Evaluation of dissimilar joints properties of 5083-H12 and 6061-T6 aluminum alloys produced by tungsten inert gas and friction stir welding

In the present study, friction stir welding (FSW) and tungsten inert gas (TIG) techniques were used to join the dissimilar aluminum alloys of 5083-H12 and 6061-T6. The laboratory tests were designed using design of experiment (DOE) method. Variables for the FSW process were the rotational speed, traverse speed, shoulder diameter, and pin diameter. They changed in ranges of 700-2500r/min, 25-400mm/min, 10-14mm, and 2-4mm, respectively. In the case of TIG process, the variables were current intensity, traverse speed, and tilt angle. These parameters varied from 80 to 90A, 200 to 400mm/min, and 3 degrees to 12 degrees, respectively. The optimum amounts of parameters were obtained using response surface methodology (RSM). The RSM-based model was developed to predict ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the welds produced. In FSW, the difference between predicted and measured UTS was about 1.28% and in TIG it was 1.78%. The good agreement between experimental and predicted results indicates the high accuracy of the developed model. Mechanical properties and also the microstructure of the welds were compared after optimizing both welding processes using RSM. The results showed that the welds produced by FSW indicated a considerably higher quality and also improved mechanical properties compared to TIG. Properties of the joints obtained by FSW in single-sided joints were more desirable. In the double-sided welds obtained by FSW these differences were of an even higher significance.