Title: Effect of pin shapes on temperature distribution in friction stir lap joint of AA6061 with AZ31 using numerical simulation

Authors: Amit Yadav; Ajai Jain; Rajiv Verma

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Kurukshetra, Haryana, 136119, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Kurukshetra, Haryana, 136119, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Kurukshetra, Haryana, 136119, India

Abstract: The assessment of weld quality in friction stir welding relies on selecting the appropriate weld parameters, with the shape of the tool pin being one such crucial parameter. This study employs a computational fluid dynamics model to investigate the impact of various pin shapes - namely straight cylindrical, hexagonal, square, and triangular - on temperature distribution. The workpieces selected for dissimilar friction stir lap welding are aluminium alloy 6061 and magnesium alloy AZ31, with a convex shoulder used to help accommodate minor variations in workpiece thickness. It was observed that the maximum temperature generation occurs with a cylindrical pin-shaped tool, followed by hexagonal, square, and triangular shapes, respectively. This study will assist in selecting the optimal tool shape for the given workpiece setup and will benefit several industries, including aerospace (wings, fuselages, etc.), automotive (rims, chassis, frames, etc.), railway (container bodies, wagons, carriages, etc.), and shipbuilding and marine (structures, platforms, panels, etc.).

Keywords: friction stir weld; FSW; computational fluid-dynamics; CFD; Ansys-Fluent; finite-volume approach; numerical simulation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSPM.2024.146024

International Journal of Simulation and Process Modelling, 2024 Vol.21 No.4, pp.251 - 263

Received: 28 Sep 2024
Accepted: 03 Jan 2025
Published online: 01 May 2025 *

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