Effect of Pin Profile and Process Parameters on the Properties of Friction Stir Welded Al-Mg Alloy

Abstract In Friction stir welding (FSW), weld quality is predominantly affected by welding process parameters. The welding parameters such as tool shoulder diameter, tool rotational speed, welding speed and axial force play a major role in deciding the joint strength. In present work, FSW have been carried out on the 6 mm thick Aluminum alloy plate. Friction stir welding parameters such as the tool rotational speed and the welding speed were investigated together with the different pin profiles; the results show that the straight square pin profile leads to better mechanical properties of welded specimens. The pin profiles used in this work were the straight square (SS), straight cylindrical (SC), and taper cylindrical (TC). It was found that the straight square pin profile improves the material flow behavior and the uniform distribution of plastic deformation and reduces the formation of macroscopic defects on the welded zone. Also, it was observed that the pin profile exhibits more influence on tensile strength followed by tool rotation speed and traverse speed