Influences of welding parameters on friction stir welding of AA 6063 Al-alloy and copper plates - An experimental study

Friction stir welding is a solid state welding technique for the welding of metallic compounds. The Aluminium alloy 6063 and commercially available copper of 6 mm thickness are welded in circular butt joint geometry by friction stir welding (FSW) process, using vertical milling machine. The Friction stir welding was carried out at each rotational speed of 800 rpm and 1000 rpm for different travel speed 20 and 40 mm/min at constant probe depth of 2.9 mm, towards the trailing edge and a dwell time of 3 sec. One of the critical elements for the achievement of this method is the friction stir welding tool. It comprises of a distinct geometry cylindrical shoulder and a pin. The said instrument was intended for friction stir welding of the dissimilar metal plates in the experimental job with cylindrical pin profile. The results have been correlated with the micro structural characteristics at the bond interface using scanning electron microscopy. The results show the characteristics of different types of intermetallic compound formed at the interface derived from energy input.