Although numerical models of heat transfer and material flow have contributed to understand the underlying mechanisms of friction stir welding (FSW), there are certain input model parameters that can not be easily determined. Thus, the model predictions do not always agree with experimental results. In this work, sensitivity analysis and parameter estimation were applied to test heat transfer and material flow models. A forward-difference approximation was used to compute the sensitivity of the solution with respect to the unknown model parameters. The Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) method was applied to solve the nonlinear parameter estimation problem. The numerical models were developed by the finite element method (FEM). The way in which the unknown model parameters independently affect the results and the importance of the location of reference points that take part in the objective function were determined.

In this work the friction stir welding (FSW) process of stainless steel probes is modeled by a general propose finite element program, reproducing both thermal and material flow distribution. In the FSW process the equipment consist essentially of a rotating tool, which travel along the joint of two restricted plates. The union results from the frictional heating induced by the tool, which led into a viscoplastic material flow between the joined plates. This work simulates the process for a union of austenitic stainless steel considering thermo-mechanical coupling. In order to solve the mechanical problem, a viscoplastic model is implemented for this steel, involving a representative constitutive relation within the range of process temperatures. On the other hand, the related thermal problem is modeled considering the advection phenomena induced by the tool movement. At this first stage, the results obtained have been contrasted with data reported in the published literature, obtaining good agreement between them.

En el presente trabajo se modela el proceso de Soldadura por Fricción-Agitación (SFA) en aceros inoxidables mediante la utilización de un programa de elementos finitos de propósito general, reproduciendo el mapa térmico y la distribución del flujo del material. En el proceso de SFA el equipo de soldadura consta de una herramienta que gira y se desplaza sobre la unión de dos chapas restringidas. La unión se produce por el calentamiento por fricción inducido por la herramienta, que promueve un comportamiento pastoso/viscoso del material y su correspondiente flujo entre las chapas a unir. Este trabajo simula el proceso para una unión de aceros inoxidables austeníticos considerando acoplamiento termomecánico. Para la resolución del problema mecánico se utiliza un modelo viscoplástico con una ley constitutiva representativa de estos aceros en el rango de las temperaturas del proceso. Por otro lado, el problema térmico se modela teniendo en cuenta los fenómenos advectivos debidos al movimiento de la herramienta. En esta primera etapa, los resultados obtenidos han sido contrastados con datos reportados en la bibliografía, obteniéndose una buena correlación entre los mismos.

When welded joints have to meet particular requirements related to fatigue life they are usually designed using the so called S-N design curves. This implies the construction of a curve for each particular design. From the point of view of the user, it is often difficult to establish accurately which is the curve that better fits the design that is being considered. The so called " local approach " is based on the concept that the fatigue strenght of welded joints is essentially determined by the local stress and strain in the " hot spots ". These spots are located in the geometric discontinuities of the joint. Through this approach is possible to consider the possibility of constructing and using only one curve of design or " key curve ", for a given material. In this case the design parameter is the local stress or strain instead of the nominal stress. In the present work the lateral defect is modeled with fillet welds using the local approach combined with the finite elements method. A data base of Kt for different dimensionless geometric relations is generated, and from these results an analytical function for the value of the concentrator is interpolated. Finally the contour plots that were generated help reducing the number laboratory tests needed for the determination of Kt.