Mechanical and thermal modelling of friction stir welding

In the present paper, a three-dimensional thermomechanical model for Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is presented. Based on the velocity fields classically used in fluid mechanics and incorporating heat input from the tool shoulder and the plastic strain of the bulk material, the semi-analytical model can be used to obtain the strains, strain rates, and estimations of the temperatures and micro-hardness in the various weld zones. The calculated results are in good agreement with experimental measurements performed on a AA2024-T351 alloy friction stir welded joint. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.