The Paton Welding Journal, 2025, №09

2025 №09 (01)

DOI of Article 10.37434/tpwj2025.09.02

2025 №09 (03)

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The Paton Welding Journal, 2025, #9, 10-17 pages

Mathematical modelling of thermal processes in friction stir welding of light alloys based on magnesium

O.O. Makhnenko, O.S. Kostenevych, O.V. Makhnenko

E.O. Paton Electric Welding Institute of the NASU. 11 Kazymyr Malevych Str., 03150, Kyiv, Ukraine. E-mail: makhnenko@paton.kiev.ua

Abstract
Mathematical modelling of thermal processes in welding is one of the effective methods for predicting the quality of a welded joint depending on technological parameters. However, to develop an adequate mathematical model, it is necessary to take into account a number of factors that can significantly affect the accuracy of the results of the computational analysis. Using the example of the problem of mathematical modelling of temperature distributions in friction stir welding (FSW) of a butt joint of plates of magnesium MA2-1 (AZ31) alloy of different thicknesses (2 and 8 mm), a computational study of the distribution of maximum temperatures and thermal cycles at points at different distances from the welded joint axis was carried out. It was found that the results of mathematical modelling of heat conductivity processes during welding heating in FSW are influenced by several aspects. One of the significant among them is heat dissipation into the working tool and fixing tools. Also, to ensure the accuracy of calculation of temperature distributions during FSW, it is important to choose the optimal sizes of the butt joint model in order to avoid the effect of heat accumulation in a model of a limited size, and to take into account the dependence of the friction coefficient on the temperature of the material, since its value determines the power of heat generation in FSW. Based on the results obtained, recommendations are formulated for conducting mathematical modelling of thermal processes in FSW of light alloys.
Keywords: friction stir welding, temperature distributions, thermal cycles, heat dissipation, work tool, backing plate, mathematical modelling, finite element analysis

Received: 08.04.2025
Received in revised form: 30.06.2025
Accepted: 15.09.2025

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Suggested Citation

O.O. Makhnenko, O.S. Kostenevych, O.V. Makhnenko (2025) Mathematical modelling of thermal processes in friction stir welding of light alloys based on magnesium. The Paton Welding J., 09, 10-17 .

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