Welding Deformation Analysis of Friction Stir Welded Aluminum Alloy Structures Using Equivalent Load Method Based On Inherent Strain

The equivalent load method based on the inherent strain approach is suggested as an efficient welding deformation and residual stress analysis method for large scale friction stir welded structures of aluminum alloy Al6061-T6 sheet metal. The result of the proposed equivalent load method showed fairly good agreements with those of the existing finite element method as well as the friction stir welding experiment. The efficiency and accuracy of the proposed equivalent load method have been verified. By the present method proposed in this study, it will be possible to efficiently predict the welding deformation of large scale friction stir welded structures.