Experimental and numerical study of welding temperature during friction stir welding of AA5083 joints

FSW was employed to produce similar joints of AA5083 aluminium alloy. Numerical simulations and experimental studies were performed to study the thermal properties of the welded joints. Numerical simulation plays an important role in predicting the temperature distribution during the weld. ABAQUS software was used to develop a three-dimensional finite element (FE) model. The Arbitrary Eulerian-Lagrangian (AEL) approach was used in the numerical model to effectively handle the large deformation. Three-dimensional nonlinear heat transfer equation and the Johnson–Cook material model were used in the numerical modelling. Experimentally, the temperature during FSW of AA5083 was recorded with K-type thermocouples at rotational speeds of 1000 and 1400 rpm, and traverse speeds of 20, 50 and 80 mm/min at different locations. The tool speed combination of 1400 rpm and 20 mm/min showed a maximum peak temperature of 577.1 °C. Whereas the tool-speed combination of 1000 rpm and 80 mm/min showed the lowest peak temperature of 504.9 °C. The result showed a good agreement in the experimental and numerical predictions, with an error ranging from 1.5% to 7.5%. The developed model can be used to optimize the FSW process parameters to achieve better quality welds by enhancing microstructure and reducing the weld defects.