Impact of Friction Stir Welding (FSW) Process Parameters on Thermal Modeling and Heat Generation of Aluminum Alloy Joints

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid-state joining process, where joint properties largely depend on the amount of heat generation during the welding process. The objective of this paper was to develop a numerical thermomechanical model for FSW of aluminum–copper alloy AA2219 and analyze heat generation during the welding process. The thermomechanical model has been developed utilizing ANSYS® APDL. The model was verified by comparing simulated temperature profile of three different weld schedules (i.e., different combinations of weld parameters in real weld situations) from simulation with experimental results. Furthermore, the verified model was used to analyze the effect of different weld parameters on heat generation. Among all the weld parameters, the effect of rotational speed on heat generation is the highest.