The prediction of seam welds quality in aluminum extrusion

The first review and comparison of methods for evaluating the quality of seam welds in aluminum extruded profiles is here presented. In fact, although the solid state welding of the seams in the extrusion of aluminum hollow profiles affects the process productivity, the profile resistance and the aspect of the surface, a general methodology for weld quality prediction has, so far, not been presented. This work reconstructs the experiences of other researchers on a AA 6082 aluminum alloy by means of thermo-mechanical FEM analyses, with the aim to evaluate the fields of pressure, flow stress and velocity on the welding surface. On this basis, different welding criteria were applied in order to evaluate their ability to describe the observed phenomena. Some criteria showed a good relation between simulations and tests, thus evidencing good predicting capabilities.