Assessment of the Tensile Elongation (E %) And Hardening Capacity (Hc) Of Joints Produced In Friction Stir Welded 2017 Aa (Enaw-Alcu 4mgsi) Plates
Ali Trabelsi1, Mohamed-Ali Rezgui2, Smain Bezzina3
1Ali Trabelsi, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, High National School of Engineering of Tunis, Tunisia.
2Mohamed-Ali Rezgui, College of Engineering, Taibah University, Yanbu-Branch, Saudi Arabia.
3Smain Bezzina, University of  Khemis Miliana, Algeria.
Manuscript received on March 22, 2013. | Revised Manuscript received on April 20, 2013. | Manuscript published on April 30, 2013. | PP: 98-107 | Volume-2, Issue-4, April 2013. | Retrieval Number: D1303042413/2013©BEIESP

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© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Abstract: The study has aimed at investigating the leverage of three Friction Steer Welding (FSW) factors, namely, the tool rotation speed N(rpm), the tool traverse rate F(mm.mn-1 ) and the tool pin/shoulder diameters ratio r (%) on two FSW process responses: the joint tensile elongation (E%) and hardening capacity (Hc). For the experiment appraisal, 18 tested coupons have been cut in 6mm thick rolled plates of 2017 A alloys. Variation in the responses estimates has been assessed by conducting a Face-Centered Central Composite Design (FCCD) strategy and Anova Technique. Then, a second-order RSM model has been considered to describe the predictive formulation of the responses (E%) and (Hc), appropriately. Thereby, the multi-regression models pertaining to (E%) and (Hc) were built and analyzed for factors leverage and sensitivity. Lastly, a simultaneous optimization procedure based on the desirability function was employed to find out the levels setting of factors N, F and r% which guarantees maximum (E%) and (Hc), concurrently. At 95% of C.I., the research findings have pointed out the leverage of the tool geometry factor (r %) as well as the rotation speed (N) on the FSW process responses (E%) and (Hc). However, the process was found robust with respect to the tool traverse rate parameter (F).
Keywords: F.S.W., R.S.M., Taguchi, ANN, Genetic Algorithms, Ductility, Tensile elongation, Hardening capacity, 2017 AA.