Effects of tool rotation and welding speeds on toughness and tensile strength of AA6060 welded by FSW

Abstract

Friction Stir Welding (FSW) stands out as an innovative and demanding solidstate welding method gaining traction in modern fabrication. This paper explores the welding of an aluminium siliconemagnesium alloy using FSW technique with a use of a robot, by utilizing welding speeds of 160 to 250 mm/min. Variation of the tool's rotary and welding speed was conducted to determine the optimal parameters for achieving desirable macro and mechanical properties, including tensile strength and impact energy. It was shown that higher tensile properties and lower impact energies are obtained with lower tool rotation speeds, which can be related to a lower heat input. The highest weld efficiency obtained was 91 %, proving that a relatively effective replacement of precipitation hardening with strain hardening occurred in the welding process.