Influence of shoulder diameter on Temperature and Z-parameter during friction stir welding of Al 6082 alloy

In this research article, the effect of increasing shoulder diameter on temperature and Zener Holloman (Z)-parameter for friction stir butt welded AA6082-T6 was studied. The temperature at the Advancing side (AS) of weld was measured using the K-Type thermocouple at four different equidistant locations. The developed analytical model is utilized to predict the maximum temperature (T_peak) during the welding. The strain, strain rate, Z- Parameter for all the shoulders at four distinct locations were evaluated. The temperature increases with increase in shoulder diameter and the maximum temperature was recorded for 24mm shoulder diameter. The computed log Z values are compared with the available process map and results shows that the values are in stable flow region and near to stir zone the values are in Dynamic recrystallization region (DRX). The axial load (F_z) and total tool torque (N-m) are found to be higher for shoulder diameter of 21 mm i.e., 6.3 kN and 56.5 N-m respectively.