An Analytical Approach of Modelling Friction Stir Welding

A simple model for torque in friction stir welding is developed, based on a sliding/sticking condition in the contact interface, correlating the fundamental response variables temperature and axial force to torque. The model is validated by experiments using a special test rig enabling the precise measurement of the response variables. From the measured torque and axial force the friction coefficient μf is calculated and analyzed. It is observed that μf increases with decreasing rotation speed and drops with abrupt step-ups of the plunge depth. μf is found to mainly vary in the range of 0.3-0.4.