Selection of Welding Method to Join AA6061 Alloy and Comparative Analysis of MIG and FSW

Abstract

Aluminium 6061 material is one of the most common alloys of aluminum for general-purpose use because some excellent mechanical, thermal properties and light weight. It is most commonly used for construction of aircraft structures, such as wings and fuselages, more commonly in homebuilt aircraft than commercial or military aircraft, yacht construction, including small utility boats, automotive parts, such as the chassis of the Audi A8 and the Plymouth Prowler, flashlights, aluminum cans for the packaging of food and beverages, Scuba tanks and other high pressure gas storage cylinders etc. To develop products from Aluminium alloys Al 6061, various parts need to join by some means. Aluminium alloys are slightly difficult to weld using conventional welding process such as arc welding. Through exhaustive literature survey, it is found that conventional welding processes such as MIG welding produces joints but they have poor weld quality. So, again through literature survey, it is observed some modern welding techniques produces better weld quality such as Friction Stir Welding, Ultrasonic welding, Laser beam welding, Electron beam welding etc. There are various alternatives available to weld Al 6061 material; hence to select best suited welding technique for producing good weld quality in affordable range AHP is implemented. Through literature study and Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) it is concluded that Friction Stir Welding is one of best alternative to join Al 6061. Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid-state, hot–shear joining process in which a rotating tool with a shoulder and terminating in a threaded pin moves along the butting surfaces of two rigidly clamped plates placed on a backing plate. The application of friction stir welding was the welding of long lengths of material in the aerospace, shipbuilding, and railway industries. However, while welding the Aluminum 6061 many problems are faced due to which good quality of welding is not obtained. The main problem in MIG welding while welding Aluminum is that it reacts with oxygen in the air to produce a thin hard film of aluminum oxide on the surface. Therefore, to reduce the heat affected zone lowest possible heat input is given. To understand it better, comparative study of conventional and modern welding techniques is carried out. Al 6061 material is welded using MIG and FSW and after various testing; it is found that FSW produces far better weld quality than MIG welding.

Cite as

Ajay Anantrao Joshi, & Pravin Nerkar. (2023). Selection of Welding Method to Join AA6061 Alloy and Comparative Analysis of MIG and FSW. Advancement in Mechanical Engineering and Technology, 6(3), 19–43. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8401456