Investigation of the effect of friction stir welding on mechanical properties of aluminum alloys

Aluminum alloys have become very popular in the manufacturing industries due to their light weight and high strength with the development of production technologies. Different manufacturing methods have been developed due to the increasing usage areas of aluminum materials. One of these methods is Friction Stir Welding (FSW) process. The traditional welding method for aluminum is fusion welding. Low strength values are observed in weld seams as a result of the fusion welding of aluminum alloys. Aluminum that reaches the melting temperature during fusion welding loses its strength gained through heat treatment, and therefore, the weld seam strength decreases. The FSW is a solid-state joining welding method, has been developed to maintain strength and has become widely used in the industry. The welding process is achieved by softening the material due to the heat generated by the contact of the mixer tool with the material and mixing the two workpiece materials with the help of a rotating pin. Due to the fact that the material does not reach its melting temperature, the weld seam strength can largely preserve the strength values of the main materials. However, the biggest problem in this method is that the weld strength can vary depending on many parameters. In this study, the joining of 2.5 mm thick 5754-H111 and 2024-T3 aluminum alloys with different welding parameters using friction stir welding method was investigated. Tensile and bending samples were prepared by cutting the welded parts on the laser bench. The effects of different welding parameters on mechanical properties were investigated. Two alloys of the same type and different type have been successfully welded. As a result of the examinations, it has been determined that the welding parameters are very important and should be determined in detail. However, the mechanical values obtained are well below the mechanical values of the main materials. Efficiency remained below the desired level.