Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is a solid-state welding process that has multiple advantages over fusion welding. The design of tools for the FSW process is a factor of interest, considering its fundamental role in obtaining sound welds. There are some commercially available alternatives for FSW tools, but unlike conventional fusion welding consumables, their use is limited to very specific conditions. In this work, equations to act as guidelines in the design process for FSW tools are proposed for the 2XXX, 5XXX, 6XXX, and 7XXX aluminum series and any given thickness to determine: pin length, pin diameter, and shoulder diameter. Over 80 sources and 200 tests were used and detailed to generate these expressions. As a verification approach, successful welds by authors outside the scope of the original review and the tools used were evaluated under this development and used as case studies or verification for the guidelines. Variations between designs made using the guidelines and those reported by other researchers remain under 21%.
Sustainability scores can be used to assess manufacturing strategies, going one step beyond a standard economic assessment. This work uses a previously proposed methodology to evaluate two of the most common welding processes for aluminium alloys that are specifically used in the fabrication of components for the transport industry based on their advantages in generating lightweight and dimensionally efficient parts. For comparison and as proof of concept, two welding methods were selected: Friction Stir Welding (FSW) and Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW). FSW attained a higher overall sustainability score. Values were calculated for an existing aluminium product, which was part of the opening and closing system of an electric train door, and the final score was 0.78 from FSW compared to 0.69 from GTAW, which was 11% higher in FSW compared to the conventional arc welding process. The analysis carried out included economic, physical, social, and environmental impacts. Finally, an example pertinent to a current EV component is described and considered along with a plan to determine the best welding process for a particular application, and with the calculations, the score obtained for GTAW was 0.43 and 0.68 for FSW, which was 36% higher that the result for the conventional arc welding process.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.