Feasibility of 5-axis CNC friction stir welding of Aluminum 3003-H14

This article investigates the effects various Friction Stir Welding (FSW) parameters have on the Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) of AA3003-H14 joints welded in a horizontal 5-axis CNC. The goal of this research is to combine the use of horizontal 5-axis machining with the ability to FSW in parallel. Two different tools were used in these tests. Both tools had tapered cylindrical pin profiles, while shoulder diameters were 19 mm and 25.4 mm, respectively. Along with the aforementioned tool shoulders, various tool rotation speeds and feed rates were evaluated with tensile tests conducted across 11 variable sets. A constant axial force of 5.2 kN was maintained during welding. A 25.4 mm tool shoulder was found to yield higher UTS than a 19 mm shoulder with the same feed rate and tool rotation speed. While feed rate had some effect on the strength of the weld, tool rotation speed did not have a significant effect on the tensile results in this study. The parameter set with the highest tensile strength in this test was performed with a 25.4 mm tool shoulder, tool rotation speed of 1200 rpm and a feed rate of 100 mm/min.