The Identification of the Key Enablers for Force Control of Robotic Friction Stir Welding

2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
William R. Longhurst ◽  
Alvin M. Strauss ◽  
George E. Cook
Keyword(s):  
Friction Stir Welding ◽  
Force Control ◽  
Weld Seam ◽  
Welding Process ◽  
Tool Geometry ◽  
Work Piece ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Plunge Depth ◽  
Friction Stir ◽  
Robotic Friction Stir Welding

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid state welding process that uses a rotating tool to plastically deform and then forge together materials. This process requires a large axial force to be maintained on the tool as the tool is plunged into the work piece and traversed along the weld seam. Force control is required if robots are to be used. Force control provides compensation for the compliant nature of robots. Without force control, welding flaws would continuously emerge as the robot repositioned its linkages to traverse the tool along the weld seam. Insufficient plunge depth would result and cause the welding flaws as the robot’s linkages yielded from the resulting force in welding environment. As FSW continues to emerge in manufacturing, robotic applications will be desired to establish flexible automation. The research presented here identifies the key enablers for successful and stable force control of FSW. To this end, a FSW force controller was designed and implemented on a retrofitted Milwaukee Model K milling machine. The closed loop proportional, integral plus derivative control architecture was tuned using the Ziegler–Nichols method. Welding experiments were conducted by butt welding 0.25 in. (6.35 mm) × 1.50 in. (38.1 mm) × 8.0 in. (203.2 mm) samples of aluminum 6061 with a 0.25 in. (6.35 mm) threaded tool. The experimental force control system was able to regulate to a desired force with a standard deviation of 129.4 N. From the experiments, it was determined that tool geometry and position are important parameters influencing the performance of the force controller, and four key enablers were identified for stable force control of FSW. The most important enabler is the maintaining of the position of a portion of the tool’s shoulder above the work piece surface. When the shoulder is completely submerged below the surface, an unstable system occurs. The other key enablers are a smooth motion profile, an increased lead angle, and positional constraints for the tool. These last three enablers contribute to the stability of the system by making the tool’s interaction with the nonlinear welding environment less sensitive. It is concluded that successful implementation of force control in the robotic FSW systems can be obtained by establishing and adhering to these key enablers. In addition, force control via plunge depth adjustment reduces weld flash and improves the appearance of the weld.

scholarly journals Analysis of Tools used in Friction Stir Welding process

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akshansh Mishra ◽  
Adarsh Tiwari ◽  
Mayank Kumar Shukla ◽  
A. Razal Rose
Keyword(s):  
Friction Stir Welding ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Base Material ◽  
Welding Process ◽  
Tool Geometry ◽  
Work Piece ◽  
Friction Stir ◽  
Tool Shoulder ◽  
Tool Pin ◽  
Joining Process

A relatively new joining process, friction stir welding (FSW) produces no fumes; uses no filler material; and can join aluminium alloys, copper, magnesium, zinc, steels, and titanium. FSW sometimes produces a weld that is stronger than the base material. The tool geometry plays a critical role in material flow and governs the transverse rate at which FSW can be conducted. The tool serves three primary functions, i.e., (a) heating of the work piece, (b) movement of material to produce the joint, and (c) containment of the hot metal beneath the tool shoulder. Heating is created within the work piece by friction between both the rotating tool pin and shoulder and by severe plastic deformation of the work.

Enabling Automation of Friction Stir Welding: The Modulation of Weld Seam Input Energy by Traverse Speed Force Control

2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
William R. Longhurst ◽  
Alvin M. Strauss ◽  
George E. Cook
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Axial Force ◽  
Pid Control ◽  
Force Control ◽  
Weld Seam ◽  
Traverse Speed ◽  
Work Piece ◽  
Input Energy ◽  
Plunge Depth ◽  
Friction Stir

