Study of effect of process parameters in friction stir welding

of 5083 Al alloy on power input and micro hardness contours in

weld cross-sections

Thesis submitted in the Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Award of the degree of


Master of Technology
in
Manufacturing Science and Engineering
By

Mahesh Patil
Roll No. 10ME61R09

Under the supervision of

Prof. Vikranth Racherla Prof. S.K.Pal
Department of Mechanical Engineering Department of Mechanical Engineering
IIT Kharagpur IIT Kharagpur
.







Department of Mechanical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
Kharagpur 721302



INDEX
Abstract 1
1.0 Introduction .1
2.0 Literature Review.8
3.0 Objective..10
4.0 Experimental Procedure..11
4.1 Experimental Set-up14
4.2 Post weld Processing and Sample Preparation..19
5.0 Results and Discussion...21
6.0 Conclusion .42
7.0 Future Scope...43
References..44







India



This is to certify that the project titled
friction stir welding of 5083 Al alloy on power input and
weld cross-sections is a bona fide record of the work carried out by
Roll No. 10ME61R09, under my supervision and guidance for the partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology
Engineering specialization
Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.





Date:
Place: Kharagpur



Dr. Vikranth Racherla
Assistant Professor, Associate Professor,
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology
Kharagpur, India. Kharagpur, India.







Department Mechanical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology
Kharagpur-721302
CERTIFICATE

certify that the project titled Study of effect of process parameters in
friction stir welding of 5083 Al alloy on power input and micro har
is a bona fide record of the work carried out by Mr.
, under my supervision and guidance for the partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology in Manufacturing Science and
Engineering specialization during the academic session 2010-2012 in the Department of
Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.


Dr. Vikranth Racherla Dr. S.K.Pal
Assistant Professor, Associate Professor,
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering
ndian Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of Technology
Kharagpur, India. Kharagpur, India.
Department Mechanical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology

Study of effect of process parameters in
micro hardness contours in
Mr. Mahesh Patil,
, under my supervision and guidance for the partial fulfillment of
in Manufacturing Science and
in the Department of
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Indian Institute of Technology,







CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that we have examined the thesis entitled
parameters in friction stir welding of 5083 Al alloy on power input and micro
hardness contours in weld cross
10ME61R09, a postgraduate student of Mechanical Engineering Department with
specialization Manufactur
approval of it as study carried out and presented in a manner required for i
partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology in
Manufacturing Science and Engineering specialization for which it has submitted. This
approval does not necessarily endorse or accept any statement made, opi
conclusion drawn as recorded in this thesis. It only signifies the acceptance of the thesis
for which it is submitted.


Examiners:



ii
Department Mechanical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology
Kharagpur-721302
CERTIFICATE OF EXAMINATION

This is to certify that we have examined the thesis entitled Study of effect of process
parameters in friction stir welding of 5083 Al alloy on power input and micro
ness contours in weld cross-sections submitted by Mr. Mahesh Patil, Roll No.
, a postgraduate student of Mechanical Engineering Department with
specialization Manufacturing Science and Engineering (ME1). We hereby accord our
approval of it as study carried out and presented in a manner required for i
partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology in
Manufacturing Science and Engineering specialization for which it has submitted. This
approval does not necessarily endorse or accept any statement made, opi
conclusion drawn as recorded in this thesis. It only signifies the acceptance of the thesis

Supervisor




Department Mechanical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology
721302
Study of effect of process
parameters in friction stir welding of 5083 Al alloy on power input and micro
Mahesh Patil, Roll No.
, a postgraduate student of Mechanical Engineering Department with
1). We hereby accord our
approval of it as study carried out and presented in a manner required for its acceptance in
partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology in
Manufacturing Science and Engineering specialization for which it has submitted. This
approval does not necessarily endorse or accept any statement made, opinion expressed or
conclusion drawn as recorded in this thesis. It only signifies the acceptance of the thesis
Supervisors:
iii

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I would like to express my profound sense of gratitude to my supervisor, respected Prof.
Vikranth Racherla and Prof. S.K.Pal of Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT
Kharagpur for providing me the opportunity to work under their invaluable guidance and
constant encouragement, which helped me to bring present work to this level. Their
cooperation, experience and deep insight into the subject have not only improved my
vision in this field but quality of this work also.
I take this opportunity to express my heart-felt thanks to my friend Mr. Ravindra Thube
for his kind help at required moments during this course of work.
Last but not the least, I am grateful to the Mechanical Engineering Department of IIT
Kharagpur for extending the required facilities for carrying out the experimental work and
providing stress free environment for the project work.





Mahesh Patil




1

Abstract:
5083 aluminum alloy plates with 5 mm thickness were friction stir welded with taper
cylindrical and square pin tool with varying shoulder diameters and with different welding
parameters (weld speed and rotational speed). In total six different tools were used with
varying shoulder diameters and pin geometries. The effect of tool geometry and process
parameters on power consumption during the process and on the microhardness contours on
weld cross-section was investigated. Taguchi design of experiment approach was used to plan
the experiments. The average surface temperature in heat affected zone and power input
during process were measured as a function of time during welding process using handheld
infrared thermometer and power sensor respectively. Optical macrographs and micro
hardness contours for the weld cross-sections are also found out post welding.

1.0 Introduction:
Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid-state welding method developed by The Welding
Institute (TWI) in 1991
[1]
. It is a process that, although in its development stage, has been
successfully used to join dissimilar metals as well as weld with poor weldability, e.g. high
strength aluminium alloys. The weld is formed by the deformation of the material at
temperatures below the melting point. There is no melting of the material, that means at no
point of time during welding the material is in liquid state, hence its called solid state joining
process. FSW has several advantages over the commonly used fusion welding techniques
[3]
.
FSW is perhaps the most remarkable and potentially useful welding technique. However,
during FSW process using inappropriate welding parameters can cause defects in the joint
and deteriorate the properties of the FSW joints. But FSW cannot prevent the joints from
softening; investigations by various researchers have shown that the precipitates coarsen in
the heat affected zone while those in weld nugget zone are partially dissolved
[3]
.

Advantages of the Friction Stir Welding Process over Conventional Welding:
The process uses a non-consumable tool
Doesnt need filler wire or filler rod
In many cases, gas shielding is not needed.
The welding takes place in solid phase, below the melting point, thus improving the
quality of the weld
The weld has very low distortion, almost no porosity and very good mechanical
properties.
2

Excellent metallurgical properties, fine microstructure
Absence of cracks in the weld zone, high penetration depths, reduced energy
requirements.
However, despite its great use in industry, the mechanisms that govern the process are not yet
known in full detail
[2]
. The process has been used for manufacture of butt welds, overlap
welds, T-sections and corner welds. It is also used for applications where the original metal
characteristics must remain unchanged as far as possible. Friction stir welding has a wide
application potential in ship building, aerospace, automobile and other manufacturing
industries
[2]
. The developments in friction stir welding of Al and Mg alloys will make the
production of lightweight transport system possible, thus considerable reductions in fuel
consumption could be achieved.

