About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Forming and Joining of Advanced Sheet Metal Materials
|
| Presentation Title |
Finite Element Modelling and Thermo-Microstructural Analysis of Friction Stir Welding of Aluminium and Steel Alloys |
| Author(s) |
Chandana Ravikumar, Michaela Šlapáková |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Chandana Ravikumar |
| Abstract Scope |
Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is a solid-state joining technique that produces high-quality welds without melting the material. This study presents a COMSOL-based thermal analysis of dissimilar friction stir welding using a bimetallic plate composed of pure aluminium alloy (AA1100) and stainless steel (AISI 304) divided along the y-axis. The coupled thermo-mechanical simulation is implemented in COMSOL Multiphysics v 6.2 using a moving coordinate system fixed to the tool. Temperature-dependent material properties and a Johnson–Cook plasticity model are defined for both AA1100 and 304 steel. Frictional heat generation at the tool–workpiece interfaces, convective and radiative cooling, and other boundary conditions are incorporated. The simulation results reveal peak alloy welding temperatures of ~ 664 °C for welding two aluminium plates and ~ 675 °C for only steel, and 667 °C for aluminium and steel welded together, with distinct thermal profiles. Time-dependent temperature profiles reveal asymmetric heat flow: aluminium rapidly conducts and spreads heat, forming broad high-temperature plateaus near 670 °C, while steel’s lower conductivity and higher heat capacity delay its temperature rise, creating distinct troughs. Crest–trough fluctuations emerge at the interface due to contrasting material properties and boundary effects. These findings highlight how thermal asymmetry shapes microstructural evolution and residual stress, offering insights for optimizing process parameters in dissimilar material welding. The presented approach can reduce the need for extensive trial-and-error in FSW process development and guide the welding of advanced alloys in aerospace and automotive applications |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Aluminum, Modeling and Simulation, Joining |