Effect of pre-heating on the mechanical properties of friction stir welding for 6061 aluminum alloy

Abstract EN

Friction stir welding (FSW) process is a solid-state joining invented via the Welding Institute in 1991 at a great rate emerging as an application by fusion welding for joining different alloys.

The wrought aluminum alloy 6061 is heat treatable and possesses a high corrosion resistance.

This alloy has been used in a wide range of applications, like arenas gymnasiums and trains bodies.

Aluminum alloy 6061 cannot be easily welded by the conventional fusion welding process because of the cracks that make the mechanical of welding joint very weak.

In FSW, many parameters effect on its welding process.

In the present research, the pre-heating effect on the aluminum 6061 sheet at 100°C and 150°C was studied.

This heat has to be given for obtaining a defect-free as well as quality joint.

Result manifested that the welding without pre-heating the parent metal at a (1120 r.p.m) rotational speed and a (30 mm/min) welding speed gave the best result of the ultimate tensile strength (236 N/mm2).