Principle of Operation:
The Friction Stir Welding of butt joints is obtained inserting a rotating tool (which is not
consumed during the process) with a specially profiled threaded / unthreaded pin and
shoulder into the adjoining edges of the sheets to be welded and then moving it all along the
weld line. The rotating tool is characterized by a pin end and a shoulder that generates the
heating of the material beneath the materials melting point. The tool plunges into the two
pieces of sheet or plate material and through frictional heat it locally plasticize the joint
region. The tool then allowed to stir the joint surface along the joining direction. During
tool plunge, the rotating tool undergoes only rotational motion at only one place till the
shoulder touches the surface of the work material; this is called the dwelling period of the
tool. During this stage of tool plunge it produces lateral force orthogonal to welding or
joining direction.
Due to the advancing and rotating effect of the pin and shoulder of the tool along the
seam, an advancing side and a retreating side are formed and the softened and heated material
flows around the pin to its backside where the material is consolidated to create a high
quality, solid-state weld. After the dwell period the tool traverse along the joining direction,
the forward motion of the tool produces force parallel to the direction of travel known as
traverse force. After the successful weld, the tool reaches to termination phase where it is
withdrawn from the workpiece. A schematic representation of the process is shown in figure
below.

3



Fig. 1 Principle of operation
[21]

Process Parameters in Friction Stir Welding:
The important friction stir welding parameters include travel speed (v, mm/min), rotation
speed (n, rpm), shoulder target depth (t, mm), spindle tilt angle, plate or work-piece thickness
(h, mm) and clamping condition of the fixture on the work-piece.

Tool Rotational Speed and Travel Speed:
These two parameters have considerable importance and must be chosen with care to ensure a
successful and efficient welding cycle. The relationship between the welding speeds and the
heat input during welding is complex but, in general, it can be said that increasing the rotation
speed or decreasing the traverse speed will result in a hotter weld. In order to produce a
successful weld it is necessary that the material surrounding the tool is hot enough to enable
the extensive plastic flow required and minimize the forces acting on the tool. If the material
is too cold then voids or other flaws may be present in the stir zone and in extreme cases the
tool may break. Excessively high heat input, on the other hand may be detrimental to the final
properties of the weld. Theoretically, this could even result in defects due to the liquation of
low-melting-point phases (similar to liquation cracking in fusion welds). These competing
demands lead onto the concept of a "processing window": the range of processing parameters
viz. tool rotation and traverse speed that will produce a good quality weld. Within this
window the resulting weld will have a sufficiently high heat input to ensure adequate material
plasticity but not so high that the weld properties are excessively deteriorated.

Tool Tilt and Plunge Depth:
The plunge depth is defined as the depth of the lowest point of the shoulder below the surface
of the welded plate and has been found to be a critical parameter for ensuring weld quality.
Plunging the shoulder below the plate surface increases the pressure below the tool and helps
ensure adequate forging of the material at the rear of the tool. Tilting the tool by 2
such that the rear of the tool is lower than the front, has been found to assist this forg
process.
Fig. 2 Figure showing the plunge depth and tilt of the tool
Fig. 3 Inclined plunger at an angle

The plunge depth needs to be correctly set, both to ensure the necessary downward
is achieved and to ensure that the tool fully penetrates the weld. Given the high loads required
the welding machine may deflect and so reduce the plunge depth compared to the nominal
setting, which may result in flaws in the weld. On the other ha
may result in the pin rubbing on the backing plate surface or a significant under match of the
weld thickness compared to the base material.
caused due to the insufficient pin le
tunnel defects are sometimes caused due to insufficient clamping pressure.

4
:
The plunge depth is defined as the depth of the lowest point of the shoulder below the surface
of the welded plate and has been found to be a critical parameter for ensuring weld quality.
w the plate surface increases the pressure below the tool and helps
ensure adequate forging of the material at the rear of the tool. Tilting the tool by 2
such that the rear of the tool is lower than the front, has been found to assist this forg

Figure showing the plunge depth and tilt of the tool

Inclined plunger at an angle to the surface of the work piece
The plunge depth needs to be correctly set, both to ensure the necessary downward
is achieved and to ensure that the tool fully penetrates the weld. Given the high loads required
the welding machine may deflect and so reduce the plunge depth compared to the nominal
setting, which may result in flaws in the weld. On the other hand an excessive plunge depth
may result in the pin rubbing on the backing plate surface or a significant under match of the
weld thickness compared to the base material. In addition to above defects root
caused due to the insufficient pin length compared to thickness of the plate. Also void and
tunnel defects are sometimes caused due to insufficient clamping pressure.
The plunge depth is defined as the depth of the lowest point of the shoulder below the surface
of the welded plate and has been found to be a critical parameter for ensuring weld quality.
w the plate surface increases the pressure below the tool and helps
ensure adequate forging of the material at the rear of the tool. Tilting the tool by 2-4 degrees,
such that the rear of the tool is lower than the front, has been found to assist this forging
Figure showing the plunge depth and tilt of the tool
[22]
.

surface of the work piece
[21]

The plunge depth needs to be correctly set, both to ensure the necessary downward pressure
is achieved and to ensure that the tool fully penetrates the weld. Given the high loads required
the welding machine may deflect and so reduce the plunge depth compared to the nominal
nd an excessive plunge depth
may result in the pin rubbing on the backing plate surface or a significant under match of the
n addition to above defects root-flaw defect is
ngth compared to thickness of the plate. Also void and
tunnel defects are sometimes caused due to insufficient clamping pressure.
5

Micro Structural Features:
The joint of FSW can be divided into four zones, the stirred zone (SZ), the thermo-
mechanically affected zone (TMAZ), the heat affected zone (HAZ) and the base material
(BM). The simultaneously rotational and translational motions of the welding tool create an
asymmetry between the two sides of the joint. On one side, where the two motions of the
welding tool are on the same direction, this side can be called advancing side (AS). But on
the other side, the directions of the two motions are opposite and it can be called the
retreating side (RS). The shape of the weld zone may depend on the welding parameters,
configuration of the tool and thermal conductivity of the material.


Fig. 4 Optical macrograph showing different zones of 2219-T6 FSW butt-joint (a),
including base material (b), HAZ (c), TMAZ (d) and WNZ (e)
[9]

6

The stir zone (also nugget, dynamically recrystallized zone) is a region of heavily
deformed material that roughly corresponds to the location of the pin during welding. The
grains within the stir zone are roughly equiaxed and often an order of magnitude smaller than
the grains in the parent material. A unique feature of the stir zone is the common occurrence
of several concentric rings which has been referred to as an "onion-ring" structure. The
precise origin of these rings has not been firmly established, although variations in particle
number density, grain size and texture have all been suggested
[9]
.
The thermo-mechanically affected zone (TMAZ) occurs on either side of the stir zone.
In this region the strain and temperature are lower and the effect of welding on the
microstructure is correspondingly smaller. Unlike the stir zone the microstructure is
recognizably that of the parent material, albeit significantly deformed and rotated. The heat-
affected zone (HAZ) is common to all welding processes. As indicated by the name, this
region is subjected to a thermal cycle but is not deformed during welding. The temperatures
are lower than those in the TMAZ but may still have a significant effect if the microstructure
is thermally unstable.

