In this study, the mechanical properties of welded joints of AA 6005 aluminum alloy
obtained with friction stir welding (FSW) and conventional metal inert gas welding (MIG) are
studied. FSW welds were carried out on a semi-automatic milling machine. The performance of
FSW and MIG welded joints were identified using tensile and bending impact tests, as far as the
environmental aspects are also included in the discussion. The joints obtained with FSW and MIG
processes were also investigated in their microstructure. The results indicate that, the microstructure
of the friction stir weld is different from that of MIG welded joint. The weld nugget consists of
small grains in FSW than those found in MIG weld. Taking into consideration the process
conditions and requirements, FSW and MIG processes were also compared with each other to
understand the advantages and disadvantages of the processes for welding applications of studied
Al alloy. Better tensile and bending strength were obtained with FSW welded joints
