Effect of Tool Rotational Speed on Temperature Distribution of Friction Stir Welded AA5083-H112/AA6061-T6 Joints: A Numerical Study

Abstract

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid-state welding technology that has been increasingly adopted in transportation industries, including automotive, railway, and aircraft manufacturing, due to its ability to produce high-quality joints without melting the base materials. However, obtaining the temperature distribution around the weld zone experimentally remains challenging because of rapid thermal transients and limitations in sensor placement, even though temperature strongly governs the formation of the weld zones (HAZ/TMAZ), microstructural evolution, and joint quality. Previous studies have reported the influence of process parameters on heat generation and the temperature asymmetry between the advancing and retreating sides, yet the available evidence is often limited to discrete measurement points, indicating a need for more systematic full-field thermal prediction. This study aims to predict the temperature distribution and evaluate the effect of tool rotational speed in dissimilar FSW of aluminum alloys AA5083-H112/AA6061-T6. A finite element method (FEM) based numerical simulation was developed using ABAQUS Student Version 2021 with a simplified geometric model and appropriate thermo-mechanical contact conditions to represent heat generation in FSW. The results show that the peak welding temperature increases with tool rotational speed; the maximum temperature reaches 479°C at 2280 rpm. Validation against experimental data confirms the same trend, with differences ranging from approximately 1% to 6%. These findings indicate that the proposed numerical model can reliably capture the thermal response of FSW and can support parameter selection for improved joint quality.