Modeling Friction Stir Welding: On Prediction and Numerical Tool Development

Abstract

This paper reports on a simulation framework capable of predicting the outcomes of the friction stir welding process. Numerical tool development becomes directly possible without the need for previous calibration to welding experiments. The predictive power of the framework is demonstrated by a case study for numerical tool development and validated experimentally. Different tool geometries with high levels of detail and active material flow features are investigated, and their effect on the process outcomes is quantified. The simulation framework is found to be able to predict forces, material flow, temperature fields, weld formation and welding defects a priori, in detail and precisely. This applies to the outer appearance of the weld as well as the location, shape, and size of inner welding defects. Causes for defects can be identified, analyzed and remedied. Compared to the validation experiment, the simulation showed a slight overestimation of the process impact in the case study. Since the framework relies strictly on analytically describable physics, the efforts for modeling the process are moderate considering the precision of the results.