Numerical and Experimental Thermal Studies on Friction Welding of AA6061 Plate and AA1060 Tube Using External Tool

Friction welding of tube-to-tube plate using external tool has earned prominent research interests due to its versatility and joint integrity. Hitherto, this process was studied primarily on the mechanical properties. This work presents the thermal studies of this process using analytical model and 3-D Finite Element Method-based numerical models. Infrared Thermography-based experimental temperature measurement has been done to verify the results in the case of AA 6061 plate and AA 1060 tube joints. Results for various parametric conditions show a good agreement with the corresponding FE simulation results. This study shows the temperature history of the process and explains the effect of frictional heat generation on the temperature attained by the material. With FE results, the internal temperature distribution of the material is explained. It is also revealed that tool rotation speed, plunge duration and total welding rotation strongly influence the peak temperature of the materials.