Simulation of Material Plastic Flow and Morphology During Friction Stir Welding of Stainless Steel to Aluminum Alloy Dissimilar Joint

Today, steel to aluminum joints are used to facilitate transportation and fuel consumption. These joints are applied from nuclear, aerospace and naval to automobile and kitchen industries. According to previous studies fusion welding processes are not suitable methods for these joints, solid-state welding, especially friction stir welding, is a proper way to use for these joints. However, using this method for these two metals needs adequate prediction of temperature distribution and material flow to obtain enhanced joints. In this study, a finite element method is used to predict the temperature distribution. In addition, a computational fluid dynamics solution is coupled with the thermal solution. Therefore, the flow rate, strain rate and dynamic viscosity is obtained. Also, the joint morphology is predicted using the Level Set method. It is shown the material flow depends on flow rate, strain rate and dynamic viscosity and is intensively function of rotational speed. Additionally, offset to the aluminum side improves the morphology of the stir zone.