The Mechanical Properties Evaluation of the Welded Sheets of AA 3105 Aluminum Alloy Using Friction Stir Spot Welding (FSSW)

Friction stir spot welding (FSSW) is a type of solid state welding that is used in the connection of small pieces and light metals such as aluminum alloy especially. The technical problem during melting of aluminum alloys is one of the most important reasons for developing application of friction stir welding for aluminum alloys. In this research, the effects of important processing parameters such as tool rotation speed, dwell time, plunge depth of tool and sheets thickness on the mechanical properties such as failure force and energy of FSS welded AA-3105 alloy have been experimentally studied using micro hardness and tensile tests. Tensile-shear tests show four different fracture modes of weld failure which consist of shear fracture, circumferential fracture, nugget pull out fracture and fracture in base material modes. The results show that the weld strength drops with increasing the tool rotation speed. Strength and hardness of weld and weld zone increase and then decrease with increasing dwell time of rotational tool which it can be obtained an optimum value of dwell time. Strength and fracture energy and load of welds increases with increasing the sheet thickness.