Investigation of Welding Forces and Weld Strength for Friction Stir Welding of Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) Plates

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the applicability of the friction stir welding technology to acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) type polymer and the effect of welding parameters on the force values and weld strength during he-welding. The tests were carried out on 4 mm thick ABS sheets using a conventional mould design. The input parameters (speed – n, feed rate – vf ) were varied in 3-3 steps and a complete set of experiments was performed. From the force measurements, it was concluded that the force values in the feed direction (Fy) and axial direction (Fz) are the dominant force values during welding. The force components decrease with increasing speed and n/vf ratio, while they increase with increasing feed rate. The tensile strength of the weld improves with increasing speed and n/vf ratio, while they deteriorate with increasing feed rate. The best weld strength (10.69 MPa) was measured at 1000 rpm and 50 mm/min feed rate.