Mechanical Behaviour Of Friction Stir Welding On Aluminium Based Composite Material

Friction-stir welding (FSW) is a solid-state joining process (meaning the metal is not melted during the process) and is used for applications where the original metal characteristics must remain unchanged as far as possible. This process is primarily used on aluminium and most often on large pieces which cannot be easily heat treated post weld to recover temper characteristics. The rotating tool stirs the material, softened by the frictional heat generated, and consolidates the stirred material behind the tool. This process has several advantages when compared to conventional fusion welding process. The present paper introduces the welding process and the welding of metal matrix composites. The welding was carried out on a CNC milling machine that was adopted for this work. Under Experimental condition of the study, mechanical strength, maximum temperature between the edge of the stir zone and the top surface, and effect of force against the tools are investigated. The micro hardness was also found to slightly increase with increased feed rate of the tool. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.