Defects in Friction Stir Welding:
There are no large-scale or obvious liquid state exists within friction stir welds during the
whole thermal history. In friction stir welding or processing, the behavior of material flow or
mixing does not occur at the atomic level. Especially in the case of dissimilar alloy FSW,
striations of the two alloys (i.e., diffusion micro-couples) are often observed [6]. In addition,
the mass transfer or viscoplastic material-flow migration during FSW is asymmetrical
between the retreating side (RS) and the advancing side (AS) of friction stir weld. On the
condition that process parameters from the FSW machine are constant, the material migration
behavior along the work-piece thickness direction, which is also paralleling to tool Z-axis,
largely depends on the geometric design of the stirred tool-pin. The plastic deformed
material-flow behavior has close relations with FSW processing parameters. If FSW is not
carried out under appropriate processing conditions, various visible or potential defects will
form in the weld nugget zone (WNZ), the thermo-mechanically affected zone (TMAZ), or
sometimes at the WNZ/TMAZ interface. The FSW weld-defect types, such as tunnel, void,
porosity, defective tightness, surface groove, excessive flash, Z-curve, kissing-bond and
crack-like root-flaw, are quite different from conventional fusion welding flaws
[9]
. Various
researchers have explained that how a set of primary FSW process parameters including tool
7

rotation speed, travel speed, spindle tilt angle, shoulder target depth, forged force and pin
screw pitch contributes to the formation of defects within thin friction stir welds
[9]
.
The solid-state nature of FSW immediately leads to several advantages over fusion
welding methods since any problems associated with cooling from the liquid phase are
immediately avoided
[9]
. Issues such as porosity, solute redistribution, solidification cracking
and liquation cracking are not an issue during FSW. FSW is associated with a number of
unique defects. Insufficient weld temperatures, due to low rotational speeds or high traverse
speeds, for example, mean that the weld material is unable to accommodate the extensive
deformation during welding. This may result in long, tunnel-like defects running along the
weld which may occur on the surface or subsurface. Low temperatures may also limit the
forging action of the tool and so reduce the continuity of the bond between materials from
each side of the weld
[9]
. The light contact between materials has given rise to the name
"kissing-bond". This defect is particularly worrying since it is very difficult to detect using
non-destructive methods such as X-ray or ultrasonic testing. If the pin is not long enough or
the tool rises out of the plate then the interface at the bottom of the weld may not be disrupted
and forged by the tool, resulting in a lack-of-penetration defect. This is essentially a notch in
the material which can be a potent source of fatigue cracks
[7]
.
If FSW is not carried out under appropriate processing conditions, various visible or
potential defects will form in the weld nugget zone (WNZ), the thermo-mechanically affected
zone (TMAZ), or sometimes at the WNZ/TMAZ interface. The formation of tunnel defects is
caused by inadequate material stirring or mixing. The material flow direction on the
horizontal plane is firstly from the advancing side to the retreating side of friction stir welds,
and then around tool rotation. During the process of tool moving ahead, the plastic material
around tool pin transfers layer by layer and a cavity will remain besides the pin due to
unconsumed volume of the plunged pin. The restriction to the material flow from retreating
side to fill the cavity on advancing side depends on the width of the plasticized material
around the pin and the volume of material transferred per rotation
[9]
. Under the exaggerated
pressure of tool-shoulder, the large mass of flash is ejected to the outside. On the other hand,
the flash is due to the softening of the metal by the excess tool-shoulder frictional heat input
during the FSW. The defective tightness appears within top region of WNZ. Due to
inadequate shoulder pressure, the heat input and the plastic material flow under tool-shoulder
are both insufficient. Poor material flow ability and material loss to the excessive flash are
both the direct causes for the defective tightness formation within shoulder-affected region in
FSW joints
[9]
.
8

For the welds bonded by thick plates, the shoulder frictional heat source cannot equably
transfers to the middle part and the bottom region at thickness direction. In the lower part of
thick welds, the heat input is in direct proportion to the material deformation extent and
frictional heat. The heat beyond the shoulder-affected region is primarily generated by the
stirring pin and the deformed material around the pin
[9]
. Therefore, the less homogeneously
temperature distributes along the weld thickness direction, the less material plastic
deformation occurring around the pin during FSW for thick plates. If the work-piece material
at the pin/material interface is lack of heat source, porosity defect will presents. Furthermore,
larger voids will form without the fill of enough plastic deformed material.

Literature Review:
Various investigators studied post-FSW properties of 5083 aluminum alloy with a few studies
on other 5xxx series aluminum alloys. The 5083 alloys are strengthened with magnesium
additions from 4% to 5 % and are non-heat-treatable, work hardened alloys. Thus 5083
aluminum alloys would be expected to behave differently than the heat treatable alloys
following a thermal cycle associated with welding. Post-FSW hardness has been reported by
a number of investigators.
Karlsson et al. (1999) and Kumagai et al. (1999) report uniform microhardness across
the weld zone. Karlsson et al. reported that for annealed 5083-0 Al (4 to 4.9wt% Mg), a
horizontal line at 75 Hv was reported with no variation in hardness across the nugget zone
and the heat affected zone
[11]
. Vural et al. (2007) investigated FSW of EN AW 2024-0 and
EN AW 5754-H22 aluminum alloys. It was found that these two aluminium alloys can be
friction stir welded if the welding parameters are carefully selected. For EN AW 2024-O,
there is an increase in hardness in the weld nugget zone of around 10-40 Hv in the weld
nugget zone. Recrystallization in WNZ leading to formation of smaller grains is believed to
be responsible for the observed increase in hardness. For EN AW 5754-H22 there is a
decrease of hardness in the weld nugget zone because of loss of work hardening
[1]
.
Sato at al. (2001) too reported uniform hardness across the weld zones in Al 5083-0.
However, there was significant scatter in the data. The microhardness value varied from 60 to
80 Hv. This is the expected response from a fully annealed work hardenable alloy
[5]
.
Kumagai et al. (1999) show a slight increase in hardness across the weld nugget compared to
the HAZ for a hardened 5083-H112, but the increase is less than 6 %. This small hardness
increase may be due to the very fine grains created by FSW
[12]
.
9

Colligan et al. (2001) investigated 5083 hardened to the H131 temper and illustrated the
change in hardness in a 25mm thick friction stir weld from the crown to the root. The results
show a modest ~20 % decrease in hardness (from 100 Hv in HAZ to 80 Hv in nugget zone)
for weld nugget
[13]
. In the work of Frankel et al. (1999) both fully annealed and the H34
temper were evaluated and show the same hardness trends as that for annealed and hardened
5083Al. Also in the same work, hardness was compared for FSW and GTAW 5454-H34 Al,
illustrating the broader HAZ associated with GTAW
[14]
.
The material properties data for friction stir welded 5083 Al are limited. In the work of
Kristensen et al. (2004) tensile properties of friction stir welded 5083-H111 Al was
investigated as a function of travel speed and rotational speed. All samples were tested in
transverse orientation. As is often the case, samples failed in the parent metal, and thus, no
significant strength loss could be attributed to FSW or the welding parameters evaluated
[15]
.
In 5456-H116, an alloy very close in composition to 5083, Pao et al. (2005) evaluated
properties in the longitudinal direction (parallel to weld direction). With this approach, Pao et
al. were able to evaluate properties in the different weld zones. It was observed that there is
decrease in the tensile strength in weld affected region compared to base material from
380MPa to 310 MPa
[16]
. James et al. (2003) studied the influence of tool travel speed on the
fatigue strength and occurrence of onion-skin partial forging defects in single pass friction
stir welds in 5083-H321 aluminium alloy and found that there is a decrease in endurance
limit stress (at 107 cycles) in both as-welded and polished specimens, as travel speed
increases from 80 to 200 mm/min. The decrease has a maximum value of about 11% for
polished and 19% for as-welded specimens. And Onion-skin forging-type defects (kissing
bonds) occur with a similar frequency at all welding speeds
[19]
.
Huang et al. (2011) studied the effect of micro-structural feature on the tensile
properties of friction stirred 5083 Alloy. During this study they carried out microhardness test
of the welded cross-section. Microstructural non-homogeneity of the 5083-FSP specimen can
be observed from the microhardness profiles along the cross section of the stirred specimen;
however, from the base metal to friction stirred zone, the microhardness profiles show a
slight difference and the values ranging between 80 Hv to 110 Hv, around 20-30 % variation
in values for SZ and base material
[20]
.




