Effect of Welding Parameters on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Friction Stir Welded AA6061-T6 Joints

Abstract

Friction stir welding is a solid state joining process capable of joining similar and dissimilar materials, initially developed for joining of aluminium alloys. In the present work, the effect of friction stir welding parameters on the microstructure and mechanical properties of aluminium joints is studied. An attempt has been made to investigate the weldability of Al6061-T6 alloy using high speed steel tool in friction stir welding machine. Dye penetration test was carried out to test the joints against surface defects. The major focus of the study was to determine the influence of rotating and traverse speed on microstructure, hardness and tensile strength of the welded joints. It was observed that good correlation exists between the mechanical properties and welding speeds. The best quality welds were obtained at lower welding speed.