Monitoring of the friction stir welding process: A preliminary study

Friction stir welding (FSW) has received great response in both academia and industry. Extensive research has been carried out to investigate the feasibility of the FSW process for different alloys and configurations. However, the growing demand for sustainable and cost-effective manufacturing, coupled with the pursuit of high-quality products, has led to the need for continuous monitoring of the manufacturing process and machine health. Therefore, the development of robust monitoring methods to assess the condition of the welding during the process becomes crucial for sustaining high production efficiency and ensuring quality standards. In this context, this study aims to provide methods for properly monitoring each phase characterizing the FSW process. Power consumption, vibrations, and temperatures were measured and evaluated in dissimilar friction stir lap welding of aluminum alloys.