Investigation on Different Type of Defects, Temperature Variation and Mechanical Properties of Friction Stir Welded Lap joint of Aluminum Alloy 6101-T6

Abstract

This paper is focused on the effect of friction stir welding parameters i.e. traverse speed and rotational speed on the quality of the weld. The defects formation such as tunneling defect, kissing defect and interface lifting defect arises due to these parameters were investigated. The experiment was performed on the vertical milling machine with a threaded probe tool designed according to the machine. The samples were welded at different rotational and traverse speeds and different type of defects was analyzed. Three levels of parameters have been chosen were 355 rpm, 500 rpm, 710 rpm and 16mm/min, 25mm/min, 40mm/min rotational speeds and traverse speeds respectively The weld morphology was analyzed using optical microscopy and field effect scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The effect of heat due to temperature distribution was also studied. Two plates of same material i.e. Aluminum alloy AA6101-T6 having different thickness of 3mm and 5mm respectively were selected for this experimental study. The tensile shear test was performed to find the type and cause of failure during the test. The composition of material after and before the welding was compared using the Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis.