Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

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Studies on the effect of welding parameters for friction stir welded

AA6082 reinforced with Aluminium Oxide
Khalique Ejaz Ahmed a, B.M. Nagesh a, B.S. Raju b, D.N. Drakshayani a
a
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sir M. VIT, Bangalore, India
b
School of Mechanical Engineering, REVA University, Bangalore, India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is a relatively new process which has proved to be a much more viable joining
Received 31 August 2019 process for all Aluminium Alloys than earlier techniques, such as Metal Inert Gas, Tungsten Inert Gas,
Accepted 15 October 2019 Laser Welding and Resistance Welding. Friction Stir Welding is the fastest evolving joining technology
Available online xxxx
and the principal prospective technique for implementing integral fuselage structure in aircraft manufac-
turing. Friction Stir Welding is a solid-state joining process that uses a non-consumable tool to join two
Keywords: facing work pieces without melting the work piece material. The main objective of the work is to study
Friction Stir Welding
the effect of mechanical properties like Hardness, Tensile strength along with Microstructure by varying
Aluminium Alloy AA6082
Aluminium Oxide
the tool rotational speed of 500 rpm, 710 rpm, 1000 rpm and 1400 rpm during the Friction Stir Welding
Process parameters of Aluminium Alloy 6082 with different reinforcement percentages of 5%, 10% and 15% of Aluminium
ANOVA Oxide (Al2O3). FSW process parameters were optimized using the ANOVA method and Response
Stir casting Surface Methodology to determine the optimum values of Tensile strength of the joints.
Tensile strength Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Confer-
ence on Recent Research Emerging Trends in Materials & Mechanical Engineering.

1. Introduction the expulsion of softened material and consolidates it in a way

Joining of two similar or dissimilar metallic components with
the application of heat, with or without the application of pressure
and with or without the use of filler metal play important role in
the present scenario where heat may be obtained by chemical
reaction, electric arc, electrical resistance, frictional heat, sound
and light energy. In Friction Stir Welding a non-consumable rotat-
ing cylindrical tool, consisting of a shoulder and profiled pin
emerging from it, is plunged into the abutting edges of the two
plates to be joined, until a substantial portion of the shoulder is
in intimate contact with the surface of the work piece. Thereafter,
the tool traverses the joint as it rotates, inducing heat high enough
to locally plasticize and move the material to its rear. Large shear-
ing forces are involved and the temperature of the material is
raised to approximately 80% of the melting point. In order to make
a full penetration weld, the tool is usually designed so that the bot-
tom of the pin is near the bottom surface of the work piece when
the shoulder makes contact with the top surface. In addition to
providing supplementary frictional heating, the shoulder prevents
E-mail address: raju_bs@reva.edu.in (B.S. Raju)
similar to forging
The various process variables in Friction Stir Welding are tool
rotational speed, welding speed, shoulder diameter, Pin diameter
and profile, axial force, tilt angle, work piece material, shoulder
and pin material. Tool rotational speed and welding speed decide
whether enough heat input is being supplied to weld so as to
favourably affect the weld characteristics. Insufficient and exces-
sive downward force produce defects in the weld. The defect free
weld is decided by the use of proper tool design. Tool consists of
three parts, these are shoulder diameter, pin and shank. Pin having
small diameter and plunged into the work piece materials com-
pletely. The pin is responsible for proper stirring of the material
and transportation of plasticized material from the leading edge
of the tool to trailing edge of the tool. Shoulder is part of the tool
which produces most of heat due to its rubbing with work piece
surface. Shoulder generates the frictional heat and also prevents
the escape of the plasticized material from the upper surface of
the work piece. FSW process offers better mechanical properties,
low residual stress and distortion, and reduced occurrence of
defects at the weld zone. Researchers all over the world carry out
investigations on Friction Stir Welding of MMCs to understand
the effect of welding parameters on flow behaviour, mechanical

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.10.059
2214-7853/Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Recent Research Emerging Trends in Materials & Mechanical
Engineering.

Please cite this article as: K. E. Ahmed, B. M. Nagesh, B. S. Raju et al., Studies on the effect of welding parameters for friction stir welded AA6082 reinforced
with Aluminium Oxide, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.10.059
2 K.E. Ahmed et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
and metallurgical properties. Very little information has been
reported so far on the effect of process parameters on mechanical
and metallurgical properties of friction stir welded AA6082-Al2O3
MMCs.
2. Literature survey
2.1. Effect of welding parameters
Ceschini et al. experimentally studied the effect of friction stir
welding over AA 7005 alloy reinforced with 10% Al2O3 particles
with material ferro-titanit. The parameters used are axial force
12 KN, rotation speed 600 rpm, welding speed 300 mm/min and
the microstructure, variation in tensile and low-cycle fatigue
behavior were studied. It was found that on average, the ultimate
tensile strength of the FSW joint was 72% that of the parent mate-
rial [1]. Ajay Singh et al. experimental work is focused on the study
of behavior of Aluminum Cast Alloy (6063) with alumina (Al2O3)
composite produced by the stir casting technique. Different per-
centages of alumina powder is used as reinforcement phase in this
AMC. The experiment is conducted with 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, 10% per-
centage of Alumina. Various mechanical tests like tensile test,
Hardness Test, Impact test are performed on the samples of AMC
to evaluate the mechanical properties of this aluminum based
metal matrix composites and concluded that Aluminum matrix
composites have been successfully fabricated by stir casting tech-
nique with fairly uniform distribution of Al2O3 particles. In the
Charpy V-notch test, with the increase in Al2O3% Impact strength
increases with respect to base metal. In Vickers hardness tester
machine the hardness increases with increase in Al2O3 and in ten-
sile test strength increases with increase in Al2O3% [2]. Nami et al.
investigated the effect of the tool rotation speed on tensile strength
of friction stir welded Al/Mg2Si cast composite joints. In all the
samples, fracture occurred in stir zone except sample number 3
in which fracture occurred in transitional zone. Evidently, it is
inferred that the tool rotation speed affects the strength of the joint
significantly but had no considerable effect on fracture location. As
can be seen, the strength is low at the tool rotation speed of
710 rpm. This property goes through a maximum with a higher
tool rotation speed. In this condition, the tensile strength is about
100% of the base material strength. At lower tool rotation speeds,
lower heating condition, poor stirring action by the tool pin and
improper consolidation of the work material by the tool shoulder
prevails. As a result, a low strength property is obtained [3]. Ashok
Kumar et al. investigated on AA6061 with 8% of Al3Zr composite
which was produced by in stir reaction of molten Aluminium
and in-organic salt K2ZRF6 through casting process. A double pass
friction stir processing was carried out by using tool rotational
speed of 1200 rpm, travel speed of 50 mm/min and axial force of
8 kn. A tool made of HCHCR steel with oil hardened to 62 HRC with
hexagonal tool profile is used and concluded that using stir casting
technique a uniform distribution of Al3Zr particles in Aluminium
matrix and also concluded FSP converted needle shape morphol-
ogy of Al3Zr particles into spherical shape which results in increase
of hardness of the composite [4]. Gurvir Singh Suri et al. had stud-
ied that the tensile test is for the most influenced by tool rotational
velocity. The percentage of error associated with tensile strength is
4.03. Tensile test generally failed in the area of least hardness on
AA6082-T6 side. Optimal setting of process parameters for tensile
strength is 1400 rpm, 120 mm/min with cylindrical threaded tool.
The processing of surface by friction stir process can help improve
the surface properties [5]. Won Bae Lee et al. investigated the FSW
joints of AA6061 Aluminium alloy and they observed that the hard-
ness of the stir zone increased with the tool rotation speed. A
higher tool rotation speed resulted in the lower cooling rate since
Please cite this article as: K. E. Ahmed, B. M. Nagesh, B. S. Raju et al., Studies on the effect of welding parameters for friction stir welded AA6082 reinforced
with Aluminium Oxide, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.10.059
stir zone reached a higher temperature. Therefore, a slower cooling
sufficiently promoted the re-precipitation of dissolved precipitates.
The stir zone with larger grains and lower density of dislocations
characterized higher tool rotation speed. Further, they opined that
the higher density of spherical shape precipitates contributed to a
higher hardness than that of a lower tool rotation speed in stir zone
[6]. Jayaraman et al. studied the effect of different welding speeds,
while friction stir welding of the cast A319 Al alloy. The joints fab-
ricated using a welding speed of 40 mm/min exhibited superior
tensile strength due to the formation of fine eutectic Si particles
uniformly distributed in the Al matrix and also the absence of
defects in the stir zone [7]. Lakshminarayanan et al. adopted the
Taguchi parametric design and optimization approach was used.
Through the Taguchi parametric design approach, the optimum
levels of process parameters were determined. The results indicate
that the rotational speed, welding speed and axial force are the sig-
nificant parameters in deciding the tensile strength of the joint.
The predicted optimal value of tensile strength of friction stir
welded RDE-40 Aluminium alloy is 303 MP [8].
2.2. Comparisons of friction stir welding with conventional welding
processes
Squillace et al. compared two different welding processes one is
conventional tungsten inert gas (TIG) process and second is Fric-
tion stir welding (FSW). A micro-hardness measurement allows
pointing out a general decay of mechanical properties of TIG joints,
mainly due to high temperatures experienced by material. In FSW
joint, instead, lower temperatures involved in process and severe
plastic deformations induced by tool motion allow rising of a com-
plex situation: by a general point of view a slight decay of mechan-
ical properties is recorded in nugget zone, flow arm and thermo-
mechanically altered zone (TMAZ), while in heat-affected zone
(HAZ), due to starting heat treatment of alloy under investigation,
a light improvement of such properties is appreciated. In flow arm
and in nugget zone, however, a light recovery of hardness, w.r.t.
TMAZ zone, is recorded, due to the re-crystallization of a very fine
grain structure [9]. Maggiolino et al. made a comparison between
the corrosion resistance of AA6060-T5 and AA6082-T6 jointed sur-
faces via Friction Stir Welding (FSW) and Metal Inert Gas (MIG).
The test was conducted putting the welded and polished samples
in an acid salt solution. The corrosion resistance was detected via
morphological analysis of the surface. The attack was localized
(pitting), an index referred to the pit density was used for the com-
parison. The result indicated that the joint welded via Friction Stir
is more resistant than that welded via Metal Inert Gas technique
[10]. Wang et al. reported the effect of welding processes (FSW
and TIG) on the fatigue properties of 5052 Aluminium-welded
joints was analyzed based on fatigue testing. The results show that
the fatigue properties of FSW welded joints are better than those of
TIG welded joints [11] (Fig. 1).
2.3. Defects obtained during FSW process
Xiaopeng et al. investigated the effect of joint geometry on
defects and mechanical properties of friction stir welded
AA6061-T4 alloy joints. In case of T-joints flow of metal in vertical
direction is needed to fill the fillets. Flow in vertical direction is not
possible if insufficient heat input is given which leads to tunnel
defect [12]. Kim et al. have investigated the flash defects in friction
stir welding. At higher rotational speed and lower welding speed
material undergo sever plastic deformation which leads to the for-
mation of excessive flash [13]. Surjya K. Pal et al. investigated sur-
face defects formation in FSW. They identified surface defects
using image processing techniques. Excessive tool-shoulder
frictional heat thermally softens the material which leads to the
 K.E. Ahmed et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx 3

Fig. 3. Fixture.

Fig. 1. FSW working principle.

formation of flash, and high tool shoulder pressure ejects the
excessive amount of flash [14] (Fig. 2).
2.4. Optimization of results
Sarsilmaz et al. applied the full factorial experimental design to
study the effect of friction-stir welding (FSW) parameters such as
spindle rotational speed, traverse speed, and stirrer geometry on
mechanical properties of AA 1050/AA 5083 alloy. Ultimate tensile
strength (UTS) and hardness of welded joints were determined
for this purpose. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and main effect plot
were used to determine the significant parameters and set the
optimal level for each parameter. A linear regression equation
was derived to predict each output characteristic [15] (Fig. 3).
3. Methodology
The material used is a composite with matrix as Aluminium
Alloy 6082 and reinforcement as Aluminium Oxide (Al2O3). Differ-
ent composition of 5%, 10% and 15% of Aluminium Oxide was
added to Aluminium Alloy 6082 during Stir casting process. These
work pieces welded together by the FSW process and various
mechanical tests like the Tensile test, Hardness along with
Microstructure of the specimens were studied.
Design of fixture and tool: The fixture is designed to withstand
the pressure applied by the tool on the work piece during FSW
process. It must be rigid, capable of absorbing the heat developed
by friction and must hold the work piece tightly during the FSW
process.
HCHCR TOOL: HCHCR steel is a Cold Work Steel with High Car-
bon High Chromium contents. Normally, supply condition is
annealed and will offer hardness to reach 57–59 HRC, which is
machinable in the annealed condition as shown in Fig. 4. Casting
process: The casting process involved in mould Preparation, heat-
ing Aluminium Oxide (Al2O3) & 6082 Al Alloy & finally Stir Casting
of the parts as shown in the Fig. 5. The Fig. 6 represents the FSW
operational setup.
Initially, two specimens of the required dimensions and of the
same Aluminium Oxide composition, were taken and assembled
together, to form a single work piece, in the fixture which was
fixed on the milling machine.

The work piece is then checked for proper alignment and then
fixed tightly onto the fixture with the help of C-Clamps.

The tool is then brought at the top of the work piece, where the
two specimens are joined, and is then lowered until a consider-
able distance, for the FSW process to take place.

As the tool makes contact with the work piece, heat is generated
as a result of friction between the work piece and the tool which
results in welding of the two specimens.
The Table 1 indicates the percentage composition of the mate-
rial and various speed in order to prepare the components by fric-
tion stir welding process.

Fig. 2. Design of fixture.

Please cite this article as: K. E. Ahmed, B. M. Nagesh, B. S. Raju et al., Studies on the effect of welding parameters for friction stir welded AA6082 reinforced
with Aluminium Oxide, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.10.059
4 K.E. Ahmed et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

Fig. 4. HCHCR Tool.

Fig. 6. FSW operation setup.

II. Hardness Test: The Vickers hardness test was carried out
according to HV5 standard (IS1501:2013). The test was done by
exerting a controlled force to an indenter over a period of time,
which is a square-shaped diamond pyramid. The test was carried
out by applying a load of 5 kg. The Brinell hardness test was carried
out according to the according to HBW (2.5/62.5) standard (IS
1500:2013). According to this standard, the diameter of the ball
indenter was 2.5 mm and a load of 62.5 kg was applied on the
specimen. During this test, an accurately controlled force is main-
tained when an indenter, generally a carbide ball, is forced into the
test model for a specific period of time.
III. Microstructure analysis: Initially, the work piece is cut to
the required dimensions. The specimens are then subjected to
etching process. In this process, the surface of the specimen to be
analyzed is made smooth by means of four different grades of
emery paper (400, 600, 800 and 1000 grit size). It is then subjected
to polishing process and is then dipped in an alkali solution for 10 s
to remove impurities. The microscope used for the analysis was the
OLYMPUS BX53M upright metallurgical microscope. The magnifi-
cations used for the microstructure analysis are 50X, 100X and
200X.

4. Results & discussions

The FSW process parameters, namely tool rotational speed and

percentage composition have been varied to study their effects on
Fig. 5. Stir casting process. the tensile strength, hardness, and microstructure on the welded
joint. Results of the models are presented in the graphical form
for better understanding. Important results are also reviewed.

3.1. Mechanical characterization 4.1. Characterization of AA-6082 with 5% of Al2O3

The following mechanical tests were conducted Friction stir welding was done on two plates of Aluminium alloy
AA6082 reinforced with 10% Al2O3 butted together. The Table 2
1) Tensile test below shows the tensile properties of the joint (Table 3).
2) Hardness test

Brinell hardness test 1) Effect of tool rotational speed: The effect of tool rotational

Vickers hardness test speed on tensile strength is shown in Fig. 9. From the graph,
3) Microstructure Analysis it is been observed that the variation of tool rotational speed
plays an important role in determining the ultimate tensile
I Tensile test: The specimen were prepared according to the strength. At the lower tool rotational speeds, heat input
ASTM-E8 standard and the test was conducted according to the was low. Due to this there was poor plastic flow of the metal
ASTM E8M-16a standards. The detailed specification of the tensile from the advancing side resulting in formation of sharp
test specimen is as shown in the Fig. 7. The Fig. 8 represents the interface between the weld zone and the base metal. This
extraction of the test specimen sharper interface causes a mismatch at the advancing side

Please cite this article as: K. E. Ahmed, B. M. Nagesh, B. S. Raju et al., Studies on the effect of welding parameters for friction stir welded AA6082 reinforced
with Aluminium Oxide, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.10.059
 K.E. Ahmed et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx 5

Table 1
Represents the various speed with material composition used for the FSW.

Serial No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Process Parameters Percentage of Al2O3 mixed with Aluminium 5 5 5 5 10 10 10 10 15 15 15 15
Tool Rotational Speed 500 710 1000 1400 500 710 1000 1400 500 710 1000 1400
Tool Traverse Speed 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25

2) Specimen Hardness: The hardness test was conducted to

check the hardness levels across the specimen. The Brinell
hardness number and Vicker hardness number is obtained
for three points across the specimens. The points were two
points on the base metal across the specimen & one point
on the part where it is friction stir welded.
Fig. 7. Tensile test specimen dimensions.
3) It has been inferred that the hardness value is greatest in the
weld zone compared to the hardness values of the base
metal as shown in the Fig. 10, which is due to the grain size
of the stir zone is much finer than that of the base metal;
grain refinement plays an important role in material
strengthening. According to Hall-Petch equation, the hard-
ness increases as the grain size decreases and the small par-
ticles of inter-metallic compounds are also beneficial to
hardness improvements according to Orowan hardening
mechanism (Figs. 11 and 12).
4) Microstructure analysis: Microstructure analysis was done
at the stir zone of AA-6082 with 5% Al2O3 specimen with
the following magnifications: 50X, 100X, 200X. Virtually,
all traces of dendritic solidification microstructure were
eliminated throughout the nugget zones, and very fine pre-
cipitates of Al2O3 particles were uniformly dispersed in the
weld nugget, because of the stirring action of the tool, and
dynamically re-crystallized condition of the metal during
FSW.

Fig 8. Wire cut Specimen.

4.2. Characterization of AA-6082 with 10% Al2O3

Table 2 Friction stir welding was done on two plates of Aluminum alloy
Tensile test results. AA6082 reinforced with 10% Al2O3 butted together. The Table 4
Percentage Speed in rpm Ultimate Tensile Strength (N/mm2) below shows the tensile properties of the joint.
5% 500 81.882
710 93.891 1) Effect of tool rotational speed: The graph of ultimate tensile
1000 101.165 strength vs rotational speed is plotted as shown in Fig. 13.
1400 95.441 Maximum tensile strength was obtained when the speci-
mens were welded at 1000 rpm and it was found to be
102.911 N/mm2.
Table 3 2) Specimen hardness: The hardness test was conducted to
Hardness test results.
check the hardness levels across the specimen & the results
Hardness Location BHN VHN are as shown in Table 5.
Base 1 51.9 75.7 From the Fig. 14 plotted for hardness, it is clearly show that
Weld 55.8 83.1 the hardness value is maximum at the weld zone.
Base 2 53.8 73.2 3) Microstructure analysis: Microstructure analysis was done
on the AA-6082 with 10% Al2O3 specimen with the following
magnifications: 50X, 100X, 200X. It can be observed that
Al2O3 particles are dispersed in the images shown. Thus it
which was the failure location of tensile specimen. It can be can be concluded that the Al2O3 particles are clearly mixed
seen that there is an increase in ultimate tensile strength up during the welding process. The images were captured in a
to 1000 rpm and decreases as the speed goes beyond computer and are as shown in Figs. 15 and 16.
1000 rpm. Maximum tensile strength was obtained when
the specimens were welded at 1000 rpm and it was found
to be 101.165 N/mm2. A higher tool rotational speed 4.3. Characterization of AA-6082 with 15% Al2O3
resulted in higher heat input which led to formation of
defects such as excessive flash and micro defects in nugget Friction stir welding was done on two plates of Aluminum alloy
zone, and these are the reasons for the lower strength prop- AA6082 reinforced with 15% Al2O3 butted together. The Table 6
erties of the joints. shows the tensile properties of the joint.

Please cite this article as: K. E. Ahmed, B. M. Nagesh, B. S. Raju et al., Studies on the effect of welding parameters for friction stir welded AA6082 reinforced
with Aluminium Oxide, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.10.059
6 K.E. Ahmed et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

Fig. 9. UTS vs Rotational Speed.

Fig. 10. Graph of BHN and VHN.

1. Effect of tool rotational speed

The Fig. 17 represents the ultimate tensile strength vs rotational

speed is plotted. Maximum tensile strength was obtained when the Fig. 11. Microstructure at 100X zoom.
specimens were welded at 1000 rpm and it was found to be
85.401 N/mm2.

5. Analysis and optimization

2. Specimen hardness
The hardness was computed at different region and the both
BHN & VHN are as shown in the Table 7. From the Fig. 18 plotted
for hardness, it is clearly seen that the hardness value is maximum
at the weld zone (Table 8).
3. Microstructure analysis
Microstructure analysis was done on the AA-6082 with 15%
Al2O3 specimen with the following magnifications: 100X, 200X.
The images were captured in a computer and are shown in Figs. 19
and 20 respectively (Table 9).
The purpose of the analysis is to develop a quantitative relation-
ship between the primary FSW inputs and measured outputs
(responses). A statistical approach is used to establish the quanti-
tative relationships and predictive equations that may be used in
a similar setup. An attempt is made to develop empirical relation-
ships, to predict tensile strength and yield stress of Friction Stir
Welded joints made of AA6082 reinforced with Al2O3, using statis-
tical tools such as the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Response
Surface Methodology (RSM), incorporating FSW process parame-
ters, such as percentage composition and the rotational speed
(Table 10).

Please cite this article as: K. E. Ahmed, B. M. Nagesh, B. S. Raju et al., Studies on the effect of welding parameters for friction stir welded AA6082 reinforced
with Aluminium Oxide, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.10.059
 K.E. Ahmed et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx 7

The second order polynomial (regression) equation used to rep-

resent the response surface ‘Y’ and the selected polynomial is
expressed as;



Y ¼ b0 þ b1 ðNÞ þ b2 ðPÞ þ b11 N2 þ b22 P2 þ b12 ðNP Þ ð2Þ

where b0 is the average of responses and b1, b2, b11, b22, b12, are the
coefficients that depend on the respective main and interaction fac-
tors. In the above expression, all the factors (main and interaction
factors) may not have a significant effect on the responses. To iden-
tify the significant factors, the ANOVA test was carried out. The
experiments were designed using software, Minitab version 16.0.
The same software was used for statistical analysis of the experi-
ments data.

5.2. Development of regression equation

From the ANOVA test results, the significant factors were iden-
tified, and only these factors are included in the final empirical
relationships. All the co-efficients were tested for their significance
at 95% confidence level.

The regression models is as follows :

Fig.12. Microstructure at 200X zoom. UTS ¼ f13:20590 þ 0:1614410ðNÞ þ 1:167620ðPÞ



Table 4
7:46787E  05 N2  0:213900 P2
Tensile test results.
þ0:000697922ðNPÞgMPa: ð3Þ
Percentage Speed in rpm Ultimate Tensile Strength (N/mm2)
10% 500 52.857 To test the goodness of the fit and validation of the developed
710 77.188 models, adequacy was determined by the analysis of variance tech-
1000 102.911 nique (ANOVA). The analysis of variance test was performed to
1400 99.518
evaluate the statistical significance of the fitted quadratic models
and factors involved therein for response factors such as Tensile
strength. From the ANOVA analysis for ultimate tensile strength,
5.1. Selection of mathematical model it is observed that the P value for rpm, per and rpm2 is less than
0.05. Therefore these terms are significant. From the above table
The response function (Y) of Friction Stir Welded joints is the it is seen that the P value for percentage composition is lesser than
function of tool rotational speed (N) and percentage composition the rotational speed, this means that the percentage composition is
(P) and it can be expressed as more significant factor.
Y ¼ f ðN; PÞ ð1Þ The modified form of regression equation for ultimate tensile
strength is shown below:

Fig. 13. Graph of UTS vs rpm.

Please cite this article as: K. E. Ahmed, B. M. Nagesh, B. S. Raju et al., Studies on the effect of welding parameters for friction stir welded AA6082 reinforced
with Aluminium Oxide, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.10.059
8 K.E. Ahmed et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

Table 5
Hardness test results.

Hardness Location BHN VHN

Base 1 52.8 64.2
Weld 54.8 71.5
Base 2 51.9 61.0

Fig. 14. Graph of BHN &VHN.

Fig. 16. Microstructure at 200X zoom.

Table 6
Tensile test results.

