A Finite Element Simulation of Temperature and Material Flow in Fricton Stir Welding

• Main Author: Lasley, Mark J.
• Format: Others
• Published: BYU ScholarsArchive 2004
• Subjects: FSW; friction stir welding; finite element; simulation; plunge; material flow; Chemical Engineering; Construction Engineering and Management; Manufacturing
• Online Access: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/220; https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1219&context=etd

The purpose of this research was to use the Transvalor S.A. product, Forge3, to develop a finite element simulation of the friction stir welding process that improves the predictability of temperature evolution and material flow within the plunge portion of the process. Previous modeling created more heating within the billet than experimental results, probably due to the simplification of the simulation with adiabatic boundary conditions. More realistic tooling temperatures were included in this model as these affect heat evolution which is a determining factor in microcrystalline growth. These results were validated by experimental efforts using a billet and tooling instrumented with thermocouples used to evaluate the temperatures at specific locations over time. Simulation results were compared with previous experiments to validate the predicted material flow.