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Friction stir spot welding of AA6082-T6: influence of

the most relevant process parameters and comparison
with classic mechanical fastening techniques
L Fratini*, A Barcellona, G Buffa, and D Palmeri
Department of Mechanical Technology, Production, and Management Engineering, University of Palermo,
Palermo, Italy
The manuscript was received on 4 July 2006 and was accepted after revision for publication on 22 March 2007.

DOI: 10.1243/09544054JEM678

Abstract: The results of an experimental study on friction stir spot welding (FSSW) of
AA6082-T6 are reported. In particular, process mechanics is highlighted and joint strength
is considered in relation to varying the most relevant process parameters. Furthermore, the
results obtained are compared with those derived from the application of traditional
mechanical fastening techniques such as clinching and riveting. In this way the effectiveness
of FSSW is highlighted.

Keywords: spot welding, friction stir welding, aluminium alloys

1 INTRODUCTION the average grain size observed in the melted mate-

Spot welding is a very common joining technique
in the automotive and transportation industries.
Aside from the joining technology used and, in parti-
cular, the heat source (Joule effect, electric arc, and
so on) spot welding allows effective lap-joints to be
obtained within short process times; in addition the
technology can be easily developed via the use of
robots and automated systems [1–3]. During recent
decades other mechanical fastening techniques, such
as clinching and riveting, have been widely utilized,
as they offer the same advantages as earlier welding
processes and, what is more, they do not suffer from
the onset of typical welding defects owing to the
fusion of the base material [4–6].
Friction stir welding (FSW) was presented and pro-
posed at the beginning of the 1990s as an innovative
technique able to develop the joining of the so-called
unweldable or difficult-to-weld lightweight alloys,
which are very common materials in the automotive
and aerospace industries. Indeed, classic welding pro-
cesses, such as tungsten inert gas (TIG) or laser, deter-
mine quite weak joints owing to a strong increase of
*Corresponding author: Department of Mechanical Technology,
Production, and Management Engineering, University of
Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Palermo 90128, Italy. email:
abaqus@dtpm.unipa.it
rial and to quite large thermally affected zones.
Furthermore stringent precautions must be consid-
ered during classic welding processes in order to
avoid inclusions and other typical defects in the joint
core. In turn, FSW is a solid state welding process
in which a specially designed rotating pin is first
inserted into the adjoining edges of the sheets to be
welded, with a proper nuting angle, and then moved
all along the joint. Such a pin produces frictional
and plastic deformation heating in the welding
zone and no actual melting of material is observed.
Furthermore, as the tool moves, material is forced
to flow around the tool in a quite complex flow
pattern, determining a very particular microstructure
characterized by continuous dynamic recrystalliza-
tion phenomena [7–9].
As a natural evolution of the FSW process, friction
stir spot welding (FSSW) has recently been proposed
[10–11]. In such a process, directly based on the
friction stir welding process mechanics, a rotating
tool with a probe pin is introduced into the two
blanks to be joined, supported by a proper back-
plate. The rotating tool generates frictional heat in
the specimens and at the same time a material flow
is determined. The heated and softened material
close to the tool plastically deforms and a bond is
made between the surfaces of the upper and lower
sheets. No linear movement is allowed to the tool,

JEM678 Ó IMechE 2007 Proc. IMechE Vol. 221 Part B: J. Engineering Manufacture