Effect of Friction Stir Welding Processing Parameters on the Mechanical Properties of AA1050 Aluminum Alloy

Abstract

Friction stir welding (FSW) is gaining popularity in aluminum alloy joining due to its numerous advantages, such as creating high-quality joints with minimal heat input. This study examined the impact of different processing parameters, such as rotational and traverse speeds, on joints' quality and mechanical properties created through the FSW of AA1050 aluminum alloy. Various experiments were conducted to weld AA1050 aluminum alloy to investigate this, varying the rotational speeds (450-900 rpm) and traverse speeds (14-40 mm/min). The findings indicated that higher rotational speeds were associated with diminished joint quality, as indicated by heightened levels of porosity and the formation of intermetallic compounds. Moreover, an augmentation in traverse speed led to elevated tensile strength and hardness levels. The study determined that the processing parameters substantially impact the quality and mechanical properties of joints created through friction stir welding of AA1050 aluminum alloy. The study suggests that superior joints with favorable mechanical properties can be achieved by utilizing an intermediate rotational speed of 900 rpm and a traverse speed of 20 mm/min