Evaluation on Temperature of FSW Zone of Magnesium Alloy using Experiment and FE Analysis

Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is a solid-state joining process involving the frictional heat between the materials and tools. The amount of heat conducted into the workpiece determines the quality of the welded zone. Excessive heat input is the cause of oxides and porosity defects, and insufficient heat input can cause problems, such as tunnel defects. Therefore, analyzing the temperature history and distribution at the center of the Friction Stir Welded zone is very important. In this study, the temperature distribution of the friction stir welding region of an AZ61 magnesium alloy was investigated. To achieve this goal, the temperature and metal flow was predicted using the finite element method. In FE analysis, the welding tool was simplified and the friction condition was optimized. Moreover, the temperature measuring test at the center of the welding region was performed to verify the FE results. In this study, the tool rotation speed was a more dominant factor than the welding speed. In addition, the predicted temperature at the center of the welding region showed good agreement with the measurement results within the error range of 5.4% 7.7%.