Thermal Mechanical Modeling of the Plunge Stage During Friction-Stir Welding of Dissimilar Al 6061 to TRIP 780 Steel

In this study, a coupled thermomechanical model has been developed for the plunge stage of friction-stir welding (FSW) for joining dissimilar Al 6061 to TRIP steel. Governing equations of mass, momentum, and energy have been formulated for the bulk material and the interface, respectively. Generalized material properties defined with the field variable α are introduced for material identification at different regions. Local instant formulation...