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An Alternative Frictional Boundary Condition for Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation of Friction Stir Welding

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Abstract

For better application of numerical simulation in optimization and design of friction stir welding (FSW), this paper presents a new frictional boundary condition at the tool/workpiece interface for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling of FSW. The proposed boundary condition is based on an implementation of the Coulomb friction model. Using the new boundary condition, the CFD simulation yields non-uniform distribution of contact state over the tool/workpiece interface, as validated by the experimental weld macrostructure. It is found that interfacial sticking state is present over large area at the tool-workpiece interface, while significant interfacial sliding occurs at the shoulder periphery, the lower part of pin side, and the periphery of pin bottom. Due to the interfacial sticking, a rotating flow zone is found under the shoulder, in which fast circular motion occurs. The diameter of the rotating flow zone is smaller than the shoulder diameter, which is attributed to the presence of the interfacial sliding at the shoulder periphery. For the simulated welding condition, the heat generation due to friction and plastic deformation makes up 54.4 and 45.6% of the total heat generation rate, respectively. The simulated temperature field is validated by the good agreement to the experimental measurements.

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Acknowledgment

The research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51375259) and the National Science and Technology Major Project of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (No. 2012ZX04012-011). Besides, Gaoqiang Chen was supported by the China Scholarship Council (File No. 20130620105) for 2-year study at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The State Key Laboratory of Tribology, Tsinghua University, 1 Tsinghua Yuan Park, Haidian, Beijing, 100084, People’s Republic of China

    Gaoqiang Chen, Yucan Zhu & Qingyu Shi

  2. Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials Processing Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, 1 Tsinghua Yuan Park, Haidian, Beijing, 100084, People’s Republic of China

    Gaoqiang Chen, Yucan Zhu & Qingyu Shi

  3. Materials Science & Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1 Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA

    Gaoqiang Chen & Zhili Feng

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  1. Gaoqiang Chen
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  2. Zhili Feng
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  4. Qingyu Shi
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Correspondence to Qingyu Shi.

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Chen, G., Feng, Z., Zhu, Y. et al. An Alternative Frictional Boundary Condition for Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation of Friction Stir Welding. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 25, 4016–4023 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-016-2219-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-016-2219-9

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