Study of mechanical properties and experimental comparison of Mig and Friction stir welding processes for aa6082-t6 aluminium alloy

In this study, the mechanical properties of welded joints of AA-6082-T6 aluminium alloy obtained with friction stir welding (FSW) and conventional metal inert gas welding (MIG) were studied. FSW welds were carried out on a Friction stir welding machine. The performance of FSW and MIG welded joints were identified using tensile, metallographic and hardness tests. The joints obtained with FSW and MIG processes were also assessed for distortion that accompanied the welding processes. Taking into consideration the process conditions and requirements, FSW and MIG processes were also compared with each other to understand the advantages and disadvantages of the processes for welding applications of studied Al alloy. Better tensile strength was obtained with FSW welded joints. The width of the heat affected zone of FSW was narrower than MIG welded joints. The results show that FSW improves the mechanical properties of welded joints.