Investigating weld strength of AA8011-6062 alloys joined via friction-stir welding using the RSM approach

Abstract

In this study, an effort has been made for analyzing the results of the weld strength of aluminum composites AA6061 and 8011 which were developed by friction stir welding (FSW), via response surface methodology (RSM). The RSM approach was adopted considering rotational speed (RS) of 1200, 1300 and 1400 rpm, welding speed (WS) of 75,100 and 125 mm/min and axial force (AF) 5, 6 and 7 KN as the process parameters and output weld characteristic was obtained in terms of the weld strength. Design-Expert software version 11 was used in this paper to plan the survey and generate response surface plots. This investigation revealed that the best welding strength of AA6061 and 8011 aluminum amalgams obtained was 127 MPA, in run no. eight which had parameters RS 1400 RPM, WS 100 mm/min, and AF 7 KN. The obtained values of results were further analyzed through ANNOVA statistical analysis for obtaining the percentage contribution of selected variable parameters towards strength enhancement. The AF contributed significantly around 90%, RS contributed 10 % and contribution of WS was minimal for selected ranges to enhance the strength quality of the weld joint.