Abstract
The present work addresses the feasibility of friction stir spot welding (FSSW) of metallic aluminum alloy (Al6061) to thermoplastic polycarbonate (PC) sheets using a tapered pin tool incorporating real-time process monitoring with thrust-torque signals. Sensitivity analysis identified axial tool thrust during dwelling as the most superior indicator for joint integrity (≥ 40.1%) due to its role in enhancing interfacial mixing and bonding. The tool revolving speed primarily governs the process stability (≥ 30.9%) and thus predominantly enhances the weld strength (36.5 MPa) through controlled materials stirring. In contrast, dwell time governs the joint ductility (35.5%) by promoting adequate consolidation, while plunge depth dictates the weld hardness (43%) through prolonged deformation along dissimilar interface. An integrated multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) analysis using ARAS, TOPSIS, and GRA provided consistent optimization trends with a strong rank correlation coefficient (> 0.9), confirming methodological reliability. The findings establish a quantitative framework for optimizing FSSW of dissimilar Al-PC, offering a validated approach for achieving improved mechanical behaviour through balanced process stability.
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