Description Friction stir welding (FSW) is a suitable solid state process for joining materials that are otherwise difficult to weld. This process has significant potential to overcome current challenges in automotive manufacturing and it can replace conventional fusion-based welding processes. It has been demonstrated that FSW offers numerous advantages compared to conventional welding processes, such as absence of porosity, solidification cracking, oxidation and reduced distortion. This project aims to develop a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to quantitatively investigate the thermal cycles, thermal histories, weld shape and heat affected zone as well as the spatial distribution of frictional heat flux during FSW. An advanced frictional boundary condition will be used to capture the contact states at the FSW tool / workpiece interface. Models will be validated with previously generated experimental data and will then produce further numerical data to inform future experiments. Key Objectives

Undertake an appropriate technical literature review Understand the mechanism and fundamentals of the FSW process Build the required skills of using the CFD software Ansys Develop appropriate CFD models of FSW in terms of minimum computational cost and reasonable results that predict the temperature history and weld shape Analyse numerical data to optimise process parameters, thereby informing future experimental work