Friction Stir Welding with a Pinless tool: Numerical and Experimental Study of Aluminum Alloys Using Tool

Friction stir welding, through the combination of rotational and translational movements of a cylindrical tool, deforms and heats the material of the workpieces being welded. This thermomechanical history triggers physical and mechanical phenomena and alters the state of the workpieces. Modeling the FSW process aims to reproduce this thermomechanical history in order to predict the effect of welding on material behavior. In particular, it allows for the study of heat generation mechanisms and the determination of the maximum temperature during welding and the residual stresses after welding for a 6061-T6 aluminum alloy. In this study, a numerical simulation of the FSW process was performed using a finite element model. This model accounts for thermomechanical coupling to predict temperature and residual stresses using a single numerical model. The model yielded several results, including reaction forces, residual stresses, generated temperature, and von Mises stresses. The simulation model of the FSW process was validated and evaluated against experimental data.