OPTIMIZATION OF PROCESS PARAMETERS FOR TENSILE BEHAVIOR OF FRICTION STIR WELDED ALUMINUM JOINT

In this work, friction stir welding of pure Aluminium was carried out on the vertical milling machine with the help of an indigenously developed robust fixture. Taguchi parametric design and optimization approach was used to perform parametric analysis and to determine optimum process parameters viz. tool rotation speed, welding speed, and tool geometry with reference to the tensile strength of the weld joint. Further, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Signal-to-Noise ratio (SNR) analysis were employed to evaluate the relative impact of process parameters and to find out the optimal condition. The predicted optimal condition was affirmed by conducting a confirmation experiment. A hardness measurement of welded joints and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of fractured specimens was also carried out of the specimens for the worst and best tensile strength (welded joints). Comparative analysis was also done of both specimens with the fractured specimen of base Al test specimen.