Title: On the mechanical characteristics and parametric optimisation of friction stir welded magnesium AZ31B alloy

Authors: Piyush Gulati; Dinesh Kumar Shukla

Addresses: Mechanical Engineering Department, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar NIT Jalandhar, Jalandhar City, Punjab 144011, India; School of Mechanical Engineering, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab 144411, India ' Mechanical Engineering Department, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar NIT Jalandhar, Jalandhar City, Punjab 144011, India

Abstract: Friction stir welding (FSW) is an effective joining technique to produce sound defect free welds. The various process and tool parameters play significant roles in producing sound welds and deciding the joint characteristics. In the present research work, the tensile strength (TS) and impact energy (IE) of friction stir butt-welded AZ31B magnesium alloy were investigated. The empirical relationships between the FSW input process parameters (tool rotational speed, tool welding speed, and plunge depth) and the output responses (tensile strength and impact energy) were established. The welding conditions to maximise the tensile strength and impact energy were optimised and reported. The microstructure of the friction stir welded joints were investigated using optical microscopy and the grain size was also determined. Rotational speed was found as the most significant parameter for maximising the tensile strength and impact energy. Further, the friction stirring of the selected base metal has affected the grain structure of the processed metal and an average reduction of 6 μm in grain size was observed microscopically.

Keywords: friction stir welding; FSW; magnesium; microstructure; tensile strength; TS; impact energy; IE; optical microscopy; plunge depth; rotational speed; welding speed.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEDPO.2019.097469

International Journal of Experimental Design and Process Optimisation, 2019 Vol.6 No.1, pp.50 - 73

Received: 08 Jun 2018
Accepted: 06 Sep 2018
Published online: 23 Jan 2019 *

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