TWI

A review is presented of the application of CFD (computational fluid dynamics) to numerical modelling of the friction stir welding (FSW) process, incorporating coupled physical phenomena such as heat generation, heat transfer and metal flow. Issues discussed include mechanisms of heat generation and dissipation in FSW, heat transfer modes, metal flow patterns and metallurgical process zones in FSW, material transport in the shoulder/workpiece and tool pin/workpiece interface regions, CFD application to simulation of FSW and parametric studies, the effects of rotational speed and welding speed on peak temperature, tool designs to improve material flow velocity, reverse dual rotation FSW, and the use of CFD in FSW parameter optimisation.

11th International Symposium, 17-19 May 2016, Poster Session, Paper 03