Percentage Speed in rpm Ultimate Tensile Strength (N/mm2)

15% 500 –
710 62.119
1000 85.401
1400 70.488

Therefore, it is very important to select and control the welding

Fig. 15. Microstructure at 100X zoom.
UTM ¼ f13:2059 þ 0:161441ðNÞ þ 1:16762ðPÞ

o
7:46787E  05 N2 MPa
The normal probability plot of the residual for the ultimate ten-
sile strength is shown in Fig. 21, which revealed that the residuals
fall in a straight line, which means that the errors are distributed
normally. All the above considerations indicate an excellent ade-
quacy of the regression model.
5.3. Optimization
An complete control over the relevant process parameters, to
maximize the strength on which the quality of a joint is based.
process parameters for obtaining maximum strength. In order to
achieve this, various prediction methods can be applied to define
the desired output variables, by developing mathematical models
to specify the relationship between the input parameters and the
output variables. Response surface methodology (RSM) is used
widely for analyzing problems in which several independent vari-
ables influence a dependent variable or response, and the goal is to
optimize the response. The tensile properties of the joints made
under different welding conditions, resulted in the lowest tensile
strength and ductility at the lowest spindle speed for a given tra-
verse speed. As the spindle speed is increased, both the strength
and elongation improved, reaching a maximum before falling again
at high rotational speeds. Hence, the tool rotation speed must be
optimized to attain the maximum tensile properties of the FSW
joints.
ð4Þ
1. Response Graphs and Contour Plots
Response surfaces were developed for all the empirical relation-
ships, taking two parameters in the ‘X’ and ‘Y’ axes and one param-
eter which is the response in the ‘Z’ axis. The response surfaces
clearly indicated the optimal response point. The optimum tensile
strength of the weld is exhibited by the apex of the response sur-
face which is show in the Fig. 22. Contour plots showed a distinc-
tive circular mound shape, indicative of the possible independence
of the factors with response to display the region of the optimal
factor settings. By generating contour plots using software for

Please cite this article as: K. E. Ahmed, B. M. Nagesh, B. S. Raju et al., Studies on the effect of welding parameters for friction stir welded AA6082 reinforced
with Aluminium Oxide, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.10.059
 K.E. Ahmed et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx 9

Fig. 17. Graph of UTS vs rpm.

Table 7
Hardness test results.

Hardness Location BHN VHN

Base 1 43.7 50.1
Weld 53.8 61.0
Base 2 44.9 55.2

Fig. 19. Microstructure at 100X zoom.

to suggest the independence of the factor effects, while elliptical

Fig. 18. Graph of BHN &VHN.
the response surface analysis, the optimum value is located with
reasonable accuracy by characterizing the shape of the surface. If
a contour patterning of circular shaped contour occurs, it tends
contours may indicate factor interactions. By generating response
graphs and contour plots using Minitab software for the response
surface analysis, there is every possibility to characterize the shape
of the response surface and locate the optimum with reasonable
precision (Fig. 23).

Table 8
Coefficient of the regression equation.

Coefficient b0 b1 b2 b11 b22 b12

Coefficient value for Ultimate tensile strength 13.2059 0.161441 1.16762 7.46787E-05 0.213900 0.000697922

Please cite this article as: K. E. Ahmed, B. M. Nagesh, B. S. Raju et al., Studies on the effect of welding parameters for friction stir welded AA6082 reinforced
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10 K.E. Ahmed et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

Table 10
Of predicted and experimental value of tensile strength.

Response Experimental Predicted %

value value Error
Ultimate tensile strength 102.911 104.7585 1.79%
(MPa)

for tensile strength. The maximum tensile strength estimated from

the response surface and contour plots is 104.7585 MPa, which is
obtained at a rotational speed of 1100 rpm and percentage compo-
sition of 5%.
The predicted value and the experimental value were com-
pared, and the percentage error was calculated which shows the
excellent agreement between the predicted values and actual val-
ues. The error percentage is within permissible limits. So the devel-
oped model through Response Surface Methodology can be applied
successfully to predict the tensile strength for any combination of
process parameters within the range of the experimentation
conducted.

