Numerical Study on Effect of Tool Shape on Mechanical Behavior during Friction Stir Welding

Abstract

In friction stir welding, tool shape can effect the mechanical behavior during joining. In this study, the effect of tool shape on the temperature distribution during joining was investigated using numerical simulation method based on particle method. The influence of joining condition such as rotational speed, traveling speed and tilt angle on cylindrical tool and semi-spherical tool were investigated using the particle method. From these results, it was found that the rotation speed and the traveling speed have larger effect than tilt angle on the temperature distribution. It was also found that the cylindrical tool and semi-spherical tool almost have same tendency corresponding to the parameter change. Stresses in tool were also investigated according to the predicted pressure distribution by the particle method. As a result, it was found that the semi-spherical tool can reduce the stress than the cylindrical tool.