TWI Digital Library

A fully integrated approach to facilitate optimisation of the friction stir welding (FSW) process was developed, incorporating a model for the FSW process, coupling material flow and thermal analysis, a model for precipitation evolution, a microstructure based strength and strain hardening model, and a micromechanical model for damage evolution, and applied to 6005A-T6 aluminium alloys (80 mm thickness). A pseudo-stationary process model was invoked to predict temperature distributions during welding. Model predictions were compared with experimental tensile test results and electron microscopy microstructure observations.

8th International Symposium, 18-20 May 2010, Session 3A: Modelling 1, Paper 03