10

3.0 Objectives
Very few researchers have studied the effect of tool geometry and process parameters
on power consumption during FSW process. The studies that have been carried out on
other Al alloys (such as 2xxx, 6xxx, 7xxx series) do not explain the post weld
properties of 5083 Al alloy. One of the objectives here is to investigate the effect of
tool pin geometry and process parameters (weld speed and rotational speed) on FSW
of 5083 aluminum alloy plates with 5 mm thickness.
As 5083 Al alloy is strengthened with magnesium additions from1 to 5.5% and is a
non-heat treatable, work hardened alloy there should be little variation in hardness in
SZ and base metal because of FSW. The 5xxx aluminum alloys would be expected to
behave differently than the heat treatable 2xxx, 6xxx, and 7xxx alloys following a
thermal cycle associated with welding. This aspect is investigated using six different
tools with varying shoulder diameters for square and taper cylindrical tool pin
profiles.
The effect of tool geometry and process parameters on power consumption during the
process and on the microhardness contours on weld cross-section was investigated.
Taguchi design of experiment approach was used to plan the experiments. The
average surface temperature in heat affected zone was measured using handheld
Infrared thermometer and power input was measured using power sensor. Optical
macrographs and micro hardness contours for the weld cross-sections are found post
welding.












11

4.0 Experimental Procedure:
Selection of Orthogonal Array (OA):
In this study we have used Taguchi method of design of experiments. The number of
experiments increases with the increase of process parameters. To solve this complexity, the
Taguchi method uses a special design of orthogonal array to study the entire process
parameter space with a small number of experiments only
[4]
. Further, this technique
determines the most influential parameters in the overall performance. The optimum process
parameters obtained from the Taguchi method are insensitive to the variation in
environmental condition and other noise factors
[4]
.
Here for fixed pin geometry (ie. either taper cylindrical or square) there are three
process parameters namely shoulder diameter, weld speed and tool rotational speed at three
levels. Each of these process parameters has three levels as shown in the table below.

Shoulder Diameter (mm) Tool RPM Weld Speed (mm/min)
12, 18, 24 710, 1120, 1800 16, 31.5, 63

Table 1 Process parameters for square and taper cylindrical pin geometry

From the array selector for three process parameters and for three levels we get L
9
orthogonal
array as shown in table 3.1.2. Note that the table below is applicable to both taper cylindrical
pin tool as well as square pin tool. So in total there will be 18 experiments.

Run Order
Standard
Order
Shoulder
Diameter (mm)
Weld Speed
(mm/min)
Tool RPM
3 1 12 16 710
2 2 12 31.5 1120
8 3 12 63 1800
9 4 18 16 1120
1 5 18 31.5 1800
5 6 18 63 710
7 7 24 16 1800
4 8 24 31.5 710
6 9 24 63 1120

Table 2 Experiment table for taper cylindrical/square cross-section pin tool (L
9
array)


12

Welding Tools:
Tool Material:
The FSW tool used during this study was made of stainless steel SS316 material. The
chemical composition of the tool material is as shown in the table below.

Silicon
(Si)

Phosphorus
(P)

Manganese
(Mn)

Chromium
(Cr)

Nickel
(Ni)

Molybdenum
(Mo)

Iron
(Fe)

2.13 0.27 8.95 16.29 0.20 0.14 72.01

Table 3 Chemical composition (weight %) of the tool material (SS316)
[7]

Tool Geometry:
The present work uses six different tools, three of which have taper cylindrical pin and
remaining three have square cross-section pin. The tool pins are so designed that the swept
volume is same for all the six tools. The FSW tools used for the experiments are shown
below.

Fig. 5 Taper Cylindrical Pin Tools with 12, 18 and 24 mm shoulder diameters
13



Fig. 6 Square Pin Tools with 12, 18 and 24 mm shoulder diameters

Following table shows the total surface area of different tools in contact with plate materials,
swept volume, pin volume and ratio of swept volume to pin volume

Sr.
No
Tool Pin
Profile
Shoulder
Diameter
(mm)
Shoulder
Surface area
(mm
2
)
Total
surface area
(mm
2
)
Swept
Volume
(mm
3
)
Swept
Volume / Pin
Volume
1
Taper
Cylindrical
12 84.823 165.206 83.566 1
2 18 226.194 306.577
83.566
1
3 24 424.115 504.498
83.566
1
4
Square
12 100.494 172.736
83.143
1.57
5 18 241.866 314.108
83.143
1.57
6 24 439.786 512.028
83.143
1.57

Table 4 Surface area and swept volume data of tools

14

Work Material:
The 5083 Al is a non-heat-treatable aluminum alloy which contain substantial amount of
magnesium, which is a potent solid-solution strengthener
[6]
. The 5083 Al alloy is stronger
compared to the other non heat-treatable alloys. In addition to the solid solution strengthening
due to the magnesium content, the strength of 5083 alloy can be improved by strain
hardening. The only heat treatment applicable to non-heat-treatable alloys is an annealing
heat treatment. The processes that may occur during annealing of non heat-treatable alloys
include recovery, recrystallization and grain growth
[6]
. The chemical composition of 5083 Al
alloy (by % weight) is given in the below table.

Silicon
(Si)

Iron
(Fe)

Manganese
(Mn)

Magnesium
(Mg)

Zink
(Zn)

Titanium
(Ti)

Chromium
(Cr)
Aluminum
(Al)
0.4 0.4 0.4-1.0 4.0-4.9 0.25 0.15 0.05-0.25 Remaining

Table 5 Chemical composition (weight %) of workpiece material (5083 Al alloy)
[5]


4.1 Experimental Set-up:
The base material used in the present study was 5-mm thick 5083 aluminum alloy. The plate
was cut and machined into rectangular welding samples of 200mm X 100mm size. The
welding tool is made from SS316 stainless steel. Tool was rotated in the clockwise direction.
The geometry of tools used is as shown in fig.5 and fig 6. During the welding process, the
plates are clamped firmly to a tool steel backing plate. On a pair of plates two weldings were
carried out using two different sets of process parameters as shown (in fig 7) below.

(a) Before Welding (b) After Welding
Fig. 7 Plates welded with two different sets of process parameters.

15

Instrumentation and Machines:
Friction Stir Welding Machine:
Bharat Fritz Werner Ltd. made VF3.5 knee type milling machine (shown in fig.8) was used to
fabricate the joints. In order to carry out experiments we require a fixture which can hold the
welding plats firmly and traps all six degrees of freedom and thereby prevents the rotary and
translator motions. Designing of the fixture was done and fixture was properly installed over
the bed of VF3.5 Knee Type Milling Machine. Material used to make a fixture was cast iron
which has excellent vibration absorbing capabilities so that it will provide adequate damping
during the experiments.


Fig. 8 VF3.5 knee type milling machine used for FSW

Friction stir welding setup was made over this VF3.5 knee type milling machine. This
machine has a facility of RPM ranges from 35.5 to 1800 rpm and traverse speed ranges from
16 to 1600 mm/min. So it is possible to carry out experiments with largely varying process
parameters.


