Material Flow Tracking for Various Tool Geometries During the Friction Stir Spot Welding Process

This study applied powder-tracing techniques to mount Cu and W powders on A6061-T6 aluminum sheets to investigate the material flow mechanism of friction stir spot welding (FSSW) using various geometric tools. The experimental results showed that the geometry of the tools plays a crucial role and determines the entrances of material flow during FSSW. It was believed that instantaneous voids were filled up with material flow in all directions for triangular pins, and the voids were located at the pin bottom for cylindrical pins. In accordance with the plastic rule of material flow, the pressure gradient is the necessary condition to cause material flow during FSSW; therefore, the transient constraint space (TCS) is required to generate pressure in this space. Enlargement of the TCS accompanies the evolution of the stir zone (SZ). A generated void causes a steep pressure gradient, which is regarded as the entrance of material flow. A tool with screw threads causes downward driving force, which determines the intermixing behavior between the upper and lower sheets, and also affects the size of the SZs.