Material flow in heterogeneous friction stir welding of thin aluminium sheets: Effect of shoulder geometry

The aim of this investigation was to study the influence of tool geometry on material flow during heterogeneous friction stir welding in 1 mm thick plates of AA 5182-H111 and AA 6016-T4 aluminium alloys. Two types of tool shoulders were used: a shoulder with a conical cavity and a scrolled shoulder. Pin-driven flow was predominant in welds produced with the conical cavity shoulder, which are characterized by an onion ring structure. The interaction between pin-driven and shoulder-driven flow is restricted to the crown of the weld, at the trailing side of the tool, and extends throughout the weld thickness, at the leading side. Although no onion ring structure was formed in welds done with the scrolled shoulder, extensive mixing of the base materials occurred in a plasticized layer flowing through the thickness around the rotating pin. Shoulder-driven flow is intense and continuous around the tool.