16

Power Measurement:
The Montronix Inc. PS100-DGM power sensor shown in figure below with on-board
microprocessor is used for power measurement. Power sensor PS100-DGM gives output in
volts, so it had to be calibrated for some known power input.

Fig. 9 Power Sensor
[17]

LEM Analyst 2060 AC/DC True RMS Clamp-on Power Quality Meter was used to
record the actual power input given to the machine during test runs; at the same time the
reading given by power sensors were also recorded. Based on two set of reading power
sensor calibration was done.



Fig. 10 LEM Analyst 2060 AC/DC True RMS Clamp-on Power Quality Meter
17

The Analyst 2060 Power Quality Clamp Meter is ideal measurement tool for monitoring
power consumption, it combines the functionality of a current clamp, power quality meter,
oscilloscope and data logger in a single handed instrument. Data can be stored as Saved
Screens or logged values. All parameters shown on the screen are logged simultaneously.
Stored readings can be recalled and displayed on-screen in normal screen format or in the
case of logged data as a chart.

Temperature Measurement:
Handheld infrared thermometer (shown in fig. 11,12) gun was fitted on tripod to measure
average surface temperature during the welding as a function of time as shown in fig 14. The
Omega Inc. made OS523-3 series Handheld Infrared Thermometer is non-contact type
temperature measurement instrument which can measure temperature up to 4500
o
F. The
thermometer is kept approximately 100 cm away from the HAZ. An electronic trigger lock
feature set via the keypad allows continuous temperature measurement up to 4 times per
second. But during the course of experiment one reading is taken per second.


Fig. 11 Front of Thermometer
[18]
Fig. 12 Rear of Thermometer
[18]

18


Fig.13 Display and Keypad view
[18]


First the Handheld infrared thermometer is mounted on a camera tripod and aimed at a
fixed point on the moving plate surface. During temperature measurement the LASER power
switch was set to ON position. Then we aimed the target and pulled the trigger. The LASER
beam and the red power indicator LED turned ON while the trigger is pulled. The
thermometer is now ready to measure the temperature of a moving surface. The variation of
temperature along with variation of power (using power sensor) was simultaneously
measured as a function of time. The data of power and temperature was recorded using
National Instrument Data Acquisition system.
The NI-DAQ
TM
mx software and USB data acquisition (DAQ) device were installed
and configured. Once set-ups were done it was checked if the device is working properly and
recording data for test runs. The values of power and temperature were recorded on
LabVIEW
TM
Signal Express 2009, and the recorded data was exported to Microsoft EXCEL.


19


Fig. 14 Handheld infrared thermometer mounted on tripod

4.2 Post Welds Processing and Sample Preparation:
Following welding, the joints were cut perpendicular to the welding direction, to 30x8x5mm
size, for metallographic analysis using band saw machine and then were polished using
different grades of emery papers. Final polishing was done using the diamond compound
(100 micron particle size) in the variable speed grinder polishing machine. After polishing
samples were etched with Kellers reagent, consisting of 2.5cc nitric acid, 1.5cc hydrochloric
acid and 1cc hydrofluoric acid, and were applied for about 100s, then observed by optical
microscope.
Surfaces and cross-sections of the welds welded at different process parameters as per
the experiment table were examined. Proper welding pressure for given rotation and welding
speed was confirmed. The microhardness measurements were taken along the centerline on
the transverse cross-section of the welds at a spacing of 1 mm by using a Microhardness
Tester at 50gf load for 10s.





20

Power Sensor Calibration:
Power sensor used during the experiments for measurement of power gives output in volts
which needs to be calibrated so as to get power input during the process in watt. For this
purpose few trial runs were carried out on machine and the power sensor output data is
recorded along with actual power consumption during the process using LEM Analyst 2060
AC/DC True RMS Clamp-on Power Quality Meter.
Trial run 1:
During this run the tool was given 1800rpm rotation and the weld speed was kept at 16
mm/min. The average value given by power sensor at steady state was noted down which
came out as 2.193658 volt. And the actual power given by LEM analyst Power Quality Meter
was 3.415 KW. So the calibration factor came out as 1557.
Trial run 2:
Tool rpm and weld speed during this run were 1800 rpm and 63 mm/min respectively. The
reading given by power sensor was 2.28246 volt ad that of LEM power meter was 3.563 KW.
The calibration factor during this run came out as 1561.
Five to six such test runs were carried out and average calibration factor was
determined which came out as 1557.

















21

5.0 Result and discussion:
Appearance of Weld:
Snapshots of each of the welded joint were taken after experiment. The typical surface
appearances of the defect-free joints are shown in figures below. It can be seen fig 15 and 16
that the joints were almost without distortion because of the less heat input and low
temperature. When the rotation speed is fixed and the welding speed is quite slow, the welded
material would be overheated causing local melting of the back side of the weld. As the
welding speed increases, the local melting phenomenon vanishes and then good surface
appearance would be obtained. When the welding speed continues to increase, the surface
quality becomes bad gradually, and the semicircle streaks appear clearly, even the groove-
type defect could be observed
[7]
. For the constant welding speed, when the tool rotation
speed is too low, the material gets less heat input, causing insufficient metal flow during
welding process. As a result, it is easy to bring groove type defect, the material only attains
local bonding. Whereas when the rotation speed is too high, it can cause severe depression of
the weld surfaces and appearance of wavy burrs
[7]
. The types of defects mentioned above are
general for all materials when using inappropriate welding parameters during FSW process.



Fig 15 Taper cylindrical tool, weld speed = 16 mm/min, Tool rpm = 710, shoulder dia. = 12 mm




Fig. 16 Taper cylindrical tool, weld speed = 31.5 mm/min, Tool rpm = 1120, shoulder dia. = 12 mm
AS
RS
AS
RS
22


The top surface appearance of weld for 12 mm shoulder diameter tool for 1120 rpm and 31.5
mm/min weld speed show flash on the retreating side. This is due to excess heating of plates
during welding. Such flash is not observed for weld made with 710 rpm suggesting lower
heat input compared with 1120 rpm. It should be noted that flash is observed on the retreating
side of weld. Same observation can be made for weld created from 1800 rpm weld speed.
Higher the rotational speed, higher is the heat generated during the process.



Fig. 17 Square tool, weld speed = 63 mm/min, Tool rpm = 1120, shoulder dia. = 24 mm


Fig 18 Square tool, weld speed = 63 mm/min, Tool rpm = 1800, shoulder dia. = 12 mm

Macrostructure of Weld:
The joint of FSW can be divided into four zones, the stirred zone (SZ), the thermo-
mechanically affected zone (TMAZ), the heat affected zone (HAZ) and the base material
(BM). The simultaneously rotational and translational motions of the welding tool create an
asymmetry between the two sides of the joint. On one side, where the two motions of the
welding tool are on the same direction, this side can be called advancing side (AS). But on
the other side, the directions of the two motions are opposite and it can be called the
retreating side (RS) Fig. 19 (a) shows the typical macrographs on cross-sections of the joints.
The shape of the weld zone may depend on the welding parameters, configuration of the tool
AS
RS
AS
RS
23

and thermal conductivity of the material. When the welding parameters are appropriate, FSW
can produce defect-free joints. If choosing the inappropriate welding parameters, such as the
faster welding speed or the lower pressure, the tunnel defect would appear in the weld.
Further increasing the welding speed or decreasing the welding pressure would cause
extension of the tunnel defect up to the weld surface and forming of the groove-type defect
[7]
. It is noticeable that the tunnel defect is often observed near the bottom of the weld at the
advancing side.