Friction stir welding (FSW) joins materials by plunging a rotating tool into the work piece. The tool consists of a shoulder and a pin that plastically deforms the parent materials and then forges them together under the applied pressure. To create the pressure needed for forging, a rather large axial force must be maintained on the tool. Maintaining this axial force is challenging for robots due to their limited load capacity and compliant nature. To address this problem, force control has been used, and historically, the force has been controlled by adjusting the plunge depth of the tool into the work piece. This paper develops the use of tool traverse speed as the controlling variable instead of plunge depth. To perform this investigation, a FSW force controller was designed and implemented on a retrofitted Milwaukee Model K milling machine. The closed loop proportional, integral plus derivative (PID) control architecture was tuned using the Ziegler–Nichols method. Results show that the control of axial force via traverse speed is feasible and predictable. The resulting system is more robust and stable when compared with a force controller that uses plunge depth as the controlling variable. A standard deviation of 41.5 N was obtained. This variation is much less when compared with a standard deviation of 129.4 N obtained when using plunge depth. Using various combinations of PID control, the system’s response to step inputs was analyzed. From this analysis, a feed forward transfer function was modeled that describes the machinery and welding environment. From these results, a technique is presented regarding weld seam input energy modulation as a by product of force control via traverse speed. A relative indication of thermal energy in the welding environment is obtained with the feedback of axial force. It is hypothesized that, while under force control, the controller modulates weld seam input energy according to the control signal. The result is constant thermomechanical conditions in the welding environment. It is concluded that the key enablers for force control are the unidirectional behavior and load dynamics of the traverse motor. Larger bandwidths and more stable weld conditions emerge when using traverse speed instead of plunge depth to control the force. Force control of FSW via traverse speed has importance in creating efficient automatic manufacturing operations. The intelligence of the controller naturally selects the most efficient traverse speed.

Friction Stir Welding of Aluminum 6061-T6 and Multi-Purpose Copper 11000 Alloy

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lewis N. Payton
Keyword(s):  
Friction Stir Welding ◽  
Copper Alloy ◽  
Tangential Velocity ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
Fusion Welding ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
Friction Stir Weld ◽  
Tool Geometry ◽  
Work Piece ◽  
Friction Stir

Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is a solid-state joining process invented by The Welding Institute (TWI, United Kingdom) in 1991 in partnership with the National Aeronautics Space Agency. The process is emerging as one of the preferred alternative methods to permanently join materials that are difficult to join with traditional fusion methods (e.g., MIG, TIG, etc.). The welding of various copper alloys to various aluminum alloys is of great interest to the nuclear industry and the electrical distribution industry. The very different melting points of these two alloys preclude traditional fusion welding. Since the pin tool is simultaneously rotating and traversing through the work piece, flow around the tool is asymmetrical. This has led to designating one side of the tool as advancing and the opposite side as retreating. On the advancing side of the weld, the tool has a tangential velocity in the same direction as the weld is being created. The retreating side of the weld tool is the opposite. It can be can expected that asymmetric heating and deformation will occur in the weld due to this advancing/retreating nature of the FSW pin tool. Although previous studies have been performed that have observed this asymmetric behavior in both similar and dissimilar materials, the resulting welds have been of a poor quality. Large statistical experiments were conducted locally to study the effects of tool geometry, process parameters, and material composition have upon the friction stir butt welding of aluminum alloy 6061-T6 to copper alloy 11000 using a modern conventional 3-axis CNC vertical mill. The research seeks to determine (1) which direction a dissimilar metal friction stir weld between aluminum and copper should be executed, (2) the optimal shoulder diameter to be used when friction stir welding aluminum and copper on a CNC mill, and (3) the addition of a third material to act as an aide. The extensive statistical interactions between these parameters is also documented. A weld schedule was developed that resulted in an ultimate tensile strength (UTS) surpassing (greater than 90% of the weaker, more ductile copper alloy UTS strength) what has been documented in the current literature despite the machine limitations of the CNC vertical mill. Proper optimization of the welding schedule developed may approach 100 percent of the basic copper 11000 properties across the welded zone into the aluminum 6061-T6 alloy.

