Experimental investigation and Optimization of friction stir welded Aa5083 aluminium alloy

Abstract

Aluminium alloys are widely used materials in terms of usage in demanding applications in varied industrial sectors ranging from automotive, railways, electronics, ship building, construction and in aeronautical component production. They are immensely favorable in modern applications owing to their unique advantage in strength to weight ratio, excellent tensile performance and hard-wearing, corrosion resistance. Their superior stiffness levels and tribological properties are also an added bonus. Many types of aluminium alloys are available ranging from 1xxx to 8xxx series depending upon their compositions. Each series of aluminium alloys possess unique properties and there are even many alloys within that series that have contrasting properties. Furthermore, there are different variants of same alloys that differ by their tempering method. In a nutshell, aluminium alloys exist in different variants with each offering its own value proposition against the desired performance. The chief consideration in utilization of aluminium alloys in various industrial purposes is to identify the suitable joining process during fabrication of aluminium alloys. Conventional welding techniques can be effectively used in joining of aluminium alloys such as gas metal arc welding and gas tungsten arc welding. Although these welding techniques are the mainstay in welding technologies, modern welding techniques have extended at a faster rate and they possess principal advantages over these techniques. Modern welding techniques involve solid state welding processes such as Friction stir welding, Ultrasonic welding, Diffusion welding, Forge welding and Seam welding. These welding techniques unlike the conventional methods do not involve fusion welding process and they do not form weld pool. They use other means of joining the materials together; as in the case of friction stir welding, the materials are joined together by frictional heat newline newline newline