(a) (b)
Fig. 19 (a) Cross-section of weld joint obtained with taper cylindrical tool pin with 24 mm
shoulder diameter, 1400 rpm rotational speed and 63 mm/min weld speed.
(b) Cross-section of weld joint obtained with taper cylindrical tool pin with 18 mm
shoulder diameter, 710 rpm rotational speed and 63 mm/min weld speed.

Fig. 19 (b) shows a transverse cross-section of a sound weld produced by suitable FSW
process parameters, and three typical friction stir weld zones present in it. A small quantity of
inconspicuous excessive flash on the weld advancing side surface is milled off.


Fig. 20 Flash is observed on retreating side of weld made with 1120 tool rpm, 16mm/min
weld speed and 18 mm shoulder diameter for square tool

AS RS
AS RS
AS
RS
24


The friction stir weld shown in Fig. 21 has a severe flash defect and a tunnel defect exposed
obviously beside the key-hole. Under the exaggerated pressure of tool-shoulder, the large
mass of flash is ejected to the outside. On the other hand, the flash is due to the softening of
the metal by the excess tool-shoulder frictional heat input during the FSW. The
microstructure of a tunnel defect at transverse cross-section is given in Fig. 22 (A). Around
the tunnel defect (i.e., continuous channel- like voids extending in the welding direction and
localized on the advancing weld side near the WAZ/TMAZ interface), onion structure
material with discontinuous screw appearance is revealed. The two sides of this tunnel have
different texture characters without touch. Obviously, the formation of tunnel defects is
caused by inadequate material stirring or mixing. The material flow direction on the
horizontal plane is firstly from the advancing side to the retreating side of friction stir welds,
and then around tool rotation. During the process of tool moving ahead, the plastic material
around tool pin transfers layer by layer and a cavity will remain besides the pin due to
unconsumed volume of the plunged pin. The restriction to the material flow from retreating
side to fill the cavity on advancing side depends on the width of the plasticized material
around the pin and the volume of material transferred per rotation. If the plastic deformed
material-flow from the retreating side is not enough to fill the cavity absolutely and
instantaneously before cooling to still-state, the tunnel defects will remain without hydrostatic
pressure.


(a) (b)
Fig. 21 (a) Cross-section of weld joint obtained with taper cylindrical pin tool with 24 mm
shoulder diameter, 710 rpm rotational speed and 31.5 mm/min weld speed.
(b) Cross-section of weld joint obtained with square pin tool with 24 mm shoulder
diameter, 710 rpm rotational speed and 31.5 mm/min weld speed.

Porosity defect not existing in the shoulder affected region. Several lager voids or pores
shown in Fig. 21 (a) & 19 (a) are within the bottom region of FSW butt joint advancing side.
For the welds bonded by thick plates, the shoulder frictional heat source cannot equably
AS RS AS RS
25

transfers to the middle part and the bottom region at thickness direction. In the lower part of
thick welds, the heat input is in direct proportion to the material deformation extent and
frictional heat. The heat beyond the shoulder-affected region is primarily generated by the
stirring pin and the deformed material around the pin. Therefore, the less homogeneously
temperature distributes along the weld thickness direction, the less material plastic
deformation occurring around the pin during FSW for thick plates. If the work-piece material
at the pin/material interface is lack of heat source, porosity defect will presents. Furthermore,
larger voids will form without the fill of enough plastic deformed material.


(a) (b)
Fig. 22 (a) Cross-section of weld joint obtained with square pin tool with 18 mm shoulder
diameter, 1800 rpm rotational speed and 31.5 mm/min weld speed.
(b) Cross-section of weld joint obtained with square pin tool with 12 mm shoulder .
diameter, 710 rpm rotational speed and 16 mm/min weld speed.

From these observations, FSW could be considered as a process where a cavity formed
behind the welding tool is later filled by a plasticized material flowing from the front of the
pin to its rear. If the cavity is not filled, then a cavity will stay in the weld.

Power Input:
The FSW process consists of several steps as plunging, dwelling, actual welding and pulling
the tool out of workpiece
[8]
. First, the tool is submerged vertically into the joint line with
high rotational speed in the plunge period and then dwelling takes place, where the tool is
held steady relative to the workpiece while keeping the rotation and heating the surrounding
workpiece material locally. Following dwelling, the tool is moved forward while stirring the
workpiece materials to be joint and is pulled out of the workpiece leaving a key hole behind
[8]
. During plunging there is steady increase in the power input but during dwelling power
input is almost constant w. r. t. time. When actual welding takes place the tool moves with
constant speed along weld line therefore the power again reaches steady state after a little
AS RS
AS RS

increase. Power input sharply decrease when
is taken out. The power versus time graph for taper cylindrical tool
shoulder is shown below.

Fig. 23 Power input variation for
16 mm/min weld speed

Fig. 24 Power input variation
and 31.5 mm/min weld speed
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
0 50
P
o
w
e
r


(
W
)
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
0
P
o
w
e
r


(
W
)
26
ncrease. Power input sharply decrease when longitudinal movement of tool is stopped and it
The power versus time graph for taper cylindrical tool with 12 mm diameter
Power input variation for 12 mm shoulder dia. tool, rotational speed =
mm/min weld speed
Power input variation for 12 mm shoulder dia. tool, rotational speed =
and 31.5 mm/min weld speed
100 150 200 250 300
Time (S)
50 100 150
Time (S)
longitudinal movement of tool is stopped and it
with 12 mm diameter

speed = 710 rpm and

speed = 1120 rpm
350 400
200

Fig. 25 Power input variation for taper cylindrical tool with 12 mm shoulder dia.
Rotational speed = 1800 rpm and 63 mm/min weld speed

From fig. 23, 24 and 25 show t
with 12 mm shoulder diameter
the dwelling period, the average
compared to taper cylindrical tool. But the difference is insignificant. Also if the
varied from 16 mm/min, 31.5 mm/min, 63 mm/min and rotational speed from 710 rpm, 1120
rpm, 1800 rpm the average power input during the process increase
Fig. 26 Average Power Vs Rotational Speed for 12 mm shoulder di
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
0 20
P
o
w
e
r


(
W
)
27
Power input variation for taper cylindrical tool with 12 mm shoulder dia.
1800 rpm and 63 mm/min weld speed
show the power variation for taper cylindrical and square
shoulder diameter. It should be noted that, once the steady state is reached after
average power consumption for square pin tool is little higher
compared to taper cylindrical tool. But the difference is insignificant. Also if the
varied from 16 mm/min, 31.5 mm/min, 63 mm/min and rotational speed from 710 rpm, 1120
rpm, 1800 rpm the average power input during the process increase as shown in figure below.
Average Power Vs Rotational Speed for 12 mm shoulder di
40 60 80 100
Time (S)

Power input variation for taper cylindrical tool with 12 mm shoulder dia. tool,
he power variation for taper cylindrical and square pin tool
. It should be noted that, once the steady state is reached after
square pin tool is little higher
compared to taper cylindrical tool. But the difference is insignificant. Also if the weld speed
varied from 16 mm/min, 31.5 mm/min, 63 mm/min and rotational speed from 710 rpm, 1120
as shown in figure below.

