EFFECTS OF PROCESS PARAMETERS ON FRICTION STIR WELDING OF 6063 ALUMINUM ALLOY

Friction Stir Welding is a solid state joining technique which is widely being used for aerospace, marine, automotive and other applications for joining similar and dissimilar metals. Compared to other welding techniques friction stir welding (FSW) produces better mechanical properties in the weld zone. The main objective of this article is to find the optimum parameters for joining of butt joint aluminum alloy 6063. The major factors taken for investigations are rotational speed, transverse speed and axial force.The aim of this work determine the feasibility to weld two pieces of aluminum plate by friction stir welding and study the effect on the mechanical properties of welding joints. Friction stir welding machine has been used to attempt this welding and group of welding parameters. The Mechanical properties of welded joints were investigated using different mechanical tests including tensile testing and hardness testing. Process with a maximum welding efficiency in terms of ultimate tensile strength, using 1000 (RPM) rotational speed, 1 (mm/sec) traveling speed and axial load of 6000 N.