Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is a solid‑state joining process that uses frictional heating and plastic deformation generated by a rotating, non‑consumable tool. Because experimental studies are often time‑consuming and expensive, numerical simulations have become an important alternative in recent years. Many simplified models have been developed to study the complex thermo‑mechanical behavior involved in FSW.
This tutorial presents a thermo‑mechanical finite element model that uses the Coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian (CEL) method to simulate the FSW process for AA6082‑T6 aluminum alloy. The welding stage is modeled in Abaqus/CAE. The video explains each step of the simulation, including the definition of boundary conditions and the setup of the tool geometry within the CEL framework.
During the simulation, the rotation of the tool generates significant heat, which increases the temperature of the aluminum. The analysis is performed in three steps using a dynamic temperature‑explicit procedure. Figures from the simulation are shown below.