Average Power Vs Rotational Speed for 12 mm shoulder diameter tools
120 140


Fig. 27 Power input variation
63 mm/min weld speed

Fig. 28 Power input variation
and 16 mm/min weld speed

0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
0 20
P
o
w
e
r


(
W
)
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
0 50
P
o
w
e
r


(
W
)
28
Power input variation for 18 mm shoulder dia. tool, rotational speed =
63 mm/min weld speed
Power input variation for 18 mm shoulder dia. tool, rotational speed =
and 16 mm/min weld speed
40 60 80 100
Time (S)
100 150 200 250
Time (S)

speed = 600 rpm and

speed = 1120 rpm
120 140
300 350

Fig. 29 Power input variation
and 30 mm/min weld speed

For square and taper cylindrical tool with 18 mm shoulder diameter and when weld speed is
63 mm/min, it can be seen that the power consumption is not steady as against for lower weld
speeds of 16 mm/min and 31.5 mm/min. Also the power consumption for squar
higher than taper cylindrical counterpart with same process parameters. The graph below
shows the variation in average power for square and taper cylindrical pin tools.

Fig. 30 Average Power Vs Rotational Speed for 18 mm shoulder diam
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
0 50
P
o
w
e
r


(
W
)
29
Power input variation for 18 mm shoulder dia. tool, rotational speed = 1800 rpm
mm/min weld speed
For square and taper cylindrical tool with 18 mm shoulder diameter and when weld speed is
63 mm/min, it can be seen that the power consumption is not steady as against for lower weld
speeds of 16 mm/min and 31.5 mm/min. Also the power consumption for squar
higher than taper cylindrical counterpart with same process parameters. The graph below
shows the variation in average power for square and taper cylindrical pin tools.
Average Power Vs Rotational Speed for 18 mm shoulder diam
50 100 150 200
Time (S)

speed = 1800 rpm
For square and taper cylindrical tool with 18 mm shoulder diameter and when weld speed is
63 mm/min, it can be seen that the power consumption is not steady as against for lower weld
speeds of 16 mm/min and 31.5 mm/min. Also the power consumption for square pin tool is
higher than taper cylindrical counterpart with same process parameters. The graph below
shows the variation in average power for square and taper cylindrical pin tools.

Average Power Vs Rotational Speed for 18 mm shoulder diameter tools
200 250

Fig. 31 Power input variation
31.5 mm/min weld speed



Fig. 32 Power input variation
63 mm/min weld speed

0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
0 50
P
o
w
e
r


(
W
)
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
0 20
P
o
w
e
r


(
W
)
30
Power input variation for 24 mm shoulder dia., rotational speed = 710 rpm and
31.5 mm/min weld speed
Power input variation for 24 mm shoulder dia. tool, rotational speed =
mm/min weld speed
50 100 150 200
Time (S)
40 60 80 100
Time (S)

speed = 710 rpm and

speed = 1120 rpm and
200 250
120 140

Fig. 33 Power input variation for 24 mm shoulder dia., rotational speed = 1800 rpm and 16
mm/min weld speed

For 24 mm shoulder diameter tools the average power consumption for taper cylindrical tool
is higher compared to square tool which is in contrast to the observation made for 12 mm and
18 mm shoulder diameter tools.

Fig. 34 Average Power Vs Rotational Speed for 24 mm shoulder diameter tools


0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
0 50
P
o
w
e
r


(
W
)
31
Power input variation for 24 mm shoulder dia., rotational speed = 1800 rpm and 16

For 24 mm shoulder diameter tools the average power consumption for taper cylindrical tool
compared to square tool which is in contrast to the observation made for 12 mm and
18 mm shoulder diameter tools.
Average Power Vs Rotational Speed for 24 mm shoulder diameter tools
100 150 200 250
Time (S)

Power input variation for 24 mm shoulder dia., rotational speed = 1800 rpm and 16
For 24 mm shoulder diameter tools the average power consumption for taper cylindrical tool
compared to square tool which is in contrast to the observation made for 12 mm and

Average Power Vs Rotational Speed for 24 mm shoulder diameter tools
300 350
32

Signal to noise ratio:
Power consumption during FSW should be as low as possible so as to reduce the cost of
welding operation. Mean and signal-to-Noise ratio (S/N) for each control factor can be
calculated, in order to determine the influence of process parameters on the power
consumption during the process, The signals are indicators of the effect on average responses
and the noises are measures of the influence on the deviations from the sensitiveness of the
experiment output to the noise factors. In this study, the S/N ratio was chosen according to
the criterion of the smaller-the-better, in order to minimize the response. In the Taguchi
method, the signal to noise ratio is used to determine the deviation of the quality
characteristics from the desired value. The S/N ratio (smaller-the-better) in the experiment
can be expressed as
S/N Ratio = -10 log
10
(
()

)
where n is the number of tests and y is the experimental value of the quality characteristics
(power input) in the experiment. In the present study, the power input data was analyzed to
determine the effect of FSW process parameters. The experimental results were then
transformed into means and signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio. In this work, 9 means and 9 S/N
ratios were calculated. The analysis of mean for each of the experiments will give the better
combination of parameters levels that ensures a low value of power input according to the
experimental set of data. The mean response refers to the average value of performance
characteristics (power input) for each parameter at different levels.
Sr.
No.
Shoulder
Diameter
(mm)
Weld Speed
(mm/min)
Rotational
Speed (RPM)

()

S/N Ratio
1 12
16 710 7840276.215 -68.9433136
2 12
31.5 1120 11635801.09 -70.6579629
3 12
63 1800 14088477.23 -71.4886405
4 18
16 1120 10311626 -70.1332715
5 18
31.5 1800 14556975.99 -71.6307117
6 18
63 710 9699650.625 -69.8675609
7 24
16 1800 12317032.98 -70.905061
8 24
31.5 710 12028592.16 -70.802148
9 24
63 1120 14812225.31 -71.7062031
Table 6 Orthogonal array for L9 with response (raw data and S/N ratio) for Taper
Cylindrical pin tool
33

Sr.
No.
Shoulder
Diameter
(mm)
Weld Speed
(mm/min)
Rotational
Speed
(RPM)

()

S/N Ratio
1 12
16 710 7782919.889 -68.9114256
2 12
31.5 1120
11028309.49
-70.42508945
3 12
63 1800 15134296.41 -71.79962235
4 18
16 1120 13184344.83 -71.20058553
5 18
31.5 1800 14781823.49 -71.69728012
6 18
63 710 9990285.485 -69.99577899
7 24
16 1800 14741577.45 -71.68543959
8 24
31.5 710 11039558.28 -70.42951696
9 24
63 1120 12475898.18 -70.96071822

Table 7 Orthogonal array for L9 with response (raw data and S/N ratio) for Square pin tool

The mean for one level was calculated as the average of all responses that were obtained with
that level. The mean response of raw data and S/N ratio of power input for each parameter at
level 1, 2 and 3 were calculated and are given in Table. It is clear that a smaller S/N ratio
corresponds to lower power input during the process. Therefore, the optimal level of process
parameter is the level of lowest S/N ratio. From the response table for S/N ratio it is clear that
the rotational speed has highest influence on the power input during the FSW process, while
FSW tool shoulder diameter has least impact on power consumption. The effect of welding
speed on power input is intermediate between shoulder diameter and the rotational speed. For
1800 RPM we have lowest S/N ratio implying that more amount of power is consumed.

