STUDIES ON EFFECT OF WELDING PARAMETERS ON THE FRICTION STIR WELDING OF ALUMINIUM 6061-T6 BUTT WELDED JOINTS USING TAGUCHI L9 APPROACH

The two sheets of aluminum 6061-T6 alloy of size 200×150×3 (mm) are butt-welded by the friction stir welding process by varying the weld parameters such as rotational speed, tilt angle, and feed. The taguchi L9 experimental technique is used to draw the experimental conditions by taking the above said friction-stir welding process parameters. The temperature of the weld bead during the friction-stir welding is measured. The hardness of the weld bead is measured by using the hardness testing machine to find out the hardness value of the weld joints and on the base plates. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis is performed to test the significance of the experimental model at 95% confidence interval. Optimality of the friction-stir welding process parameters for the butt welding of aluminum 6061-T6 alloy is obtained by using the multiple response desirability factors.