Comparative numerical analysis between butt and lap joints of Mg alloy friction stir welding with considering tilted tool effect

Magnesium (Mg) alloy, as an important lightweight structural metal, can be effectively joined by the friction stir welding (FSW) method. Understanding FSW temperature and material flow coupling process in butt and lap welding configurations has important theoretical significance. In this study, the tilted tool induced incomplete contact distance is calculated by process parameters and slip rate, and the deflection of the contact interface is related to the tool torque. The non-uniform boundary conditions are considered. The numerical model is proposed and experimentally validated by using the measured temperatures and thermo-mechanically affected zone (TMAZ) profiles. The comparative numerical analysis between butt and lap welding with three levels of process parameters is further conducted. The peak temperature and material flow velocity along the specified circumferences in FSBW are more than 10 K and 4 mm/s higher than these in FSLW, respectively. When the rotation rate increases from 600 rpm to 800 rpm, the peak temperature and material flow velocity along the specified circumferences increase about 20 K and 9 mm/s, respectively. When the welding speed decreases from 150 mm/ min to 30 mm/min, the temperature and material flow velocity fluctuations along the specified circumference decreases about 25 K and 14 mm/s, respectively.