Numerical simulation and experimental measurement of the thermal history of friction stir welded copper plates

Abstract

In this study, the thermal histories of the welded copper plates have been numerically determined under different welding conditions. In order to determine the amount of heat produced by the welding tool, Frigaard formula was used and in the next step, the welding process was modelled using the obtained heat values. The numerical results have been compared with empirical results and it was cleared that they are in good agreement. This study showed that the travelling velocity of the welding tool changes the amount of transferred heat to the workpiece and its rotating velocity affects the welding temperature. Also, it was cleared that in all welding processes, initially, the graphs of predicted thermal histories using the numerical method are lower than the diagrams obtained from the experiment. Then, the diagrams trend change and the simulation graphs go above the experimental graphs. Moreover, the Signal-to-Noise ratio analysis showed that the diameter of the shoulder is an important factor in this process and mainly, affects the thermal stresses.