Finite element simulation and experimental investigation of friction stir processing of Polyamide 6

In this article, Deform© three-dimensional package was used to develop a numerical model for friction stir process of Polyamide 6 based on Lagrangian incremental formulation, and additional experiments were done to verify this objective. For this purpose, the friction stir process was used to disperse the multi-walled carbon nano-tubes among the polymer matrix of Polyamide 6 homogeneously. Thermo-mechanical properties, for example, effective plastic strain distribution and material flow together with temperature, were successfully predicted for friction stir processing of Polyamide 6. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were used to study the properties of fabricated nano-composite. According to the results, multi-walled carbon nano-tubes were homogeneously and straightly dispersed throughout Polyamide 6. The straight and non-curved dispersion of multi-walled carbon nano-tubes results in the growth of their reinforcement capability. Comparing the result of simulation and experimental friction stir process refers to good agreement between simulation predictions and actual observations. Temperature distribution study shows that the peak temperature appears at the interface of tool-shoulder/work-piece and the temperature distribution on the interacted surface is asymmetric. On the other hand, the analysis of effective plastic strain indicates that the material shearing of advancing side is higher than that of the retreating zone.