A Comparative Study of the Mechanical Properties of Single and Double Sided Friction Stir Welded Aluminium Joints

Abstract

Aluminium alloys have a wide range of application in many key industries like aerospace and defence. It is necessary to have a high strength joint without much distortion in the above applications. In the present investigation, Al 1100 H14 aluminum alloy strips were joined by friction stir welding (FSW) process by single and double sided welding. Also the effect of direction of welding on tensile properties of the joints was investigated. Standard thickness (4 mm) aluminium pieces were joined by FSW under various traversing speeds and rotational speeds. The effects on mechanical properties like surface hardness and tensile strength of the welded region were studied. It has been concluded that double sided welds are better in strength compared to single sided ones and same direction welds have substantial improvement in mechanical properties when compared to opposite direction ones.