Abstract
Friction stir welding (FSW) of Aluminum (AA6061-T6) and Titanium (Ti64) dissimilar alloys have been carried out in the presence of a 2 microns Copper interlayer. Three levels of tool rotation speed and traverse speed have been selected as variable input parameters. The output parameters considered response variables were the temperature on the Ti side, temperature difference, microhardness, and tensile strength. Taguchi’s L9 array has been used for the experimental design. The Taguchi’s L9 orthogonal array is used in order to estimate the factors that influence the performance criteria and also which factors are more important than others. From the response table, the tool rotation speed has been found as the most influential factor affecting the quality of the welded joint. The signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio indicated that the welded joint’s optimal quality was achieved at 500 rpm and 14 mm/min. The ANOVA analysis found that the p-values of all the response variables are less than the significance level α (0.05). The variability study indicated that the process was under statistical control, and no assignable causes of variability were present. However, the ways and means to reduce inherent variability can be further explored using an improved experimental setup.
