Experimental Comparison of the MIG and Friction Stir Welding Processes for AA 6005 Aluminium Alloy

In this study, the mechanical properties of welded joints of AA 6005 aluminum alloyobtained with friction stir welding (FSW) and conventional metal inert gas welding (MIG) arestudied. FSW welds were carried out on a semi-automatic milling machine. The performance ofFSW and MIG welded joints were identified using tensile and bending impact tests, as far as theenvironmental aspects are also included in the discussion. The joints obtained with FSW and MIGprocesses were also investigated in their microstructure. The results indicate that, the microstructureof the friction stir weld is different from that of MIG welded joint. The weld nugget consists ofsmall grains in FSW than those found in MIG weld. Taking into consideration the processconditions and requirements, FSW and MIG processes were also compared with each other tounderstand the advantages and disadvantages of the processes for welding applications of studiedAl alloy. Better tensile and bending strength were obtained with FSW welded joints.