Research of Heat Power in Friction Stir Spot Welding

Abstract

Nowadays the most perspective, high-tech and productive process is friction stir spot welding. The most important part of this technology is to determine the temperature of the material in the stir zone. This parameter is easily counted by the amount of the heat input, put in the welding zone. We made experimental researches about the relation of the heat power, therotation speed and the diameter of the working tool. For that purpose an experimental scheme was chosen, which models a welding material (aluminum alloy AMg5) as an experimental tube 20 mm in diameter. The tool (shear steel P6M5) is modeled as a working plate. Measurements of the frictional moments depending on the rotation speed of the experimental working tube during the constant temperature are made on the prepared stand. By the experimental data the specific heat input and the heat power were counted on every concentric ring, 2 mm in width, in the end of the working tool, 20 mm in diameter. Also, the sum of the heat power for the whole tool during various rotation speed terms was counted too. On the stand throughout the experiment were determined all the thermal conductivity heat losses along the rod, which the experimental tube was pinned on, all the working plate heat losses through the gasket towards the working desk and the convection from the surface of the rotating experimental tube to the environment. According the data, any of these losses is from 3 to 10 percent. This is shown in the heat input counting.