Examining the Friction Stir Welded AA 6063 Aluminum Alloys' Strength and Quality using Response Surface Methodology

One of the most widely used aluminum alloys for automotive, marine, and aerospace applications is AA 6063, a precipitation-hardened alloy that mostly consists of silicon and magnesium. Friction stir welding is a cost-effective and adaptable solid state joining method for aluminum alloys as compared to traditional welding. Through impacting elements including defect formation, material fusion, residual stresses, and microstructure, a weld's quality directly impacts its strength. To achieve the best possible weld strength and performance, it is crucial to ensure high-quality welds through appropriate welding methods, parameter control, and quality assurance systems. Three crucial process variables that affect weld quality are traverse speed, rotation speed, and tool profile. In order to guarantee the design and development of flawless welded joints, these characteristics are optimized. The goal of this study is to comprehend the AA 6063 alloy friction stir welding method and how Response Surface Methodology (RSM) is used to optimize the input parameters. It also intends to evaluate the mechanical properties of the friction-welded alloy and the base alloy by performing micro tensile and micro hardness tests. The micro tension test is used to determine the weld's ultimate strength. The results indicate that the most important value of tensile strength, 131.66 N/mm2, corresponds to 1000 rpm spindle speed, 20 mm/min table feed, and friction stir welded tool profile TTH (Tapered Threaded). Additionally, the average micro hardness values on the heat-affected zone, stir-zone, and thermo mechanically-affected zone were 84.5, 86, and 88.5 VH, respectively. This work also uses optical microscopy and X-ray radiography to examine the weld quality