A study of the temperature field during ultrasonic-assisted friction-stir welding

Ultrasonic-assisted friction-stir welding is a new solid-state metal welding technology, based on friction-stir welding, in which weld performance is improved through application of ultrasound during welding. In this study, a model for the temperature field in 1.8 mm 2024 aluminum alloy is built based on computational fluid dynamics and elastic-plastic mechanics theory. Result show the impact of the ultrasound’s vibrations on the temperature field is less obvious at lower welding speeds. However, at higher welding speeds, it can provide the additional heat to keep sufficient welding temperature. The numerical results are compared with optical micrographs in order to validate the numerical models. Good agreement is obtained.