Microhardness
Fig. 38 demonstrates the microhardness variations along the centerline on a cross-section of
the weld at a tool rotation speed of 1400 rpm and welding speed of 63 mm/min. The effect of
the small defect on hardness and microstructure is negligible. The hardness of the weld is
roughly homogeneous, although it ranges from 30 to 45 Hv. The hardness profiles in the weld
of Al alloy 5083 cannot be explained by the grain size. The weld of Al alloy 5083 contains
many small particles, homogeneously distributed. Since these small particles are distributed
in the grain interiors they can work more effectively as obstacles than the grain boundaries
[5]
.
The effect of small particles on hardness was roughly uniform throughout the weld. The
34

hardness profile mainly depends on the particle distribution in the friction-stir-welded 5083
Al alloy containing many small particles
[5]
.


(a)


(b)
35


(c)

Fig. 35 Microhardness variation along the centerline on transverse cross-section of weld

Microhardness variation across the cross-section of friction stir welded 5083 Al alloy is
fairly uniform with variation from 39 Hv to 54 Hv for 12 mm shoulder diameter tool and
1120 rpm and 31.5 mm/min weld speed. The percentage variation in hardness is 32% of the
average value across the cross-section. For rotational speed of 1800 rpm and 63 mm/min
weld speed the variation is even smaller with maximum and minimum values being 37 Hv
and 50 Hv respectively. Slightly different hardness variation is observed in welds with 16
mm/min weld speed and 710 rpm rotational speed. The harness in HAZ is little higher
compared to hardness in SZ. The average hardness at SZ and HAZ are 42 Hv and 51 Hv
respectively.

36


(a)


(b)

37


(c)

Fig. 36 Microhardness variation across cross section of friction stir welded 5083 Al alloy

From the microhardness contours for welds made with 16 mm/min weld speed and 710 rpm
rotational speed, it can be observed that the average hardness value for square pin tool is 26%
higher than that of for taper cylindrical pin tool, the value for square tool is 48 Hv while for
taper cylindrical tool it is 38 Hv. Similar trend can be observed for weld made with 1120 rpm
and 63 mm/min.


38


(a)


(b)
39


(c)
Fig. 37 Microhardness variation along the centerline on transverse cross-section of weld

For welds made with 24 mm shoulder diameter tool, the microhardness is considerably higher
for square pin tool compared to taper cylindrical tool. Also hardness in stir zone is little
higher than that of HAZ, this may be because in the stir zone very fine grains exist due to
dynamic recrystallization during FSW process, where as grains in HAZ are coarser. Also
hardness values for square tool is higher than taper cylindrical tool by almost 38% for weld
made with 710 rpm and 31.5 mm/min weld speed.

Temperature:
In FSW process heat is generated from friction between the shoulder surface and top surface
of plates and friction between pin surface and the material of plates around pin. Temperature
during FSW and its maximum value depend on the energy input from the tool, the heat loss to
the backing plate and to the shank and the plunge period of tool for preheating the workpiece
before it starts to move forward. FSW process is largely influenced by the highest
temperature at the junction between two plates. Low temperature will mean inadequate
fluidity and will make it difficult for the pin to traverse the workpiece, which will probably
40

result in breakage of the pin. Too higher temperature will mean workpiece material stick on
the pin and shoulder, and flash defect may be observed on retreating side of weld.

Fig. 38 Temperature Vs Time


Fig. 39 Temperature Vs Time
41


Temperature variation for weld made with square tool with 18 mm shoulder diameter, 1120
tool rpm and 16 mm/min weld speed show that steady state is reached 90 s after the welding
starts. And once steady state is reached the temperature almost remains constant at 500

C
which is also the maximum temperature reached during the process. As for taper cylindrical
tool with 24 mm shoulder diameter, 1800 rpm rotational speed and 16 mm/min weld speed
maximum temperature reached is 540

C which is higher compared to earlier case owing to

higher tool rpm. Also because of higher shoulder diameter in 24mm pin tool more heat is
generated due to friction between shoulder and top surface of plates compared to tool with 18
mm shoulder diameter.
























42

6.0 Conclusions:
The effects of welding parameters and tool geometry on the power input of the 5083
alloy friction stir welded joints were determined. The power input gradually increases
during plunge period but it does not vary once steady state is reached.
Also the S/N ratio response table indicated that rotational speed has highest impact on
power consumption as compared to tool shoulder diameter and weld speed.
The hardness values within the stir zone and the HAZ were same with little variation
as expected in 5083 Al alloy which implies that the hardness values of this alloy does
not depend on the grain size.
Macrostructures of the weld cross-section revealed that inadequate heat input during
welding process contribute to defect formation such as voids and tunnel. High
rotational speed and low weld speed results in excess heat input giving rise to flash
defects which can be observed on top surface from appearance of weld.
Temperature profiles indicated that maximum temperature increases with increase in
rotational speed and decrease in weld speed.













43

7 77 7.0 .0 .0 .0 Future Scope Future Scope Future Scope Future Scope: :: :
The present study focuses on impact of process parameters on power consumption
during FSW process by making use of Taguchi technique and does not consider
impact on tensile strength of the welded joint.
In future, the effect of process parameters on tensile strength and power consumption
can be simultaneously studied, thereby optimizing process parameters for minimum
power input for maximum tensile strength.
The grains in SZ are finer compared to HAZ in friction stir welded 5083 Al alloy joint
cross-section, but the hardness is fairly constant throughout the cross-section, but
same is not true in 6xxx, 2xxx and 7xxx series Al alloys. Future studies can be
focused on the peculiar behaviour of 5083 Al alloy to establish relationship between
grain size and hardness across cross-section.















44

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Sr. No
Shoulder Diameter (mm) Weld Speed (mm/min) Rotational Speed (RPM)
12 18 24 16 31.5 63 710 1120 1800
1 -68.9433136 -68.9433136 -68.9433136
2 -70.6579629 -70.6579629 -70.6579629
3 -71.4886405 -71.4886405 -71.4886405
4 -70.1332715 -70.1332715 -70.1332715
5 -71.6307117 -71.6307117 -71.6307117
6 -69.8675609 -69.8675609 -69.8675609
7 -70.905061 -70.9050610 -70.905061
8 -70.802148 -70.802148 -70.802148
9 -71.7062031 -71.7062031 -71.7062031
Total -211.089917 -211.631544 -213.413412 -209.981646 -213.090823 -213.062405 -209.613023 -212.497438 -214.024413
Number of
Values
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Average -70.3633057 -70.543848 -71.137804 -69.9938820 -71.0302742 -71.0208015 -69.8710075 -70.8324792 -71.3414711
Range 0.774498358 1.036392113 1.470463566

Table 9 Response Table for S/N Ratios for Taper Cylindrical Pin Tool
Sr. No
Shoulder Diameter (mm) Weld Speed (mm/min) Rotational Speed (RPM)
12 18 24 16 31.5 63 710 1120 1800
1 -68.9114256 -68.9114256 -68.911425
2 -70.4250895 -70.4250895 -70.4250894
3 -71.7996224 -71.79962235 -71.7996223
4 -71.2005855 -71.20058553 -71.2005855
5 -71.6972801 -71.6972801 -71.6972801
6 -69.995779 -69.99577899 -69.995779
7 -71.68543959 -71.68543959 -71.6854395
8 -70.42951696 -70.429517 -70.429517
9 -70.96071822 -70.96071822 -70.9607182
Total -211.136137 -212.893645 -213.0756748 -211.7974507 -212.551887 -212.7561196 -209.33672 -212.586393 -215.182342
Number
of
Values
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Average -70.3787125 -70.9645482 -71.02522492 -70.59915024 -70.8506288 -70.91870652 -69.778907 -70.8621310 -71.7274473
Range 0.646512452 0.31955628 1.948540169

Table 8 Response Table for S/N Ratios for Square pin tool