Application of Electric Current in Friction Stir Welding

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Pitschman ◽  
Jacob W. Dolecki ◽  
Garret W. Johns ◽  
Jun Zhou ◽  
John T. Roth
Keyword(s):  
Friction Stir Welding ◽  
Electric Current ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Welding Process ◽  
High Strength ◽  
Work Piece ◽  
Friction Stir ◽  
Weld Metals ◽  
Weld Properties ◽  
Electrically Enhanced

Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is a relatively new joining technique and has many applications. In FSW, heat generated due to friction between FSW tool and work-piece material softens the material and allows the materials in work-pieces to be stirred and joined together. FSW allows the work-pieces to be joined without reaching the melting point of the material, thus resulting in better welds. However, a large amount of mechanical energy has to be consumed for FSW of high-strength, difficult-to-weld metals such as titanium alloys. Hence, new FSW methods should be investigated to reduce the required energy. In this study, an innovative electrically-enhanced friction stir welding (EEFSW) has been developed. Electric current is passed in welding coupons of Aluminum 6061 plates and its effect on welding process and welds are examined. The results indicate that, with the aid of electric current, improvement in welding speed and reduction in energy consumption is obtainable, which enhances the productivity and widens the range of applications of FSW. Weld properties are found to be affected by the introduced current as well.

Process Parameter Optimization of Friction Crush Welding (FCW) of AISI 304 Stainless Steel

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gurinder Singh Brar ◽  
Manpreet Singh ◽  
Ajay Singh Jamwal
Keyword(s):  
Stainless Steel ◽  
Friction Stir Welding ◽  
Welding Process ◽  
Pressure Vessels ◽  
304 Stainless Steel ◽  
Welding Parameters ◽  
Work Piece ◽  
Aisi 304 Stainless Steel ◽  
Aisi 304 ◽  
Friction Stir

AISI 304 stainless steel is one of the grades of steel widely used in engineering applications particularly in chemical equipments, food processing, pressure vessels and paper industry. Friction crush welding (FCW) is type of friction welding, where there is a relative motion between the tool and work-piece. In FCW process, the edges of the work-piece to be joined are prepared with flanged edges and then placed against each other. A non-consumable friction disc tool will transverse with a constant feed rate along the edges of the work-piece, which leads to welding. The joint is formed by the action of crushing a certain amount of additional flanged material into the gap formed by the contacting material. The novelty of present work is that FCW removes the limitations of friction stir welding and Steel work pieces can be economically welded by FCW. Taguchi method of Design of Experiments (DOE) is used to find optimal process parameters of Friction Crush Welding (FCW). A L9 Orthogonal Array, Signal to Noise ratio (S/N) and Analysis of Variance are applied to analyze the effect of welding parameters (welding speed, RPM, tool profile) on the weld properties like bond strength. Grain refinement takes place in friction crush welding as is seen in friction stir welding. Friction crush welding process also has added advantage in reducing distortion and residual stresses.

Numerical Study of the Tool Rake Angle Effect on the Material Flow in Friction Stir Welding Process

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hosein Atharifar ◽  
Radovan Kovacevic
Keyword(s):  
Friction Stir Welding ◽  
Material Flow ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Welding Process ◽  
Rake Angle ◽  
Heat Transfer Analysis ◽  
Tool Geometry ◽  
Friction Stir ◽  
Tool Pin ◽  
Welding Processes

Minimizing consumed energy in friction stir welding (FSW) is one of the prominent considerations in the process development. Modifications of the FSW tool geometry might be categorized as the initial attempt to achieve a minimum FSW effort. Advanced tool pin and shoulder features as well as a low-conductive backing plate, high-conductive FSW tools equipped with cooling fins, and single or multi-step welding processes are all carried out to achieve a flawless weld with reduced welding effort. The outcomes of these attempts are considerable, primarily when the tool pin traditional designs are replaced with threaded, Trifiute or Trivex geometries. Nevertheless, the problem remains as to how an inclined tool affects the material flow characteristics and the loads applied to the tool. It is experimentally proven that a positive rake angle facilitates the traverse motion of the FSW tool; however, few computational evidences were provided. In this study, numerical material flow and heat transfer analysis are carried out for the presumed tool rake angle ranging from −4° to 4°. Afterwards, the effects of the tool rake angle to the dynamic pressure distribution, strain-rates, and velocity profiles are numerically computed. Furthermore, coefficients of drag, lift, and side force and moment applied to the tool from the visco-plastic material region are computed for each of the tool rake angles. Eventually, this paper confirms that the rake angle dramatically affects the magnitude of the loads applied to the FSW tool, and the developed advanced numerical model might be used to find optimum tool rake angle for other aluminum alloys.

