Experimental study on high-precision measurement of surface temperature in friction stir welding aluminium alloy 2219 based on infrared thermometry

In friction stir welding (FSW) of aluminium alloy 2219, the welding temperature critically influences the weld quality. Accurate measurement of the welding temperature is essential for effective welding process control. However, the conventional approach of non-contact infrared thermometry faces significant challenges in FSW due to the inherently low and variable emissivity of aluminium alloys, making it susceptible to environmental radiation interference. This paper proposes a novel, high-precision method for measuring the surface temperature of FSW aluminium alloy 2219 based on infrared thermometry principles. Initially, the study delves into these principles, analysing factors that affect the accuracy of infrared thermometry in the context of FSW in industrial settings. To enhance the surface emissivity of the weldments, a high-emissivity coating is applied to the aluminium alloy surface. Additionally, strategic adjustments in the positioning of the thermal imager and careful selection of the measuring area effectively mitigate interference from the FSW tool's radiation. Conventional methods report a temperature measurement error greater than 2%, while the proposed method reduces this error to 1.2%. The effectiveness and practical utility of the method are validated through FSW experiments on flat plates and rocket tank rings, corroborated by comparative analyses with surface thermocouple temperature measurements. This confirms the viability of the proposed method for high-precision temperature measurement in aluminium alloy FSW applications.