6. Conclusion

Fig. 20. Microstructure at 200X zoom.
welding of AA-6082 reinforced with Al2O3 and leads to the follow-
ing conclusions:
2. Analysis of the Response Surface Plots and Contour Plots
The Fig. 22 show the contour and response graphs that reveal
the effect of the rotational speed and percentage composition on
the ultimate tensile strength of the weld joint. In the case of the
rotational speed, the result demonstrates that increasing the pro-
cess parameters until it reaches its center value would result in
improving the tensile strength. The three dimensional response
surface plots for the ultimate tensile strength are obtained from
the regression model. The optimum tensile strength is exhibited
by the apex of the response surface. It is relatively easy by exam-
ining the contour plots, to indicate a region of maximal tensile
strength at approximately the stationary point of each figure. It
is clear from these figures that it is easy to predict the relationship
between the responses and design variables, and determine the
nature of the stationary point. From the contour plot shown in
Fig. 13, the region with dark green color is the region with greater
ultimate tensile strength and as the percentage composition
increases the color becomes lighter, which indicates the decrease
in ultimate tensile strength as the percentage composition
increases. The red dots in contour plot depict the optimal value
This experimental work involves analysis of UTS in friction stir

Rotational speed influences the formation of defects in the nug-
get region, the hardness of the nugget region, and subsequently
the tensile strength of the friction stir welded Aluminum Alloy
AA-6082 reinforced with varying percentage of Al2O3.

It is observed from the graphs that, ultimate tensile strength
increases up to 1000 rpm and decreases as the speed goes
beyond 1000 rpm. At the lower tool rotational speeds, heat
input was low. Due to this there was poor plastic flow of the
metal from the advancing side resulting in formation defects.
Very high rotational speeds could raise the strain rate, and
thereby influence the re-crystallization process; which in turn,
could influence the FSW process.

As the volume percentage of the reinforcement (Al2O3)
increases, the tool rotational speed must be increased in order
to get a weld with superior tensile strength of the weld.

It is observed from the microstructure, that the defect free nug-
get zone has a relatively smaller grain size. This results in higher
hardness and maximum tensile strength.

As the volume percentage of the reinforcement (Al2O3)
increases, the amount of Al2O3 particles also increases, which

Table 9
Analysis of variance for ultimate tensile strength.

Source Adj Adj F P Degree of freedom

Sum of square Mean square
Regression 2704.15 540.83 10.75 0.006 5
Linear 2132.94 1066.4 20.75 0.002 2
Rpm (N) 958.28 958.28 18.64 0.005 1
Per (P) 1174.6 1174.6 22.85 0.003 1
Square 596.62 596.62 5.80 0.040 2
N*N 520.37 520.37 10.12 0.019 1
P*P 76.26 76.26 1.48 0.269 1
rpm*per 11.11 11.11 0.22 0.658 1
Residual Error 308.44 51.41 6
Total 11
R2 = 89.76% R2(adj) = 81.23%

Please cite this article as: K. E. Ahmed, B. M. Nagesh, B. S. Raju et al., Studies on the effect of welding parameters for friction stir welded AA6082 reinforced
with Aluminium Oxide, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.10.059
 K.E. Ahmed et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx 11

Fig. 21. Normal probability plot for ultimate tensile strength.

Fig. 22. Contour plot to predict ultimate tensile strength.

results in the decrease of the yield stress and ultimate tensile
strength, which tends to make the specimen more brittle.

Experimentally the optimum value for ultimate tensile
strength was found to be 102.911 MPa, which was obtained
at a rotational speed of 1000 rpm and 10% Al2O3 as
reinforcement.

Empirical relationships were developed using statistical tools,
such as the response surface methodology (RSM) and Analysis
of Variance (ANOVA) to predict the ultimate tensile strength
(UTM) of the FSW joints of the Aluminum Alloy AA6082 rein-
forced with varying percentage of Al2O3 composition.

From the ANOVA analysis it was found that the percentage
composition of Al2O3 is more significant factor than the rota-
tional speed.

FSW process parameters were optimized, using response sur-
face methodology to attain the maximum tensile strength.
These values are quite close to the experimentally obtained
values.

Please cite this article as: K. E. Ahmed, B. M. Nagesh, B. S. Raju et al., Studies on the effect of welding parameters for friction stir welded AA6082 reinforced
with Aluminium Oxide, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.10.059
12 K.E. Ahmed et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

Fig. 23. Surface plot to predict ultimate tensile strength.

From the regression model, the optimum value for ultimate ten-
sile strength was found to be 104.7585 MPa which was
obtained at a rotational speed of 1000 rpm and 5% Al2O3 as
reinforcement.
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Please cite this article as: K. E. Ahmed, B. M. Nagesh, B. S. Raju et al., Studies on the effect of welding parameters for friction stir welded AA6082 reinforced
with Aluminium Oxide, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.10.059