A study to estimate the tensile strength of friction stir welded AA 5059 aluminium alloy joints

Friction stir welding (FSW) is an important welding technique where in, and optimizing the process parameters will improve the joint strength of the welds. The FSW process and tool parameters play a major role in determining the joint strength. In this paper, an attempt has been made to establish an empirical relationship between the FSW process parameters (rotational speed, welding speed, and axial force) and predicting the maximum tensile strength of the joint. Statistical tools such as design of experiments, analysis of variance, and regression analysis are used to develop the relationships. A non-heat treatable aluminum alloy Aluminium Association 5059 of 4 mm thickness was used as the base material. Response surface methodology is employed to develop the mathematical model. Analysis of variance technique is used to check the adequacy of the developed mathematical model. The developed mathematical model can be used effectively at 95 % confidence level. The effect of FSW process parameter on mechanical property of Aluminium Association 5059 aluminum alloy has also been analyzed in detail.