Experimental Investigation of Friction Stir Welding on 6061-T6 Aluminum Alloy using Taguchi-Based GRA

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

    1.  The problem presented in the work is interesting but paper is prepared without required explaination in some parts of the research, so it is difficult to asses submited results. Because  this study is  concentrated on identification of the optimum welding parameters for 6061 AA through Grey  relational analysis and Taguchi method, the explaination concerning using them as statistical analysis  exactly for FSW method should be presented and added to sub chapters : 2.3.1  2.3.2. ,  2.3.3,  2.3.4., 2.3.5, 2.3.6. and 4.6.

 2. All titles of Tables and all captions of figures do not reflect the contence of them.  

   e.g.  Table 6 : Experimantal result , but  of what ????????

e.g. Fig.5 Before and after the tensile test, but what ????

   e.g. Fig. 7. Relationship b/n RPM and HR  but kind of the process shoud be added and kind of material......

   e.g. Fig.9 Liquid penetrant test , but  it is not clear what is visiable on 3 parts of the picture. Explaination shoud be added  as: a)..., b).......c)......

 3. It was presented  that severe plastic deformation exists in the FSW weld and it is  caused by the high stirring process. To say in such a way,  the SPD effect shoud be presented as characteristic microstructure of FSW joint zone ( cross sections ).

 4. For better clarification of the problem of optimization of the FSW process parameters making use of the  combination of Grey relation analysis method and L9 orthogonal array additional information should be included in ths work. 

 5. The effect of temperature ( as result of generated heat by friction) should be discussed taking into account the thickness of the sheet. Using samples of 5 mm in thickness , it is different case then for a.g. 0,5 mm. 

 6. In which way the identification of defects in FSW joints was realized ? ( e.g. non-destructive tests? ) ( Table 8). 

 

 

 

 

  

 

                  

   

 

 

Author Response

Dear reviewer 1,

Thank you very much for your time and valuable comments.

Attached, please find the responses.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

1 - Page 3, line 86

Which is the temper of the aluminium alloy?

 

2 – Page 3, line 92

Was the chemical composition determined by the authors?

 

3 – Page 3, line 96

Which is the size of the plates welded?

 

4 – Page 4, Fig. 3

Fig. 3 is not clear, it was better to do a scheme.

 

5 – Page 4, line 114

Figs 4 and 5 are not mentioned in the text. No comment about the tools.

Which were the welding parameters used in the tests?

 

6 – Page 6, Fig. 6

Why axial load or tool plunge depth were not considered.

 

7 – Page 8, line 185

Why the welds present these properties?  Because of defects? Because of mechanical properties. Where does the failure occur?

 

8 – Page 8, line 190

Where does the failure occur? Why measure the hardness in the nugget and not in the HAZ?

Is there any correlation between the hardness and the failure of the specimens in this case?

 

9 – Page 8, line 202

It is not understood why there is a crack, as it is not a fusion welding process. Unless it is a ditch on the surface, in which case the defect is poorly classified. In Fig. 9 it seems to be a ditch.

 

10 – Page 9, table 7

Put units at welding speed.

 

11 – Page 16, line 294

Did you check the internal defects?

 

Author Response

Dear reviewer 2,

Thank you very much for your time and valuable comments.

Attached, please find the responses.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

All the comments are reported in the attached pdf file.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Dear reviewer 3,

Thank you very much for your time and valuable comments.

Attached, please find the responses.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf