitch values on the output response parameters like ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and hardness of welded joints is examined. In addition, L27 orthogonal array of Taguchi approach is employed for the optimization of design experiments of FSW parameters. The experimental setup is carried out with various process parameter combinations like 500 rpm, 1000 rpm, and 1500 rpm as TRS, and 30 mm, 40 mm, and 50 mm as feed rate by varying the pitch values as 1 mm, 2 mm, and 3 mm. Further, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) is also employed for finding the significant parameters of input process using the regression analysis equations. Finally, microstructural analysis is used to assess the mixing or dispersing uniformity of composites effectively.
Highlights
For improving production efficiency and reducing the costs with lower environmental effect in electronic, automobile, and aerospace devices, the benefits of good corrosion resistance, high specific strength, processing ability, and excellent design freedom have the potential in polymers and polymer matrix composites (PMCs) [1, 2]. e joining technology of welding techniques like adhesive bonding and mechanical fastening is required for the large and complex parts fabrication [3]
E welding process is the best joining technique that includes different kinds, such as electric resistance welding, linear vibration welding, hot plate welding, FSW, and ultrasonic welding, etc. [3]. ree different processes are included in these welding techniques: (a) a layer of molten material formation to be joined on the surfaces, (b) upsetting forms the bonding, and (c) the stage pressure and molten material cools should be maintained for preventing the forming of voids within the weld zone [4]
It is essential to choose the processing parameters for the variance analysis (ANOVA). e agglomeration of the reinforcing particles and induced voids and channels were caused by the low temperature and higher levels of tool traverse speed and faction of volume in the microscopic analysis that leads to the reduction of impact strength and the formed composite hardness. e FSW techniques for aluminum alloy sheets for joining different types of thermoplastics with and without fibers are addressed in [24], where an experimental research work is recommended to get insight into the welding parameters’ effects on the hybrid joints’ efficiency in terms of tensile shear strength
Summary
Erefore, this article proposes an experimental investigation and optimization technique for studying the process of FSW on nylon 6A or polycaprolactam polymer composite plates. The influence of input operating process parameters such as tool rotational speed (TRS), feed rate, and pitch values on the output response parameters like ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and hardness of welded joints is examined. L27 orthogonal array of Taguchi approach is employed for the optimization of design experiments of FSW parameters. E experimental setup is carried out with various process parameter combinations like 500 rpm, 1000 rpm, and 1500 rpm as TRS, and 30 mm, 40 mm, and 50 mm as feed rate by varying the pitch values as 1 mm, 2 mm, and 3 mm. Microstructural analysis is used to assess the mixing or dispersing uniformity of composites effectively
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