Research on the quality of the welded joint of aluminium alloy sheet AA6082-T6 using FSW, MIG and TIG methods

Abstract

This is an experimental research of the welding AA6082-T6 aluminium alloy sheet, thickness 7.8 mm, with different kinds of methods: FSW, MIG and TIG. The goal is to test the quality of the welded joints, i.e., to determine the mechanical parameters of the joining process of the metals obtained with conventional and non-conventional methods. The research is more oriented towards the non-conventional FSW method, because it is more common in modern industry. Wider research is done based on an adopted multifactorial experimental plan with a variation of factors on two levels. The parameters that have been changed are as follows: welding speed (mm/min), rotation speed of tools (min-1), angle of pin slope (°), diameter of pin (mm) and diameter of shoulder (mm). The tools that are used in the experiment have a conical shape. A professional welding machine with a technology that is based on known parameters, i.e., amperage (A), filler, number of passes, shape of the groove, etc. is used with the MIG and TIG methods in the experiment. A detailed analysis of the obtained mechanical parameters (tensile strength and impact toughness) for all three methods of the welding (FSW, MIG and TIG) is provided.