Numerical Simulations of Friction Stir Welding Process and Subsequent Post Weld Cold Rolling Process

2009 ◽  
Vol 419-420 ◽  
pp. 433-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Jie Sun ◽  
Yong Zang ◽  
Qing Yu Shi
Keyword(s):  
Residual Stress ◽  
Friction Stir Welding ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Welding Process ◽  
Rolling Process ◽  
Mechanical Analysis ◽  
Fusion Welding ◽  
Work Piece ◽  
Friction Stir ◽  
Longitudinal Residual Stress

A sequential coupled three-dimensional thermo-mechanical analysis was conducted first to simulate friction stir welding (FSW) of aluminum alloy. In thermal analysis, the model included adaptive heat source, contact heat transfer both between work piece and clamps and between work piece and backing board etc; in the mechanical analysis, the model involved contact interaction both between work piece and clamps and between work piece and backing board, mechanical load of tool etc. The simulation results indicate that the longitudinal residual stress is unsymmetrical about weld centerline; the magnitude of longitudinal residual stress for FSW process is lower than that for fusion welding process. Based on simulated results of FSW process, a three-dimensional elastic-plastic analysis was then carried out to simulate rolling process, the simulation result show that rolling process not only causes a marked reduction in the longitudinal tensile residual but also reverse the sign of the longitudinal residual stress.

scholarly journals Influence of Tool Pin Profile and Tool Rotating Speed on Mechanical Properties of Al6082 Alloy

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 3342-3345
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Friction Stir Welding ◽  
Welding Process ◽  
Automatic Process ◽  
Work Piece ◽  
Milling Machine ◽  
Friction Stir ◽  
Vertical Milling ◽  
Vertical Milling Machine ◽  
Tool Pin

Friction stir welding is a solid state welding which uses non consumable welding tool. It is an automatic process which generally performs on the vertical milling machine. In this type of welding, the relative motion between the tools and work piece creates heat which uses the region of work piece to be welded get softened and to joint the two work pieces. Friction stir welding process is more reliable for the materials which are generally non heat treatable. In this present investigation it will observe that how the rotational speeds of the tool and different shapes of the tool pins effects the mechanical properties of the aluminium alloy 6082. For this purpose three tools with different profiles, i.e triangular, cylindrical and square was designed and fabricated. At three different rotational speeds of 560 rpm, 900 rpm, 1800 rpm work pieces are joined using vertical milling machine. Specimens are prepared and tested for mechanical properties, tensile, impact, and hardness tests are performed and to detect the defects and voids x-ray test performed on the weld joints. And it was observed that highest tensile strength was presented when the square pin tool used at 560 rpm. The rotational speed increased mechanical properties are reducing significantly.

scholarly journals Force feedback-based quality monitoring of the friction stir welding process utilizing an analytic algorithm

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Rabe ◽  
A. Schiebahn ◽  
U. Reisgen
Keyword(s):  
Friction Stir Welding ◽  
Monitoring System ◽  
Force Feedback ◽  
Weld Seam ◽  
Position Control ◽  
Welding Process ◽  
Quality Monitoring ◽  
Welding Parameters ◽  
Process Data ◽  
Friction Stir

AbstractThe friction stir welding (FSW) process is known as a solid-state welding process, comparatively stable against external influences. Therefore, the process is commonly used with fixed welding parameters, utilizing axial force control or position control strategies. External and internal process disturbances introduced by workpiece, gap tolerance, tool wear, or machine/tool inadequacies are rarely monitored, and conclusions about the weld seam quality, based on the recorded process data, are not drawn. This paper describes an advancement, improving on research into the correlation of process force feedback events or gradual force changes and the resulting weld seam characteristics. Analyzing the correlation between examined weld sections and high-resolution rate force data, a quality monitoring system based on an analytic algorithm is described. The monitoring system is able to accurately distinguish sound welds from such with internal (void) and external (flash) defects.

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