Finite Element Modeling and Verification of the Plunge Stage in Friction Stir Welding

In the present work, a finite element model of the first stage, plunge, of friction stir welding is considered. The welded parts are flat aluminum 1050 plates. The arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian formulation implemented in ABAQUS/Explicit is used. The material model of the welded parts is the Johnson-Cook law, and Coulomb’s law describes the friction between the tool and the weldment. Temperature field during the process is obtained, and the influence of the parameters concerning the algorithmic implementation of the finite element method is established. The simulation results are compared with experimental results obtained for this purpose.