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Experimental investigation of friction stir welding of PLA

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Abstract

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid-state welding technology which is frequently used for welding of thermoplastic and metallic alloys in the automobile and aerospace industries. Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biodegradable thermoplastic polymer. PLA can replace petroleum-based polymer in many applications if the FSW process can be used for welding of PLA-based engineering components. In the present study, FSW process was carried out to join PLA sheets to investigate the influence of input parameters such as tool speed and transverse speed on the tensile strength of the welded specimens using different pin profiles. The tool speeds of 700, 1400, and 2000 rpm and traverse speeds of 20, 30, and 40 mm/min were selected to perform the welding. The pin profiles such as cylindrical, threaded, and conical pins of the tool were used to study their effect on the joint strength and efficiency. Visual inspection of the welded specimens was carried out to find the defects in welding. The temperature that is induced during welding and the load-displacement behavior of the welded specimens were also studied to understand the welding behavior of biodegradable PLA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Meghalaya, Shillong, Meghalaya, 793003, India

    Ankit Kumar R. Sharma, Mridusmita Roy Choudhury & Kishore Debnath

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  1. Ankit Kumar R. Sharma
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  2. Mridusmita Roy Choudhury
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  3. Kishore Debnath
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Correspondence to Mridusmita Roy Choudhury.

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Recommended for publication by Commission III - Resistance Welding, Solid State Welding, and Allied Joining Process

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Sharma, A.K.R., Roy Choudhury, M. & Debnath, K. Experimental investigation of friction stir welding of PLA. Weld World 64, 1011–1021 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-020-00890-7

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