A statistically based methodology in the identification of friction welding parameters

An approach is developed to find the values of the friction welding parameters to be used in the joining of Mg alloy sheets with thickness of 1.5 mm. A set of laboratory trials, based on the design of experiment method, is performed in order to determine the conditions under which the welding operation is feasible. In particular, a 2k factorial design (k=3) is used with two different configurations. In the first configuration the rotational speed, the welding speed and the presence/absence of the pin (in the tool) are considered, whilst in the second, performed under "no-pin condition", the rotational speed, the welding speed and the shoulder diameter are varied. The results show a strong beneficial effect on the tensile strength of the joint, under the "no-pin condition", when the shoulder diameter is increased. © 2011 American Institute of Physics.